Are you okay with a few people high-jacking our Dharma?

[Guest guest]

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Seva SSS Khalsa <ssss77

Sun, Aug 9, 2009 at 6:57 PM

UIB & SDS

Seva simran siri singh khalsa <SSSS77

 

 

 

 

An Open Letter

To The Sangat

Re: The Unto

Infinity Board and a body calling itself the

Sikh Dharma

Stewardship

 

Whahe

Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Whahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh!

 

Sat

Nam and Hello to my fellow Sangat Members.

 

Where do I start with such an important matter?

Well, lets start with some history and an update:

 

1) Sometime after the Siri Singh

Sahibs passing, members of the Unto Infinity Board (UIB) began losing

the signature dress and appearance of being a Sikh. At

this time there were a small number of friends and acquaintances who

were aware of their changes.

The five member board became a

four member board.

 

2)

In 2005, 23 people were fired (let go) from the non-profits;

something about not being able to afford them, etc.

 

3)

The Siri Singh Sahibs picture was taken off the Yogi Tea boxes

and the label was changed to Yogi.

 

4)

In December 2008 the UIB wanted to install 5 people as a Trust

to oversee the religious side of all the entities (3HO, KRI, etc).

Sikh Dharma International (SDI) asked the UIB to delay any

action of installing another Board to oversee other Boards. Then,

without any further consultation or communication from the UIB to SDI,

the UIB went forward and appointed 5 people and called them the Sikh

Dharma Stewardship (SDS). In their subsequent e-mail to

the sangat introducing themselves to us, there were no explanations

other than here we are!

 

5)

Previous to the Khalsa Council (KC) meetings in April 2009 the

SDS tried firing some members of the Phoenix Board. Those

members of the Phoenix Board refused to step down.

 

6) At the April 2009 Khalsa

Council meetings the SDS received votes of no confidence:

a) SDS should

resign or become invalid/ resign:

67

yes 35 no 4 abstaining

b) A new

structure for governance should be created:

52

yes 47 no 7 abstaining

c) SDS should

represent KC in communication with the UIB:

27 yes 77

no 2 abstaining

d) Another

group (not the SDS Board but could include these individuals) should be

 

the means for

communication.

80 yes

24 no 2 abstaining

The

above votes demonstrate that the majority of KC

members do not recognize the SDS and

do not want to authorize them to act over issues. The

SDS promised at these KC meetings to act more Aquarian in the future

and admitted making mistakes in their previous actions.

 

Additionally,

 

At these same Khalsa Council meetings the

general body was officially informed about the UIB no longer being

Sikhs.

MSS Guru Terath Singh

got up in front of the KC and announced that there

never were any requirements for the UIB to be

Khalsa Sikhs; i.e., there was no

requirement for them to wear bana, give to Das Vandh, attend KC

meetings, etc. That it was all a mistake in filing the bylaws. He

stated that the UIBs lawyer, Roy Lambert (Oregon Super Lawyer by Law

& Politics magazine in 2006), made a clerical error in filing

the by-laws that govern the UIB in Oregon; and he made the same mistake

three times!

7)

At these KC meetings, members of the SDS stood before KC stating

their dedication to the Siri Singh Sahibs mission, his purpose, and on

and on. I do not recall if they ever mentioned the

Sangat.

 

8)

On June 8, 2009 the SDS fired the current Phoenix board! They

stated that the Phoenix Sangat deserved representation from people of

the community. Of the five newly appointed members, one

lives in Tucson, one lives in San Diego, and another lives in Los

Angeles. In addition, 87% of the Phoenix Sangat

protested these firings! Progress was being made on an

outstanding debt that the Phoenix community incurred during the

building of the new Gurdwara with the old board; which was now going

to be delayed with the installation of new board members. (For

more on this matter, refer to a detailed account [see attachments] on

the building of the Phoenix Gurdwara and their community.)

So

much for promises. This brings to mind the aphorism

actions speak louder than words.

 

9)

Currently the SDS is asking Sikh Dharma International to expunge

a member of their board, that being Bibiji, the wife of our beloved

Siri Singh Sahib. Please keep in mind that when the UIB

took the picture of our beloved teacher off the Yogi Tea boxes

(contrary to his order to keep his picture on the boxes!) Bibiji and

staff could no longer receive royalties from their sales.

