I have a friend who is Sikh. I really like this man and especially his wife and his wonderful kids. They are beautiful and peaceful people. They are kind and giving and I have found his freindship to be faithful and true.
I told him that I was watching a travel show and found that the sikh temples in Punjab provide free meals. The temple I was watching served 200,000 people a day! It was run entirely through donations of time, food and money. He told me that it was the same here and told me I would be welcome to go. I told him I was chicken because I am so baletently and obviously white. He told me we were the same before God and that I would be welcome in his temple 24 hours a day without question or judgement. So I asked him to take me.
We decided to meet at the Temple on Saturday at 1:30PM, just after a morning wedding. We arrived and the place was packed and there were 100's of very beautiful ladies in traditional dress. What was striking was the colours. Not one dress was the same and all were beautiful in their own way. Brilliant yellows, Orange, Red and light colours. Every color of the rainbow.
My buddy couldnt make it so his wife and daughter were our guides. My friend Ron came along with Sue and I for the experience. Raj and Jasmine were stunningly beautiful in their swarray (very bad spelling!!!)
When we arrived in the temple we took our shoes off. We then put on a head covering. There was a basket of coloured kercheifs at the door. Jasmine helped us tie them to our heads.
Raj took us then to the main prayer hall. She slipped 5 dollars in my hand to give to the musicians. My buddy had asked that I would do that because that is one of his "jobs" in the faith. I was proud and honoured to be able to do that. Raj told me the musicians in the temple do not recieve payment and small gifts like this are received with thanksgiving.
Raj slipped a toonie in each of our hands and asked that we deposit them in the basket up front which represents offerring to be used for the good of all. We entered the hall and there were 4 singing musicians and one reader of the word. There were speakers and chanters who "preached" praises all entirely in "high" Punjab.
We sat on the floor. Raj went to the front and got us a significant "sweet" which is kind like a communion activity. She shared it with us. It was rich in flavour like sweet bread. People came and went. Some stayed a while and some stayed longer. It was continuos and every changing, like a circle. Raj told us that the temple prayers and praises continue 24 hours a day. There is no fixed time to go. There is no fixed time that one stays. It was organic and flowing. I did not bow or fall prostate in the temple although I knew I would have to think about it all later.
From the temple, we went downstairs to the food hall. When we arrived we could look into the kitchen. We saw them prepairing the food and the nan bread. Raj instucted us to wash our hands at the wash station before enetering and then we went and sat on the floor with the others. We had big metal plates that had divisions like a TV dinner plate. Servers went around with various foods. Dhali, Channa, rice pudding, yogurt, panner, nan bread. The food was endless and each server was pleased to serve. After Jasmine had finished, she too went to the kitchen to serve. It appears as the the act of serving is highly valued and a bigger part of the experience. Raj instructed us to receive the nan bread with both hands as a sign of thankfullness.
Raj told us that the reason they eat on the floor is that all are equel before God. She related a story of when the king went to the guru for healing. The guru told the king to return to his people and eat on the ground with them, He told the king that until he returned with this humility, then he would not be seen by the guru. When we eat on the floor together, there are no distinctions.
After our meal, we took a tour of the temple. She took us to prayer hall after prayer hall. Big, small, cavernous, intimate, public and private. Each individual temple hall had its own copy of their holy book. Each private hall could be used by the people as required for praise, or prayer, or teaching and instruction, study, mediatation, social religious gathering etc. One thing I found fascinating is that once the holy book was opened to be read, they would read it in its entirety. It takes about three days of nonestop reading. They take turns and switch readers every three hours and continue until it is all read. We saw a dozen of these active readings, each one at a differant spot in the holy book. It was truly unbrelievable.
There were big screen TV's around the place which acted like a holy word billboard as scripture references scrolled across the screen. The references spoke of a One God creation full of majesty and grace. They spoke of universal love of the creator. Many of the scriptures look like they could have come out of my own bible.
When we left, Raj told us this. Now you know your way around the temple. You must know that you are friends and you are always welcome here. Our temple is open 24 hours a day and the people here will welcome you as brothers and sisters.
We thanked Raj and Jasmine for the great orientation. I intend to return to the temple for weekday lunch so that I might share a meal and fellowship with some truly great and kind people.
