6. God And The Tsunami

10 Jan 05

There are three parts to this email, first is a general email.  Second is questions and answers to an enlightened soul.  And third is an email from a Sikh who lives in one the villages and is doing their best to help.

 

I was in a petrol station waiting to pay.  The old lady infront was talking to the Sri Lankan serving her.  He said he knew people who had died, but he smiled and said "Its Gods Will." The English lady replied, "Well I dont know what God is playing at."

 

That is the question everyone wants an answer to : “WHY?”

 

If God is loving and caring and we are His children then WHY do this to us?

 

The TV journalists dont ask that question.  They present the facts, they even give the sciencitfic explanation.  But science can only tell you HOW it happened – two of the Earths plates collided sending huge waves out in all directions.

 

By sciencists being able to explain it, it gives everyone a sense of relief.   It makes everyone feel that MAN is in control again of what is happening around us.

 

But people shouldn’t be satisfied with just the science, they have to ask the WHY question.

 

Great Guru Nanak Dev Ji has given the answer in two simple words, why does God do this?  Because “DUKH DARU”.   Meaning PAIN IS THE CURE.

 

The Cure for what?   
Guru Ji continues, “SUKH ROG BHAAIYA” …PLEASURE HAD BECOME THE DISEASE.

 

Why is the pleasure of chasing your desires a disease?   Guru ji gives the final answer. Because, “JA SUKH TAM NA HOEE”.    …WHILE THERE IS PLEASURE, YOU O LORD ARE NOT REMEMBERED. 

 

Whenever you or me or any other individual suffers pain, sorrow and suffering, the question God wants you to ask yourself is “Why am I in pain?”

 

Thus begins the journey of the soul.

 

If you don’t ask that question and keep hiding behind science, you have not learnt what pain is teaching you.    A child is causing havoc in the kitchen, the mother is cooking the curry, the child is about to grab the handle, the mother slaps his hand.   The child cries and throws a tantrum.    We as older and wiser adults can see the bigger picture.  The child cant and gets upset with his mum.   As my two year old would say,  “Mum naughty.”

 

Guru Gobind Singh ji salutes God as “NAMO LOK MATA” … I bow to the Mother of the World.

 

What would Guru Gobind Singh ji have said about this disaster?  What did he say when his own four sons, mother and father lost their lives?  Was he devastated?   Was he bitter at what God did to him?    No.  All Guru Gobind Singh ji said, and what all the Gurus and Bhagats and saints say is , 

 

 “MA HAU PARAM PURAKH KA DASAA.  DEKHAN AAYO JAGAT TAMASHA.”
I am a servant of the Supreme Being.  Here to watch the world drama.

 

And would any Guru or any Bhagat or any saint, feel sad in such a situation?  No, because Gurbani says.  

 

“NANAK BHAGTAN KA GHAR SADA ANAND.”
Nanak says :  The house (heart) of a Saint is in permanent eternal joy.

 

The Gurus and Saints don’t see anything in the world as a disaster.  They see it as God’s Will.  The Mother who is slapping the child to wake it up out of the illusion it is living in.
The Guru’s and saints have made God their Guru.  And that Guru is ever stable, ever permanent …ABCHAL NAGAR – the place that NEVER gets destroyed.

 

Only the ones who made the world and chasing of desires for worldy happiness cry.  They made the WORLD into their GURU.  But that Guru is false because it is forever changing.  The World is under the Divine Law of coming and going, birth and death, joy and sorrow.

 

All pain is a wakeup call to make God into your Guru, and not the world.

 

AAD ANT EKAY AVTARA
SOEE GURU SAMJIO HAMARA
From beginning to end HE is ONE
That is my GURU.

                                         GURU GOBIND SINGH JI

 

Only God is Truth.  All else is perishable.

 

So merge your mind into the TRUTH

 

JAP MAN SATNAAM SADA SATNAAM
My mind repeat SATNAAM , always and forever SATNAAM.

Dust of your feet.

 

PART 2

When I was watching it unfold on the news I started feeling a bit sad, but quickly stabilised the mind with reciting SatNaam.

 

So here are some questions and answers from Dassan Das ji so we know how the mind of a saint views disasters in the world.

Q: When you see a disaster like what has happened in Asia – the tidal  wave. What do you feel and think?