 

10)

On July 9 of this year Organic Consumers Associations website

reported that Peace Cereal no longer had the word organic on its

boxes. UIBs response to this report was that for

low-income people to purchase their cereal they must do some cost

cutting on their products. (Subsequently they raised

their prices!?) Who is profiting here?

 

So whats next? Wait and see

what wise actions the UIB and SDS take next? Wait and

see if we are worthy and enlightened enough for the UIB to come and

speak to us?

I know everyone has ideas and thoughts on this

subject. This whole matter has brought up more questions

than answers: How do we communicate to one another?

Do we keep the UIB as a five member board or expand it? Do

we keep the present status of communicating only on a need to know

basis? How do we keep information flowing and who

decides what information can be passed onto the Sangat (our censors).

Who are the leaders and what do we expect from them? The

list goes on.

 

We are entering a new era. Can

we rise to the occasion? Or do we keep the status quo,

what ever that is? No one could quite figure out the present

flow-chart of our profit and non-profit businesses presented at our

first meeting at Hari Jiwans house. This is just one

example of the blind leading the blind.

 

I was born and raised an American. I

studied government and majored in Political Science. I

like the idea of checks and balances. It works better

than any other system. But no government structure is

immune from corruption and greed. There must be a structure in place to

impeach those who use the system for their own means and at the

expense of its constituents. It is the responsibility

of constituents/sangat to stay informed and vote/participate. It

is the responsibility of our leaders to communicate to its constituency.

As it presently stands the UIB is no longer communicating except

to a few friends. They have delegated responsibility

that was given to them by the Siri Singh Sahib to five people who are

responsible only to a group of ex-Sikhs. And this group

has authority over the Khalsa Council, the Siri Sikhdar Sahiba, the

Bhai Sahiba and the Sikh Dharma Boards! These five (the

SDS) originally took an oath to abide by the rules set forth by the

Khalsa Council. Now they say they are above it.

 

But

this goes way beyond politics.

 

All of my generation of American Sikhs (the 50 and 60 somethings) have attended

hundreds of the Siri Singh Sahibs lectures. Who amongst

you actually believe he didn't expect the UIB to be Khalsa Sikhs? I

agree that this is painful to see and experience. Regardless,

this mess has been left up to us. But keep

in mind: Its not the life that matters, its the

courage you bring to it!

 

What about those lectures given at Ladies Camp

year after year? Where are those ladies who sat at the

foot of the Master, who marched, who learned to shoot a rifle,

exercised and sweated? This is your Dharma; our Dharma. We

have all had a hand in building this Dharma. Is

the current situation acceptable to you? Are you okay

with a few people high jacking our Dharma?

 

Are

you still scratching your head and wondering what has happened? How

could these Sikhs go back on their commitment? Are you

still wondering how someone you trusted has gone back on their word?

Human nature is what it is. You practice your

faith, your path, or you lose it. No one is above the

laws of nature. There is nothing wrong with looking out

for yourself, but not at the expense of others! And this is what has

happened.

 

What

happened to the non-profits who provided a safe learning experience for

our Miri Piri students during the summers? Known as

earn and learn, is it now out of style? Can we no

longer afford it? We cant afford a safe and secure

environment for our children graduating from Miri Piri? Do

the businesses exist only to make a profit?

Is

that what the SSS had in mind? The businesses aren't

here to serve our youth? Are the returning Miri Piri

graduates left out to sink or swim as Khalsa Sikhs? Shouldn't

they be given the best opportunity, the most uplifting environment to

stay as Khalsa?

 

This is not about personalities, likes or

dislikes. There are people who like me, hate me or have

no opinion. But what of it? This is not

about me or you, but our legacy. The Sikh Dharma Stewardship/

UIB is on a mission and do not care who they step on. I

do not take kindly to that.

 

This

Dharma is not for the weak of heart. We take care of

those who cannot take care of themselves and stand up to protect them.

Now is the time to protect and stand up for our Dharma,

our communities. We cannot act out of fear. If there is

anything that was done illegally in the past, or is in a gray area, I

believe it is better to bring light to it now. Secrecy

only breeds what we have now ...... a tangled mess.

 

Many

people I speak with feel powerless. What can I do?

