Why does 3HO focus on Yoga? GB Yoga Fest 2016 - Q&A #1

The thing you got to remember about
what the word 3HO means

is Healthy, Happy, Holy.

It's not called Sikh Dharma

3HO is an organization which tries
to promote a way of living.

Which is Healthy, Happy and Holy.

If you look at somebody
who's doing yoga or chanting,

who's trying to stay away
from drugs and alcohol

and other things
that are polluting their body.

They're doing fitness,

they're meditating,

they are going to get the
Bliss of meditation if they work hard.

When you experience the Anand,

Anand meaning
Bliss of the connection to God.

You're going to know
this is the best thing ever

it's better than drugs and
anything else out there.

You gonna be healthy, happy,

and you're walking a path
of the Holy people.

All the holy people in the history of
mankind have always walked this path.

Of trying to be good and spiritual.

You're on the path.

Remember Yogi ji
didn't say this is Sikhi.

He said this is Kundalini yoga.

We can't fault him for it.

From the angle of the Sikh philosophy,

what would the Guru say
about Kundalini yoga?

They don't criticize it,

in the sense that
they say it's pointless.

Because if you follow a philosophy,

it doesn't mean you are that philosophy.

What I mean by that is let's say
you met 100 Hindus,

you couldn't say they all believe in this.

because they might not.

One Hindu might believe in one God
another in 3, another in 100.

In the same sense you can't say
everybody in Kundalini yoga

has one view.

Nor can you say that the Guru
is going to criticize every single person

who is doing one thing.

There are certain practices that Guru
criticize, but they don't criticize people

Because you can't judge each person,

each person's an individual.

They're within it that organization
or doing that thing.

But that doesn't mean
they have the same belief

Which is why you've got arguments

within the Sikh Community,
Taksali/AKJ.

Somebody who is Taksali might not
have same view as another Taksali.

Somebody is AKJ might not
have the same view as AKJ.

They're arguing on philosophy,

but actually you've got people.

Guru is not interested in people.

In Guru Granth Sahib Ji-

the highest form of Yog,

Yog means Union.

Union with God.

Described as the highest Yog
is through Kirtan.

Singing God's praises,

is given the status of being
the highest form of Yoga.

If you take somebody of the street,

who has never done
any meditation before,

somebody who's never done
any kind of healthy living.

They've been told it's okay
to drink or smoke.

You're trying to get them
to start singing God's name.

It's going to be far away from them.

It's kind of like a yoga,

it's quite a good introduction
to the spiritual life.

Because within yoga
as you start to meditate,

you start to experience the Divine.

You also start to understand that
you will be purifying yourself,

physically and the toxins start
to leave your body.

You'll experience a little bit about

the philosophy of Karma and reincarnation.

Once someone's gone through that
for a while,

understood how the system works in a way.

They might even be ready then,
for you to tell them.

It's all about chanting God's name and
experiencing God through meditation.

That is the purpose of life.

Sometimes it's very hard
to take somebody,

Because people have started
doing Kundalini yoga.

Like in Russia they use it in the prisons
for people that are drug addicts.

It's very hard to get that person
to understand.

What they've got to do
it's quite a good intro.

Also Yogi ji never said this is Sikhi,

he said this is yoga.

For the people that came in for yoga
it worked for them.

Some of those guys
they became more spiritual.

And they said
I want to do something further

Now Yogi ji-

and like myself and other people

the one's that realize
that they are not Satguru.

They don't want to be Satguru.

They understand
that don't submit your ego to me.

Because I'm a flawed person.

They'll join you to somebody
who's not flawed.

Somebody better than you and them

Who is that is that? The Guru.

Yogi ji then said, you guys have started
to become quite spiritual,

you started to follow this quite a lot
and keen on progressing.

I can't take you there.

You have to find Guru Ji,

he joined them to Guru Raam Daas Ji.

That is a perfect Guru.

If you give yourself
to Guru Raam Daas Ji,

you're going to be in the right hands.

If you give yourself to me,

anybody is fallible
apart from the Guru.