A: To be honest with you didn’t feel anything, no disturbance at all, it is all Hukam of Akal Purakh, he gets pissed off once in a while too, when there is too much of kood accummulates, to remind people of His existance He does something like this, this also establishes that everything can’t be controlled by human mind, His controll is the supreme control, this brings a feeling in the polulation that there is something like God that also exists, the feeling of compassion, love and service for the sufferers in the mind of the rest of the humanity and these are all good things that are born from a disaster like this. His will – Hukam can’t be questioned, this is also His kindness that this happened in the ocean, it didn’t happen on the land which could have been a lot more disasterous. 

Q: Some people will ask why does God do this?

A: It is nor God who is responsible for such things, it is the Karni of the people that makes this their fate like that, whatever you will sow same you will reap. It is not God’s karni or God’s fault, it is the Karni of the people who are destined to be so because of there Karni from their previous lives, so it should be taken as God’s will and be dealt with patience, compassion, love and serve the people who are effected by this disaster.

Q: What did those 100,000 souls do wrong to suffer like that?
A: Only God knows it and only He can answer this question, but this is for sure that it was there destiny and could not be averted or avoided at any cost with any amount of human efforts.

 

Q:  How does karma theory explain what happened to them …. why did the sea kill them?

A: There is nothing to be explained, you are getting too emotional over the Hukam, you have to keep your balance of mind and think of the ways and means to serve these people to diminish their sufferings. Sea didn’t kill them, the Janam and maran is in the hands of the God and is the destiny based on your Karams from this and previous lives, it is as simple than that, as we said nobody can challenge the Hukam, and doing so will be not accepting the Hukam, which is the cause for the sufferings.

Q: How do we react to it as spiritual people ..i.e. mind feels sad towards them..
A: Accept the Hukam, stay calm and pray, do Naam Simran and Seva.

 

Q: How do we help?

A: All you can do is send some monatery help, unless you want to go physically there and participate in relief activities through some agencies.
Dassan Das (Slave Of God’s Slaves)

Dassan Das (Slave Of God’s Slaves)

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FOLLOW UP QUESTION:-

 

Paaji

I only just got around to reading this and the other fabulous emails you have been sending
Unfortunately, from this it would suggest that its ok to commit suicide as your death is fixed by your karam, therefore the means by which your life ends is not important as that time is similary fixed?

Does this allow for suicide bombing for sikhs too?  Please mail back with clarification

Thanks

Satinder singh

ANSWER:

GURU PYARE SATINDER JI  GUR FATEH PARVAAN KARNA JI

Your destiny is your destiny, do you know your destiny? The answer will be no in all but one in tens of millions who has reached the Braham Gyan and knows about His destiny, such a soul is called a PURAN BRAHAM GYANI, A PURAN SANT, A SATGUR, and only such a soul has the power and authority to change the destiny of the ones who surrender to Him with Tunn Munn and Dhan – complete surrender and get the Gur Parsaad of Naam, Puran Bandgi and Seva, because only the Gur Parsaad of Naam can change the destiny by eliminating the effect of all your Karams from the past of this life and all previous lives. So there is a destiny that puts you on the performance of true deeds and there is a destiny that puts you on the performance of untrue deeds. Basically you write your own destiny, you are the creator of your own destiny, whatever you perform now wil carve your destiny in future, so in order to get a destiny of true deeds and get closer to the Almighty you need to concentrate on your present – performance of true deeds and restrain from conducting yourself in the untrue form of deeds which will take you in the negative direction – away from the truth, away from the God. So being suicidal is going in the negative direction, and you are fortunate to have this human life where you have been given a chance to go back and be one with your Creator – God, so prayers for the Gur Parsaad of Naam, Puran Bandgi and Seva along with true deeds will turn around your destiny in future for sure. Concentratng on SATO KARAMS at present time will for sure make your destiny in future brighter. So being suicidal is not a solution to any problem, but concentrating on the SATO KARAMS and getting the Gur Parsaad of Naam, Puran Bandgi and Seva is the solution to all the problems – Sarabh Rog Kaa Aukhud Naam, by moving on this path to eternity and helping others to do the same will resolve all issues, going closer to the God with Naam Simran will resolve all the issues, problems and sicknesses and not by blowing up yourself with bombs. There is so much spirituality hidden in the Gurbani, there is unlimited amount of spirituality that is hidden in the Gurbani, and if you practice Gurbani in your daily life then you can earn all that spirituality and spiritual powers – eternal teasures. Making your life truthful, be able to see, speak, hear, deliver and serve the truth will resolve all the issues and not by being suicidal and blowing yourself up. By being truthful and serving the truth – Ik Oankaar Satnaam you can change your destiny and the destiny of the others and change the world and not by suicidal bombing.