Below you will find a site to sign a petition and an address to

send your hard earned money. I have signed the petition

and given my money.

 

For petitions: www.ipetitions.com/petition/sikhdharmaboard

 

To donate: Khalsa Commonwealth

6322 DeLongpre

Ave

Los Angeles,

Ca. 90028

 

 

With humbleness and dedication to our Creator

and our Destiny,

 

Dr.

Seva Simran Siri Singh Khalsa, DOM, L.Ac.

 

[Guest guest]

Dear Ones,

 

There is nothing more precious than our Dharma and our Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization. I understand the grief and the heartbreak that comes with this current situation.

 

But I would also like to remind us what our Siri Singh Sahib, Yogi Bhajan has given us over his lifetime.

 

He has given us a very, very deep understanding of the experience of Soul, of Guru in which we know that nothing is “written in stone.” From him we know that the heart, the kindness, the experience of the Infinite within us is literally mightier than any band of usurpers.

 

Even quantum physics has told us this! Our world is created by our own beliefs and emotions. If we vibrate fear as victims, we remain victims. Our vibration is what creates “form” or what we call everyday reality. We are the Creators of our own reality. And certainly at this switching over to the Aquarian Age, the “times” are smashing every insecurity, every hurt, every shortcoming from every lifetime that is still living in our skin. It is all coming up like a volcano right now—whether individually or collectively! That is so that we may heal it, become absolutely clear of it all so that we may vibrate this crystalline Light that is the frequency of this new time.

 

Yogi Bhajan said that the New Age is not coming TO us, but that it is coming THROUGH us. So, these circumstances appear to be the actual cleansing of the Piscean era out of our precious Dharma and 3HO. The whole thing is so magical!

 

This means that we are no longer Piscean beings who are being administered to through the authority of these organizations—with money and “legal” power as their life blood.

 

On the contrary, it is time for each of us to truly find the depth of “Dharma” and “Kundalini Yoga” in our own hearts, deeply live it, own it at all levels—and to profoundly and joyously share that beautiful, pure and living vibration with each other. It is time for us all to live by the direction of our own Souls, knowing that each one is given their own unique piece of this great living organism, this living Unity that we call Dharma and the community of Kundalini. And we each serve, serve, serve this deeply satisfying and uplifting community of heart and Soul together! That is what we are here to do as pioneers of this new time.

 

As we live, love and serve purely and completely from our hearts and our Souls, we share an Infinite life among us that seemed only like a day dream in the Piscean time! This is who we are! As Yogi Bhajan told us, we truly are Siblings of Destiny! So please, let's open our minds and hearts for something entirely new to be created, and experience it!

 

And as we more and more fully realize that, building the palpable vibration of our kindness, our joined inspiration and our Unity—rather than fighting and feeling robbed, we simply sidestep control by old Piscean institutions that do not serve the great joined Heart and Soul of our blessed communities! And because the times are changing so rapidly, those Piscean power trips naturally diminish because there is no “place,” no “hook” for them in this new time. So, my Dears, please “Take Hold of Your Golden Temple” and let ourselves be known as Khalsa (the pure ones) by our Love!

 

Lots of Love,

 

Siri-Gian Kaur

www.SoulAnswer.com

 

"Laugh because that is your purpose in life. Love because that is what you came here for. Shine because that is important. Share because it is demanded of you." Yogi Bhajan.

[Guest guest]

Sat nam,

 

Thank you to Seva Simran Siri Singh for providing the overview and call to

action on this matter, and to Siri-Gian Kaur for providing the Aquarian,

heart-centered perspective. I have been hearing bits and pieces about the

contention with the Unto Infinity Board and its management of the different 3HO

organizations/companies, but have chosen to remain neutral because I felt it had

more to do with sangat politics that do not include me.

 

However, my perspective has shifted from being on the sidelines because I

realize that I am a consumer, and therefore a supporter, of the 3HO companies. I

choose their products and services with the intention of supporting the

principles on which the companies were founded. Many of these principles include

(but are not limited to) promoting a healthy, happy, holy lifestyle that is

aligned with Yogi Bhajan's teachings. I find it disturbing that at least some of

these companies appear to be departing from their original charters, and their

leaders are apparently not willing to sustain any sort of dialogue to explain

their business decisions with their customers. Perhaps they are not required to,

but I expect better from companies that consider(ed) themselves to be Aquarian.

