Dust Of The Dust Of The Dust

Some characteristics that some Sikhs have taken on regarding an effort to reduce ego/pride. As Sikhs we are taught to not get attached to the five "challenges" of Lust, Anger, Greed, Pride and Attachment. In an effort to prevent these feelings we have seen some practices by Sikhs which are unnecessary.

The first routine is the overly humble guise. It goes something like this: "I am just a lowly sinner", "I am the dust of the dust of the dirt", "I know nothing" and etc. Most of the time when we hear this type of thing from people it feels just like a cover to try to negate any ego. In reality for most people it feels like a false routine to portray ones self as humble. I know in Gurbani Guru Nanak and other Gurus have used similar words as this but this was our Gurus expression. It’s one thing if you say this to yourself as an internal thing in your mind but to say it to other people is very different. It’s as if you have to say it out loud to prove, or make sure that people know you are humble. It’s sort of a false humbleness. If you are humble people will see it in your actions, words, and in your presence (not by words and statements about your humbleness).

There is the "Please forgive me" Maafi routine ("Bhul Chuk Maaf). That one starts out apologizing and then getting really heavy. As if by apologizing it makes everything that is said ‘OK’.

There is the "I know nothing" routine. Someone gives a lecture for two hours and then ends with something like "I know nothing and am just a servant of you all."

Another routine is the "anonymous sevadhar". This is by far the most common we have seen these days. Many Sikhs have been taught that in order to prevent ego from coming into your mind that you should remain hidden and unknown when doing seva. While this might work and be great in some situations, It quite often this is taken to extremes for everything.

Example 1: A Singh went to a Samagam out of town and was doing lagar seva. Later on a Sikh was telling him that he should not do seva in Bana, he should dress very simply and do seva that no one knows about. The person’s impression probably was that by wearing bana and doing a seva in public that it was being done out of ego to show people how servicefull and how "spiritual" you are.

Example 2: In the world of the internet it is easy to remain anonymous, so the "anonymous sevadhar" is very common online. Many people that run Sikh websites or do various seva online go to great lengths to stay anonymous.

Bana, Clothing, jewelry and etc, This is another one where people think that if you are wearing bana that you are showing off and trying to look holy. So they say you should wear very simple clothes that don’t stand out. This routine also relates to jewelry and people feel that by wearing jewelry that you are getting caught up maya. We all talk about being Khalsa Raj, Kings, Queens, princes and princesses. So are we paupers or are we kings/queens? This is another case of trying to shelter ourselves from feeling ego/pride/etc.

The point of all this is more about finding a balance. As Sikhs we are householders that live in this world. We are not sadhus hiding up in the mountains to escape from all the Maya. Trying to shelter or protect one self from feeling these things is not the answer. We as Sikhs should deal with it head on. God gave us a mind and intellect to feel these things and to be able to deal with them. Beating around the bush trying to hide from it can only work for so long. When you have a feeling of pride/ego/lust/etc, you have a choice. You can dwell or act on it or you can be conscious of this feeling and "cut" it and change the direction of your thoughts. Problem is when you are not conscious of these feelings. 

Being a Leader and Examples for others to Follow:

Another thing in relation to "anonymous seva" is that there is a need for leadership and good examples for everyone around us. It is a good thing to have role models and be able to see people who are doing good things for the community. If all these people are "hiding out" they might not be available to share and help inspire others to do the same. It is great to be out there and help others in a public way. We learn by overcoming these challenges and controlling our mind, not by hiding out.

There is something good about being very personal with people, being honest, and sharing who I am. Having nothing to hide makes one also more conscious of things that they do and say, because you have to take responsibility for everything, which isn’t always easy. On the internet lots of people (Sikhs included) choose to hide behind anonymous names and say/do things that they would never do publicly as "themself". There is a certain character in being you, and taking responsibility (good and bad) for your actions and words.

Hopefully all this makes you think about these topics and become more conscious about how you deal with it in the future.