Now it's Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

When you look at yoga
in Guru Granth Sahib Ji

it's not described in negative ways.

It is described

as that it's not as high
in terms of meditation

as singing God's name.

you got to understand is
some people don't come

into yoga to find God.

It's the truth in it,
some people just come to get a bit fit,

to get a bit of mental peace.

If you said to them to become
religious and believe in God

they don't want that.

Because in their mind they've already
got the concept of religion

and they are fed up of it.

People on the street shouting,
arguing each other

People that are fighting with each other,
with guns

and saying in the name of God.

They've already ruined
the name of religion.

Out there religion isn't very well
regarded.

If you tell them to become religious,
God is the truth,

they're going to ignore.

If you say to them
let's find a bit of mental peace

let's meditate you will feel better.

They'll think, I can deal with that
I need some peace.

Ultimately it's same as experiencing
God is the only way.

To feel the best you can ever feel
because that is your essence.

Essence is the one.

But the word God has got a bad rep.

And the word religion has got a bad rep.

Sometimes people can't cope with that,
you got to remember that as well.

Getting upset and annoyed with people

that are doing things differently
to what we're used to.

To be honest if you went to Udasi Dera

you'd be quite surprised.

They will call themselves Sikh Udasis.

You might not even heard them.

If you go to Nirmala

and see the Nirmala how they live
you'd be quite surprised.

The people living in the west,

they've got a very limited understanding.

How wide Sikhi is in India.

Sikhi is quiet wide in India.

But when it comes to Devi-Devte
Shiva and all

Guru Granth Sahib Ji is very clear.

They are not the people
to submit your ego to.

Guru Granth Sahib Ji and
Guru Gobind Singh Ji

they are both very clear.

Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu these deities
they have still got ego.

If you read their stories within
the Hindu Granths,

you understand they still act from ego.

I'll give you an example
this is a true one.

Shiva got punished to many years of
coming to Earth,

walking and wandering the Earth

the reason being-

he was having a chat with Vishnu,

and he said who is the greatest?

Shiva said I'm the greatest
Brahma goes no I'm the greatest.

There's ego straight way.

Then Shiva got annoyed with Brahma
and cut one of his heads off

For that he got punished.

Because you can't kill a Brahmin
within the Hindu scriptures.

Brahma is the original Brahmin.

You can't kill one without getting
punished.

He had to come to Earth for many years

It's nothing biased.

Every Hindu will say
that's what happened

They were not free of ego.

Another example is-

Vishnu to get the Amrit
from the demons,

he assumed the form of
a beautiful woman called Mohini.

He became a beautiful woman and
he enticed the Amrit from the demons.

When Shiva heard the story
from Vishnu

how he'd become a beautiful woman,

and the demons lost their sense.

And run after him and he stealing Amrit,

Shiva said show me
what you look like then.

Vishnu said I can't show you.
You won't be able to cope

He goes no let me

Vishnu then turned into Mohini
just for a little while.

Showed him how beautiful he looked,

and then Shiva lost it he ran after her.

That all happened
in front of his wife.

He lost even the sense of behavior
in front of his own wife.

They have got ego.

And Guru Granth Sahib Ji does not give
them the status of Satguru.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji is higher than
Brahma, Vishnu or Mahesh

Because they haven't got ego.

Let's say Somebody is an expert
in martial arts,

doesn't make them perfect.

Doesn't mean you give ego to them,

but you could learn martial arts
from them.

Shiva had this skill of yoga,

and he is Yogi, covered in blue

he used to live as a Yogi.

But interesting enough as a yogi
he still had hair.

He had a beard as well.

Lot of times you don't see Shiva
with a beard.

From the original pictures he always
had a big beard.

And he had a top knot on his head.

They're not the Satguru.

They can't level up to somebody
who is pure of ego.

And Guru Gobind Singh Ji in their Shabad,

they make reference to Brahma, Vishnu
and Mahesh.

They say-

They said that all these
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva

they all are going to die.

Because they haven't become
free of ego.

They are still subject to life and death

They are not Immortals because
they haven't freed themselves from ego.

[Music]

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