 

It is not important to me whether the Unto Infinity Board members (or anyone in

3HO, for that matter) consider themselves Sikh, because I don't think there is a

single definition of " Sikh. " And anyway, how one chooses to identify (or not)

his or her path is a personal choice that I believe should NOT be a litmus test

for employment. However, if the leadership is not in touch with the companies'

customer base, THAT is a problem.

 

I have worked in the corporate world for several years and understand there is

often tension between what a company must to do grow, and sustain that growth,

while keeping its existing customers happy. This can be done, and it can be done

gracefully if there is agreed-upon vision, as well as trust and clear and honest

communication between leadership, the workers, and the customers. It doesn't

appear that this is happening with the 3HO companies, and as a consumer I find

this troubling.

 

It would be nice if someone who is more familiar with the 3HO companies could

post an explanation of how they are related and organized, and what exactly ARE

the companies. I know there is Peace Cereal and Yogi Tea, but where does

Solstice fit into all this? And Akal Security and KRI? Please clarify, if you

can and are willing.

 

Sat nam,

Nimrita

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam, EveryOne -

Yes, Siri Gian Kaur, Khalsa is renowned for its sweetheartedness in the face of

outrage and insult. However, sweetheartedness is not softheadedness.

 

In addition to everything you've said so beautifully, THESE are the words of the

Song we sing each day, THIS is the steel of our souls, THESE are the Battle

Lines we sing and draw in the earth:

 

" Strong as Steel,

Steady as Stone,

Until the last star falls,

We Won't Give an Inch At All. "

 

And we won't cut any slack for those who betray the very basis of our Being

(which is our trust in Infinity) simply by calling themselves Unto Infinity and

thumbing their noses at the Universe.

 

" Many are Your hands yet You have no hands, many are Your eyes yet You have no

eyes, many are Your voices, yet You have no voice. "

 

Yes there is a rumble in the jungle of life, a storm on the terrible world

ocean, and there is a Guru-Ship for sailing across. This battle is one of those

we must go THROUGH rather than around, because it is exactly the crap cleaning

job that Wahe Guru has placed in front of His Sevadar-Planetary-Janitors. THIS

is our mess. WE have to clean it up, if for no other reason than to demonstrate

to the world how a mess between here and Aquarius HAS TO BE cleaned up IF we

care to enter the experience of equality and Aquarius. HIERARCHIES are counter

to the essence of directness with the Ek Ong Kar, the Sat Nam, AND the Wahe

Guru. If we CHOOSE to own ourselves and give up the faint and frightened ego in

order to LIVE as Ek Ong Kar Sat Nam Siri Wahe Guru, THEN we become qualified to

live and breathe as Khalsa Humanity. Otherwise, it's all simply another fantasy

trip to DisneyLand.

 

That is the challenge we face. To be real, or to rely merely on talk as the

smokescreens surround us. If we do not maintain our solidarity with the

Teachings who made us whom we are, and to doubly maintain our honor and loyalty

to the Spiritual Teacher who gave it all to support our weaning from empire

co-dependency, THEN our words become worthless. " When things are down and

darkest " is not a mood statement, it describes a capacity for Divine Defiance of

mortal insanity, including our own individually. " But if the Khalsa falls " is

not a semantic caveat, it is the future of spinelessness in case we lose our

spines and the capacity for the Kundalini within us to deliver us to Infinity.

At this time, TRUTH IS BITTER and so is the medicine. And we cannot afford to

fool ourselves with foolishness. The real solutions are in honest sacrifice of

temporary comforts and serenities, and merely magical thinking, in order to face

the heat of the oven before the bread is burned or beyond recognition.

 

On a well run GuruShip, this would be done by Galley Stewards, but currently

they're giving the captain a foot massage and seem to be too busy to comply.

 

Bless You,

S.S. Krishna Singh Khalsa

 

Kundalini-Yoga , " Siri-Gian \(Soul Answer\) "

<sirigian wrote:

>

> Dear Ones,

 

> There is nothing more precious than our Dharma and our Healthy, Happy, Holy

Organization. I understand the grief and the heartbreak that comes with this

current situation.

