Dasvandh

The Seven Steps to Prosperity are:

Commitment
Character
Dignity
Divinity
Grace
Power to Sacrifice
Happiness

- Yogi Bhajan

The personal Path to Prosperity is a unique path with all sorts of twists and turns, switchbacks and narrows. Our job in the Dasvandh office is to offer inspiration and share with you the teachings Yogi Bhajan shared for prosperity consciousness, prosperity technology and the laws of prosperity. These articles go back through the years. We hope they offer you support, inspiration, and insight on your own Path to Prosperity and we welcome your dialogue and feedback.

Prosperity Articles

Click on the article title to go directly to that article.

Experiencing Peace in Prosperity
The Law of the Vacuum
We Are One
The Healing Power of Intention
Seva - Selfess Service
Challenging the Mind
Faith and Doubt
Stepping Up to the Plate
Lessons in Letting Go
No Sacrifice
Giving Thanks
The Inspiration to Give
I Can’t Afford Not To
The Act of Giving
It’s My Life
The Fear of Giving
A Life Fully Lived
Hope
Success
Relationship to Self
The Bridge
Relaxation for Prosperity
What is Giving?
Facing Change
Rise Above the Hurdles
Absorbing and Manifesting: Questions Answered
Intuitive Generosity
I've Come Home to Stop Yearning

The Healing Power of Intention

When I met Yogi Bhajan, I was what I considered to be a “healer.” I lived in a great 3HO community, had a lot of wonderful friends, and we were all passionately into healing – naturopathy, homeopathy, Sat Nam Rasayan – anything healing. I was certain this was my path. Then the Maestro walked into the room and my life changed. I moved to a completely different environment, and my new job had nothing to do with healing, and everything to do with business plans, budgets, reporting tools and assessments. At least, that’s what I thought.

What I have come to learn over the years is that intention heals, and so therefore, my job as a human being is to set good intentions for healing on all levels, of every relationship, and in every situation I encounter. My new job at that time forced me to look at an environment and see it in terms of healing – processes weren’t working; OK, which systems could be implemented to heal that? The established guidelines left people feeling unsupported; OK, what healing process did that need? There was a vision; OK, how do we create a strategic and operational plan out of that vision? What I had to overcome was my judgment of what is healing and what wasn’t.

Healing is on many different levels – our participation in any situation can be healing or not, depending on how we choose to interact in it. And sometimes the call to heal can be in the least expected arena possible – a board meeting, a long checkout line at the supermarket, as well as many unexpected situations in our personal lives. Yogi Bhajan said, “Self-healing is the genuine process of relationship between the physical and the infinite power of the soul. It is from a state of compassion, of compassionate meditation, that the healing activity of God flows within the being."

Everything that we are a part of can be part of a greater healing process. Our spiritual development is a part of a greater healing process. Our purpose – the intentions we set – contributes to healing on a global level, and we are a part of that. And of course, the spiritual organizations we belong to, which teach us, guide us, support us through the gift of community and the sharing of like-minded individuals, are a part of the greater healing process.

Seva - Selfless Service

“You have to project your purity and piety to uplift and raise people’s consciousness. Reach out. Give them the spirit. Show them there’s a better thing than maya. It’s time for you to serve people - humanity. Our main job is to be together and inspire each other to reach for the golden light. Let us be one in the oneness of each other; love and reach out, make life happy. I hope you will live this day with these words deep in your heart.” Yogi Bhajan

Service is a very powerful word but it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go deep into the forests of some foreign land, or give your life up to a cause. Many people also feel called to serve within the realms of their normal everyday lives. Yogi Bhajan often spoke of the concept or tradition of seva, selfless service, as the way to integrate service into our daily lives. [breakout quote – source AW calendar] “That’s what you are here for. You are here to serve, here to lift, here to grace, here to give hope and action, here to give the very deep love of your soul to all those who need.”

Those in need are everywhere and sometimes service is something that happens very subtly, the tangible attributes may not be plainly visibly, yet the service is powerful just the same. Our mindset, our intentions, our devotion, our desire to serve and uplift, these are what make seva one of the highest traditions we can embrace.

“Our main job is to be together and inspire each other to reach for the golden light. Let us be one in the oneness of each other; love and reach out, make life happy.” Yogi Bhajan

Yogi Bhajan also spoke of seva as one of the ground stones to achieve prosperity in our lives. The first step of prosperity is giving. Giving of ourselves is a mindset, a place of selfless action that actually becomes the preparatory stage for receiving. The selflessness itself releases us from the attachment of expectations, and that, in return, opens the space, allowing for that which can come to us, to come.

During his lifetime, Yogi Bhajan founded 3HO, Sikh Dharma International and other service organizations to uplift humanity. He always believed that serving in the smallest ways, over time, would create the largest impact. Through his teaching on Kundalini Yoga and Sikh Dharma, Yogi Bhajan shared tools with people so they have a chance to heal their inner pain; to find peace in themselves; to find a place in the world; and to have cozy homes and healthy families. It was this commitment to serving the soul of every human in the most humble ways that gave birth to a global movement.

