Khalsa Council Report – Baisakhi Meetings 2000
SS Gurunater Kaur Khalsa
The first Khalsa Council Meetings of the Year 2000 were held April 5 -7 in Los Angeles at the Olympic Collection Conference Center. They focused on Community Leadership; Human Development and Personal Relationship; and Support Programs for the Khalsa Family. The meetings were relaxed, joyful, inspiring, and educational.
We were blessed to have the Siri Singh Sahib address us each day on a different topic. The first day he spoke on “Sat Pad” saying it is a “posture of self-dignity and self-reliance.” It is when a person becomes pure affection, pure wisdom, and pure self to reach peace. On the second day he spoke on how to “Crystallize our Consciousness to Carry Guru’s Presence out to the World.” He recommended we “compliment not complain” and be “quietly contemplative.” On the third day he spoke on “Applied Life,” saying to “apply your calmness” and the entire anger of another person is gone. Whatever we ask for, we should ask ourselves, “Does it make me graceful?” He also spoke very seriously about some Sikhs In India who are destroying years of Sikh tradition. They are attacking our institutions and places of worship. He urged us to learn Gurbani and Punjabi and to travel village to village to expose these people, and asked us to use the power of the written word and prayer to see that purity of Khalsa prevails. This topic will be on the agenda of the October 2000 Khalsa Council meetings.
The Secretary General, MSS Sardarni Guru Amrit Kaur, spoke about Guru Nanak and how he meditated for four kulpas on the mantra Wahe Guru before he gave it to humanity. A kulpa is billions of years. Through his meditation and projection for billions and billions of years, he started this beautiful Golden Chain. She reported she had been traveling extensively to communities like Atlanta, Los Angeles, Yucatan, Mexico City, Spain, San Francisco, Sweden, and the European Khalsa Council. In each community she would meet with the sangat and facilitate their growth as a community.
The Bhai Sahiba, Bibiji Inderjit Kaur, spoke about the Siri Singh Sahib’s teaching schedule in Anandpur Sahib at the First International Integrative Medicine Conference. He also taught over 2000 teenagers at a Sikh Youth Camp while in India. In Cape Town, South Africa, he taught a meditation course, and in the same city, the Bhai Sahiba participated on a women’s panel at the Parliament of World’s Religions Conference, teaching a class on “Shabd Guru.”
The Chairperson, SS Nirvair Singh, gave a very personal and inspiring address about dropping our past and clearing away any old ghosts so we could be in the present and be here as a Khalsa Council.
SS Dr. Sat Kaur introduced the Minister Training Program and the four areas which are being developed at this time. SS Shanti Shanti Kaur and SS Hari Charn Kaur gave a presentation on Minister Support and Communications - how we minister from the inside out. SS Guru Roop Kaur gave an inspiring presentation on Phoenix as a Training Center for missionaries, not ministers. SS Holy Kaur presented a report on how minister training could be done through the Internet via a virtual university. MSS Hari Dharam Kaur and SS Hari Simran Kaur gave an entertaining, interactive, and educational presentation on Reach Out - Teach Out, where we all experienced each other as teachers.
As a full body we shared ideas on how we activate the ministry in our communities. About 90% of the Khalsa Council members spoke about how they personally minister, in unusual ways, at unusual times, and not always in a formal setting. One member said she does most of her ministering on an airplane when people see her, are drawn to her, and want to talk about their personal lives.
The Khalsa Council honored three new ministers - SS Ravi Kaur and SS Ravijit Singh, both from Mexico, and SS Nam Nidhan Kaur from Chile.
SS Guruka Singh gave a report on the new Khalsa Council/Community Development website which is up and accessible as a way for Khalsa Council members and Community Developers to stay connected throughout the year and for others to get general information and updates about Khalsa Council and Sikh Dharma. The website will ultimately have a profile of all Khalsa Council members’ skills, experiences, and contact information so we can easily connect to another person when we need their expertise on a subject. Communities will be able to share information, network, and access resources. The “Sikh Minister’s Manual” will be posted, fully indexed, searchable, and able to print out content and use it as we need it. The website address is www.khalsacouncil.org. SS Siri Simran Kaur, Director of Community Development, is the person to contact about our new website (tel 505-753-5881, fax 505-753-5982, email [email protected]).
The Khalsa Council Community Development Day offered training in the Diagonal Management System (DMS) through a very professional presentation given by Sun and Son, and Khalsa Consultants (both part of our Khalsa International businesses). It was educational and fun, and showed us a way to hold successful meetings according to the teachings of the Siri Singh Sahib using this Diagonal Management System.
Dr. Harjot Kaur Singh gave her presentation on “The Physiological Effects of Sound Current on Body, Mind, and Soul.” She gave the same presentation this March in Anandpur Sahib at the “International Conference on Alternative Medicine.” She explained and substantiated with scientific data and medical studies how the sound current modifies brain wave frequencies to induce different mental states and therefore treat different pathological conditions. When sound current is used for a profound healing effect on the body, a peaceful mental state is created, which then opens a window to a higher level of consciousness. We all appreciated the professionalism of her presentation.
SS Sahej Singh along with other Khalsa Council members gave a colorful and informative report on Miri Piri Academy, our Sikh Dharma school in India. We were shown slides and a video which included the classrooms, campus, the new computers and the computer room which was partly purchased from funds raised by Khalsa Council members at the October 1999 Khalsa Council Meetings. There are plans to continue upgrades to the campus, the library, the Gurdwara, and the soccer field. At this Khalsa Council meeting, over $17,000 was raised and monthly donations of $1,300 were pledged.
A very special honor was given to SS Gurukirn Kaur from Phoenix. The Khalsa Council issued a Proclamation naming SS Gurukirn Kaur “Woman of the Century” in appreciation for her extensive contribution to the Khalsa Panth through art and poetry.
On a personal note, the Siri Singh Sahib asked me to fill the Chief Whip’s position at these meetings, as SS Dr. Sat Kirpal Kaur was not able to attend. We all missed her and her special touch, and I humbly tried to fill in for her as best I could. The love and support from the Khalsa Council was overwhelming and I am very thankful to have had that experience.