 

> But I would also like to remind us what our Siri Singh Sahib, Yogi Bhajan has

given us over his lifetime.

 

> He has given us a very, very deep understanding of the experience of Soul, of

Guru in which we know that nothing is " written in stone. " From him we know that

the heart, the kindness, the experience of the Infinite within us is literally

mightier than any band of usurpers.

 

> Even quantum physics has told us this! Our world is created by our own

beliefs and emotions. If we vibrate fear as victims, we remain victims. Our

vibration is what creates " form " or what we call everyday reality. We are the

Creators of our own reality. And certainly at this switching over to the

Aquarian Age, the " times " are smashing every insecurity, every hurt, every

shortcoming from every lifetime that is still living in our skin. It is all

coming up like a volcano right now-whether individually or collectively! That

is so that we may heal it, become absolutely clear of it all so that we may

vibrate this crystalline Light that is the frequency of this new time.

 

> Yogi Bhajan said that the New Age is not coming TO us, but that it is coming

THROUGH us. So, these circumstances appear to be the actual cleansing of the

Piscean era out of our precious Dharma and 3HO. The whole thing is so magical!

 

> This means that we are no longer Piscean beings who are being administered to

through the authority of these organizations-with money and " legal " power as

their life blood.

 

> On the contrary, it is time for each of us to truly find the depth of " Dharma "

and " Kundalini Yoga " in our own hearts, deeply live it, own it at all levels-and

to profoundly and joyously share that beautiful, pure and living vibration with

each other. It is time for us all to live by the direction of our own Souls,

knowing that each one is given their own unique piece of this great living

organism, this living Unity that we call Dharma and the community of Kundalini.

And we each serve, serve, serve this deeply satisfying and uplifting community

of heart and Soul together! That is what we are here to do as pioneers of this

new time.

 

> As we live, love and serve purely and completely from our hearts and our

Souls, we share an Infinite life among us that seemed only like a day dream in

the Piscean time! This is who we are! As Yogi Bhajan told us, we truly are

Siblings of Destiny! So please, let's open our minds and hearts for something

entirely new to be created, and experience it!

 

> And as we more and more fully realize that, building the palpable vibration of

our kindness, our joined inspiration and our Unity-rather than fighting and

feeling robbed, we simply sidestep control by old Piscean institutions that do

not serve the great joined Heart and Soul of our blessed communities! And

because the times are changing so rapidly, those Piscean power trips naturally

diminish because there is no " place, " no " hook " for them in this new time. So,

my Dears, please " Take Hold of Your Golden Temple " and let ourselves be known as

Khalsa (the pure ones) by our Love!

 

> Lots of Love,

 

> Siri-Gian Kaur

> > www.SoulAnswer.com

 

> " Laugh because that is your purpose in life. Love because that is what you

came here for. Shine because that is important. Share because it is demanded

of you. " Yogi Bhajan.

>

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam!S.S. Krishna Singh Khalsa, Nimrita - you both spoke what my gut, heart and soul screamed while reading Seva Simran Siri Singh lines about the going-ons UP THERE!! Thank you all 3 and Siri-Gian Kaur for her heart-words, too. I do hope that some of the people we read about here do read every post very closely. One thing I have to say very openly: There are a lot of Kundalini Yogis who are not members of 3OH, who live and practice yoga and the teachings of Yogi Bhajan. My first reaction to Seva Simran Siri Singh´s post was: Leave 3HO - you can live the same lifestyle without having to share something that starts to rot!So I hope that I do not have to do exactly that. What would 3HO be, if more people would do exactly that?Blessings to allSiri Ram Kaur

[Guest guest]

" One thing I have to say very openly: There are a lot of Kundalini Yogis who are not members of 3HO, who live and practice yoga and the teachings of Yogi Bhajan. My first reaction to Seva Simran Siri Singh´s post was: Leave 3HO - you can live the same lifestyle without having to share something that starts to rot! " - Siri Ram Kaur (Cordula Seel) Sat Aug 15, 2009

 

Not my understanding at all. Yogi Bhajan said " You cannot join 3HO. " If you live it, you are it. It's not something you join or leave. Either 3HO lives in you or it does not. It is, by definition, the lifestyle itself.

 

All love, .....G