So in a nutshell being suicidal is cowardness, moving on the spiritual path of Puran Bandgi and Seva will change not only your destiny but the destiny of all others who follow this path to eternal treasures.

DASSAN DAS

 

 

PART 3

From: Annoushka Hempel
To: annoushkahempel@hotmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 10:38 AM

Dear friend –
  
The death toll continues to rise after the devastating tsunami that  hit Sri Lanka on 26 December.  We are thankfully safe and have now sent the children back to London  with my mother to safety whilst we stay here and do what we can to  help.  There is so much to do.  Our house in Galle Fort has been transformed into Rescue Operation  Headquarters for the Galle region. The art gallery is now filled with  volunteers working round the clock to try and help the poor displaced  people of which there are thousands.  Every day we are appealing for help and every day we are in refugee  camps fact finding and distributing provisions and medicines most  urgently needed. Needless to say the stories are beyond heart  renching, so many children were literally torn from their parents  arms.  We are now trying to purchase immediate relief items, medicine etc,  both to deal with what has happened and also to try to avert the  imminent health crisis and spread of primarily water-related  diseases. Funds permitting, we will assist in all community  infrastrucure projects, again particularly related in getting water  supplies back to normal. Subsequent work will entail trying to get  peoples’ lives back to normal by repairing schools, hospitals etc  etc.  As of today there is still no sign any of the big relief agencies! >God only knows what they are waiting for!! They are botlenecked in  meetings in Colombo. We still havent seen any of them on the ground.  We have already moved onto the second phase. Some areas of the city  were so badly devastated that the local council simply didnt know  where to start. We happen to have a man on the team who knows what to  do. So he is out on the ground with trucks and dozers supplied by the  council.  Next we need to pump out the wells, and re build the drains.  We are not alone. The local communities have been doing an impressive  job of feeding their people. It has been fantastic to see Muslims  helping Budhists and Budhists helping Muslims.  Even when the big agencies arrive we need to rebuild. Very many  schools were on the beach and need to be rebuilt and re stocked with  books and equipment.  Do we need help……yes please. Its a leap of faith as we are not  registered charities.  But the aid is immediate and direct.  If you can please send funds to:  

 

Bank:  First Direct, Leeds UK Tel:0044 (0)8456100100  Account in the name of E & A Hempel  Account No. 61302000 Sort Code 40-47-78  

Please give your email address as a reference, then we can thank you  later.      1) Pass this on to others who want to help.  

 

2) Please get in touch for further information, or if you are able to  offer other assistance.  

 

3) Let us know of any donations to be made so we can plan  accordingly.   Thanks very much for your help.  

 

Love and blessings and peace to all who are passing,  

 

Annoushka and Eduard

 

 

 

12 Jan 05

 

 

Hi from the frontline,
 
Wow! This certainly is quite an experience.  Never thought we’d ever live through something like this.  Sometimes I still think I’m going to wake up from all this and it will have all just been a bad dream.  Having said that being here in the midst of it all is an extraordinary and rewarding experience.     We’re part of a fantastic organization made up of a team of volunteers that are tremendously energetic, committed and intelligent, called Project Galle 2005 and we’ve been working 24/7 on immediate aid work, continuing to provide food, other provisions and medical help to the displaced persons in the camps.  We now service 50 camps everyday.     

Today’s good news is that people are beginning to move out of the camps in an attempt to move back to their homes.  Today temporary huts are starting to be put up on original house plots which is great.   Unfortunately most of the people who were worst hit lived in illegal shanty towns close to the coastline and now no building is allowed within 300m of the beach, That rules out a great deal of people and no one knows yet where they will be re settled.   So they will no doubt be staying in camps for the foreseeable future.      Those whose houses were damaged or have been given huts have lost all their possessions so we are putting together ‘going home packs’ including bedding, cooking implements etc. We are looking at a similar ‘back to school pack’ for children which includes a bag, books, pens etc.  Also a scheme to help fishermen get their boats back out working, and so on.      

Project Galle have created a list of individual defined projects that need funding. Please let us know if you are interested in seeing this list and we will forward it to you.      We now have registered charity collecting on our behalf so any donations can get tax relief etc and get whisked straight here where we can use it.  Donations can be made on line at; http://www.thewebofhope.com/announcements/sri-lanka.html  Please be sure to choose Project Galle 2005 from the drop down menu and email us with the details so we have records.      If you already gave, thank you.  You can rest assured that your money is going into immediate on the ground relief to the displaced people of Sri Lanka. 

Love and blessings,

Annoushka