 Spreading The Faith  |
Spreading the Faith
Hardish Singh
Huddersfield. England
Mighty emperors with dominions vaster than the seas, and holding mounds of wealth besides, match not the puny ant, in whose heart lies an iota of Thy love. Guru Nanak
As we approach the end of the century, attitudes of society are generally changing. Secularization has run its course and has run dry. People seem to be rejecting this impersonal, rational, bureaucratic, and sometimes wicked world. As animal welfare, vegetarianism, and green issues become more popular, people are looking for alternative ways of living. Our set up of the sadh sangat is an ideal system. A sense of joy, a stable social order, a sense of identity has been created and this is the food that the masses crave. We fail to recognize that Dharma by itself has its own attractions. I sometimes wonder if we are ashamed of our Dharma, that is why we don’t reach out and let the rest of our community experience our lifestyle and learn our beliefs.
The point arises: how are we going to show the world that we exist; that an alternative system, way of living has been created? So far, we are confined to our homes, family, and ashram communities. These have their own set of advantages, but make us invisible to the rest of the population. We can learn from key leaders and numerous other organizations and how they systematically create outreach.
The Islamic societies hold Islam awareness weeks in every British city throughout the country at least once a year. They stand outside the libraries, town halls and shopping parades with book stalls, free literature, and lectures. This has been very successful in furthering an understanding of their teachings.
We can learn from Iskcon (Hari Krishnas) who hold vegetarian weekends. These events consist of large vegetarian picnics in various parks throughout the country. There is such a need to develop prison and university programs. We can learn from the Malcolm X, experience that ‘a’ person can produce the most remarkable person. I feel very deeply that these are not just suggestions, but are a must!
I am hoping that we can surpass our own aims and goals in service and outreach. It only will happen if we collectively set aside, for a while, our political and economic ambitions. We are, as Sikhs of eastern and western heritage, getting entrenched in the web of maya. The more we spin, the more tangled we get. My prayer is that we walk solely for God and Guru for a period of time. Then the fulfillment we experience will have us hooked for life.
Every Sikh community could set up its own outreach, its own efforts in spreading the teachings. Here in Britain, we are trying to set up a Sikh Awareness Week. We would be happy to hear of your suggestions and comments.
Make divine knowledge thy sustenance, and compassion thy steward be. Thus alone shalt thou taste of that celestial melody that vibrates in all hearts.
Guru Nanak