I am also going to ponder what all this means to me.
I told him that I was watching a travel show and found that the sikh temples in Punjab provide free meals. The temple I was watching served 200,000 people a day! It was run entirely through donations of time, food and money. He told me that it was the same here and told me I would be welcome to go. I told him I was chicken because I am so baletently and obviously white. He told me we were the same before God and that I would be welcome in his temple 24 hours a day without question or judgement. So I asked him to take me.
We decided to meet at the Temple on Saturday at 1:30PM, just after a morning wedding. We arrived and the place was packed and there were 100's of very beautiful ladies in traditional dress. What was striking was the colours. Not one dress was the same and all were beautiful in their own way. Brilliant yellows, Orange, Red and light colours. Every color of the rainbow.
My buddy couldnt make it so his wife and daughter were our guides. My friend Ron came along with Sue and I for the experience. Raj and Jasmine were stunningly beautiful in their swarray (very bad spelling!!!)
When we arrived in the temple we took our shoes off. We then put on a head covering. There was a basket of coloured kercheifs at the door. Jasmine helped us tie them to our heads.
Raj took us then to the main prayer hall. She slipped 5 dollars in my hand to give to the musicians. My buddy had asked that I would do that because that is one of his "jobs" in the faith. I was proud and honoured to be able to do that. Raj told me the musicians in the temple do not recieve payment and small gifts like this are received with thanksgiving.
Raj slipped a toonie in each of our hands and asked that we deposit them in the basket up front which represents offerring to be used for the good of all. We entered the hall and there were 4 singing musicians and one reader of the word. There were speakers and chanters who "preached" praises all entirely in "high" Punjab.
We sat on the floor. Raj went to the front and got us a significant "sweet" which is kind like a communion activity. She shared it with us. It was rich in flavour like sweet bread. People came and went. Some stayed a while and some stayed longer. It was continuos and every changing, like a circle. Raj told us that the temple prayers and praises continue 24 hours a day. There is no fixed time to go. There is no fixed time that one stays. It was organic and flowing. I did not bow or fall prostate in the temple although I knew I would have to think about it all later.
From the temple, we went downstairs to the food hall. When we arrived we could look into the kitchen. We saw them prepairing the food and the nan bread. Raj instucted us to wash our hands at the wash station before enetering and then we went and sat on the floor with the others. We had big metal plates that had divisions like a TV dinner plate. Servers went around with various foods. Dhali, Channa, rice pudding, yogurt, panner, nan bread. The food was endless and each server was pleased to serve. After Jasmine had finished, she too went to the kitchen to serve. It appears as the the act of serving is highly valued and a bigger part of the experience. Raj instructed us to receive the nan bread with both hands as a sign of thankfullness.
Raj told us that the reason they eat on the floor is that all are equel before God. She related a story of when the king went to the guru for healing. The guru told the king to return to his people and eat on the ground with them, He told the king that until he returned with this humility, then he would not be seen by the guru. When we eat on the floor together, there are no distinctions.
After our meal, we took a tour of the temple. She took us to prayer hall after prayer hall. Big, small, cavernous, intimate, public and private. Each individual temple hall had its own copy of their holy book. Each private hall could be used by the people as required for praise, or prayer, or teaching and instruction, study, mediatation, social religious gathering etc. One thing I found fascinating is that once the holy book was opened to be read, they would read it in its entirety. It takes about three days of nonestop reading. They take turns and switch readers every three hours and continue until it is all read. We saw a dozen of these active readings, each one at a differant spot in the holy book. It was truly unbrelievable.
There were big screen TV's around the place which acted like a holy word billboard as scripture references scrolled across the screen. The references spoke of a One God creation full of majesty and grace. They spoke of universal love of the creator. Many of the scriptures look like they could have come out of my own bible.
When we left, Raj told us this. Now you know your way around the temple. You must know that you are friends and you are always welcome here. Our temple is open 24 hours a day and the people here will welcome you as brothers and sisters.
We thanked Raj and Jasmine for the great orientation. I intend to return to the temple for weekday lunch so that I might share a meal and fellowship with some truly great and kind people.
I am also going to ponder what all this means to me.
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