Sir,

In WSN of March 1 1991 under the tide “American Sikh’s Appeal” you published a letter from me. Little did I know that a letter sent with my subscription renewal check would appear in WSN? Needless to say since the letter was hastily written it has been misinterpreted by just about everyone who has read it and had the courtesy to call me about it. I feel the need for clarification if you please.

Twenty years living as a Sikh 30 years of studying Indian culture politics and religions gives me the right to offer some intellectual analysis of why India is going to hell in a hand basket quicker than I would have ever thought And the same can be said of our (yours and mine) Sikh heritage. And it is not a difficult analysis to come to: fanaticism fundamentalism egoism ad infinitum We Sikhs take great pleasure in abusing each other about how we relate to the Guru’s teachings about what caste we might be from (although casteism is not part of our spiritual doctrine) about politics about money and wealth about who is a real Sikh and who is not Enough is enough!

As Sikhs we are all equal under the eyes of God and Guru! That fact cannot be denied by anyone no matter what his or her claim to spiritual authority may be. Problem is we do not know how to reconcile that most precious of Guru’s teachings with our everyday life. We let the quest for power wealth influence and control get in the way of our true brotherhood and sisterhood; we form agendas against each other in the very Gurdwara’s where our equality is most exalted! We forget that we are brothers and sisters.

So I ask that whatever you and anybody else have to work out with Yogiji or whatever he has to work out with you be worked out in a graceful peaceful manner. Or is that too much to ask? Is that too difficult a process for us to imagine? Is that beyond the realm of possibility? Is that beyond the purview and wisdom of the Guru? I do not think so. It would be the most positive loving acknowledgement of God’s love for his Sikhs if all the Sikh factions would cast out their open and hidden agendas and live in unity under Guru’s protection.

I have studied and worked with Yogi Bhajan for 21 years. Sometimes I agree with him on issues sometimes I don’t. It is no big deal either way. We still work together for the good of the Dharma because we are able to respect the Sat Guru in each other. That is the Sikh way.

I hope that this letter clarifies to some degree some of the misunderstandings which emanated from my previous correspondence. And I trust that we will respect each other for our love of the Guru and not let politics personalities and pronouncements get in the way.

Gurujohn Singh Khalsa

West Hartford CT

Article extracted from this publication >> April 12, 1991