2008 Spirit and Place Festival
Theme: EXPLORING IMAGINATION
INTERFAITH PEACE PRAYER SERVICE
Marian College, Indianapolis, Indiana USA
November 11, 2008
SIKH FAITH TRADITION REFLECTION AND SACRED HYMN
Kanwal Prakash “KP” Singh

Sut Siri Akal (universal Sikh greeting: Lord’s Name is Eternal Truth).
We feel blessed that you are with us at this beautiful Prayer Service with your prayers, positive cultural energy, and personal spiritual gifts.

Each year as we faithfully and expectantly gather for this annual Peace Service (I believe this is the 26th Prayer Service and until last year it used to be organized by the Carmelite Nuns lead by Sister Marcia Malone) we prayerfully ask ourselves and the Mighty Lord in His Majestic Heavens: How much longer and how much farther lie the promise of our world being at-peace-with-itself, with every facet and dimension of our common humanity, and with the unfathomable Universe of which we are but a very tiny speck?

Each year we reflect and meditate, share songs and sacred chants, offer words of wisdom and inspiration at this gathering, and others at millions of places and forums like this around the world, and depart with a little enlightened spirit and renewed hopefulness,

Affirming our common aspirations, moral mandates, and Universal Truths:

Faith, Hope, Thoughts, and Imagination are Universal Blessings from God
Life, Liberty, Justice, basic Sustenance for Body, Mind, and Spirit are Sacred Rights
Love, Trust, and Righteous Response are our Lessons and Assignments from God

Appreciating our precious blessings and personal responsibility in life, to Life:

May we imagine that the entire human universe, linked by an abiding faith and innate understanding and bridged with many common visions and assurances, walking towards one another in friendship, trust, and in acknowledgement of our shared time and space.

May we imagine that a lasting and just peace among people, cultures, and nations throughout the known universe become a realized dream in our lifetime; the blessings of basic freedoms throughout the global village become a universal experience.

Now, hoping and imagining wonderful dreams is the first step and often the easier one.
Exploring the feasibility of our dreams and reality of their prospects is the harder part.

Entering into Faith with one another to advance our Cherished Prayers:

To arrive there, each of us must engage with our heart and spirit to create the much-needed all-embracing environment, demonstrate willingness to transform yesterday’s attitudes with a more open-to-growth spirit, build and strengthen institutions that encourage the all-important interfacing and respectful exchange among fellow beings with ideals different from our own and working in a spirit of accommodation to make good things happen.

Imagination does not deliver Peace; our Sincerity, Conduct, and Commitments do.

It all begins with the kind of spirit that we often exude at the Interfaith Gatherings:
Treating one another with kindness, compassion and a kindred spirit,
Celebrating our common Humanity as the Children of One Supreme Creator God,
Recognizing each living being as blessed with the same Divine Light,
Understanding that human destiny is inextricably intertwined.
Seeking the Unity, Universality, and Oneness that faith doctrine reveal and proclaim.
Dispelling ignorance that diminishes human dignity, contributes to mistrust and hostility.
Jolting our apathy, daring our passions, harnessing our collective power,
Arriving at yet-unexplored “Crossroads,” witnessing an “Amazing New Renaissance” Where the unimagined is possible, and the undreamed-of prayers can become true reality.

Discovering and honoring our True Anchors and Spiritual Guideposts:

First, we must discover the uncommon common ground and threads that bind us and not dwell on our differences that divide us. Then spread goodwill all around without limit or distinction in a reverential imitation of the Divine lessons enshrined in every major faith and spiritual tradition, widening the Sacred Circle of Faith, Hope, Love and Service in a personal commitment and as a living testimony of honoring those sacred ideals and faith Commandments. Let us carry the Spirit and Light of what we have witnessed to places outside our “sanctuaries.” All-Knowing Compassionate Lord will take us from there.

That is the central message of the Sikh sacred hymn from Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Sacred Scripture that you are about to hear. Our offering at this Interfaith Peace Prayer Service last year was: “Chatur Disa Keeno Balu Aapna: Lord Your Power and Glory pervades in every direction, dimension, and realms throughout Your Unfathomable Creation” shares an Immaculate Image of the Creator and His Benevolent Presence and Promise to each of us. This year we offered: “Naa ko bairee nahee bigaanaa sugal sung hum kao-bunaaee: No one is my enemy, and no one is a stranger. I get along with every one” The Sikh singer were lead by Giani Pritam Singh and accompanied by Gurjit Singh, Maninder Singh Walia, Sukhdip Singh, Narvinder Singh Bhola, and Sukhdev Singh, all members of The Sikh Satsang of Indianapolis and The Sikh Temple (Acton Road) located at 10950 Southeastern Avenue, Indianapolis.

2008 HOOSIER SIKH HIGHLIGHTS IN PICTURES

2008 has been a year of many diverse and exciting involvements, activities, and celebrations of Hoosier Sikh Americans in Indiana and beyond.

These have included weddings and high holy day celebrations, showcases of arts, interfaith forums and discussions, fund-raising for worthy causes and concerns, working in solidarity with the community-at-large to make a difference, to introduce Punjabi culture and Sikh faith at these forums, dispel the unfounded stereotypes about the Sikh-Americans. These involvements are helping us grow in spirit and gain experiences that prepare us to be more responsible citizens.

Kanwal Prakash Singh
Indianapolis, Indiana USA

Click for Photos

Kanwal Prakash Singh
Indianapolis, Indiana USA
Read More