Raised in Louisiana as a Methodist, with a very sincere and humble pastor, I nonetheless felt as a child that something was missing. I didn’t know its name. But with a vague, nameless longing, I used to sit alone...
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Words of Faith
These are articles short and long about the spiritual life, as seen through the lens of various religions. Some are short talks I prepared for a BBC World Service series entitled "Words of Faith." Some are talks I have given here and there. Always they are grounded in what I have learned at the feet of Baba Virsa Singh Ji Maharaj.
Finding God Outside Christianity
The Discipline Of Love
Love For God
The whole of Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred Sikh scripture, is a great outpouring of love for God. For example, the Gurus say,
Thou art the River, All-knowing and All-seeing.
How can I, a fish, find Thy limit?
Wherever I...
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Purpose In Life
Purpose in Life
In these times of self-centered thinking, it is very difficult for us to understand Guru Gobind Singh, the Tenth Sikh Guru. During his short life of 44 years, he sacrificed his father, his four sons, and eventually...
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True Wealth
Bhagat Ravi Das was an uneducated shoemaker in India, but he knew what true wealth is. In one of his hymns that is part of the beautiful Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagat Ravi Das sings to God:
O...
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The Sweetest Taste
I’ve just been reading Jaap Sahib, and my happiness is so intense that I cannot describe it. Jaap Sahib is the second daily prayer of Sikhs, the powerful hymn of God’s praises by the Tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh....
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Meeting My Family Everywhere
As I travel around the world, doing research for my book on the world’s religions and meeting people on behalf of my teacher, Baba Virsa Singh, an extraordinary thing often happens to me: I keep meeting my sisters and brothers,...
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Meditation I
Daily meditation is so important
– So many useless negative thoughts and emotions build up inside us.
– If we clean the mind daily, then it remains open, free, clear, unburdened, peaceful
– It will remain always ready to perceive...
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Seeking God through Meditation
Kabir—a fifteenth century weaver who was both Hindu and Muslim and whose mystical poetry is included in the Sikh Holy Scriptures—spoke these words, taking the voice of God:
O servant, where do you seek Me?
Lo! I am right beside...
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The True Yoga
As Guru Nanak—the first of the Sikh Gurus—traveled on foot throughout the Indian subcontinent, he spoke out against superficial, pointless practices in religion. Once when he met Hindu saddhus practicing extreme forms of asceticism in hopes of enlightenment, he spoke...
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