Challenging the Mind

The desire to live up to our highest inner potential is probably the single most motivating force behind transformation of every kind; and transformation was what Yogi Bhajan was all about. From the first Kundalini Yoga class, to the most recent Summer Solstice, every part of the knowledge and technology he shared with us was for sole purpose of self-transformation.

Yoga, breathing, meditation, mantra, prayer – every physical and mental activity done with the focus on the Infinite is a transformative process of self-growth, because each activity challenges the mind. When the mind is challenged for its subconscious beliefs, we grow. “I can’t do that exercise for 31 minutes, no way!,” the mind says, and yet by practicing it, we prove the mind wrong. The monkey-mind jabbers on while we try to sit still and meditate, and we think, “Will this never end?,” but, of course, with time and practice, even the worst and most active monkey-mind will quiet itself, until the rushing silence of Infinity whispers in our ears. We sometimes feel fear in changing any part of our life where we feel a sense of routine and complacency, but there are times when it is right to upset the apple cart, to take a risk, and to shift ourselves into a challenge that will inevitably lead to self-transformation and higher consciousness.

Giving is another such opportunity for transformation. The mind says, “I can’t afford it,” or “There’s no way I can give,” and yet the principle of prosperity is to give, so that the vacuum will be filled. To give in faith, is to receive ten-fold. Challenge the mind by just starting. At our course during Summer solstice, one woman shared her story of how after 9-11-2001 her business was having trouble thriving, and she commanded herself to give anyway. She started a tithing program with just $25 a month and simply trusted. No matter what her mind said, she persevered and the result? Her business is booming!

This could be anyone’s story; it could be your story, by taking the leap. Initiate a tithing program and nurture it with your willingness to persevere, your faith, and your desire for transformation. As your prosperity increases, challenge yourself again by stretching and increasing your contributions bit by bit. We were given so many valuable tools to transform ourselves, such an incredible gift and opportunity to grow. All we need to do is participate. “Life is a flow of love, only your participation is required.”

Faith and Doubt

“Faith and doubt, faith and doubt.” These words are ringing in my ears from a conversation that came up in a meeting yesterday morning. “It’s all about faith and doubt. And it’s either one or the other, there is absolutely no in between here, no room for any kind of in-between at all.” This all said in a typical tell-it-like-it-is fashion, with no room for ifs, ands or buts.

It would be easy for me to take affront at someone else so sure about “me”; equally as easy for me to spew out an array of “buts”; and I almost opened my mouth to start, when I had to realize the innate truth, the sheer profundity of this. How simple is that? There is absolutely no in-between, either you doubt or you trust.

God provided me with an immediate testing ground – a situation popped up, where I could have started being concerned, started doubting, started wondering how “I” was going to manage, and instead I took those words still ringing brightly in my ears, crossed out doubt from my options and said, “OK, God, it’s all yours.” Within 4 hours it was done. No kidding.

There is no room for doubt in our lives, in this age. When we are confronted with the choice, we must take action. Faith is action, where doubt is dormant and static. Doubt is a question. Faith is an assumption. Faith is the assumption that the Universe will take care. It is the assumption which causes the effect.

Today I am tripling my tithe to Dasvandh. If God tells me to give, then God will surely provide the means. I will not quake or wonder how this bill or that bill will be paid, I will not question how we will get by, I simply envelope myself in the gentle, loving and abundant arms of the Universe and allow myself to be taken care of.

May God bless each and every one of us with the knowledge that the bounty of the Universe belongs to us all.

Stepping up to the plate

One can’t help being aware of the sensation of “hanging in space.” Tumultuous is the word that comes to mind when I think about the world at large these days. Not so far behind us are the recent September tragedies of such magnitude that it is still hard to grasp. Before us we have a holiday season of mixed and varied traditions, emotional ups and downs, and the usual festive frenzy and, to color it all, the great Unknown looming before us. No one really knows what the future holds. The Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) once gave me a rhyme:
“Be kind, compassionate, loving and sweet.
Inspiring to bring people out of retreat.”

I have finally realized this is our job, our responsibility as humans. It is stepping up to the plate. We are blessed with tools to sustain and guide us: deep meditation, compassion, prayer, love, faith, yoga and other practices of spiritual discipline. Perhaps the most important tool of all is service – our ability to give of ourselves. We are now aware of so many more opportunities to give and serve than we were aware of before. This year we have the opportunity to take our innate understanding of what giving is to new and higher places.

I invite you to inspect the facets of your life, to meditate deeply on the gift of life, to give thanks with a grateful heart, mind and soul, and to give back and serve in every way you can. Step up to the plate!

~ Get together with family, friends, colleagues, neighbors and within your communities to share meals, sing, pray, watch uplifting movies, dance…

~ Invite those who are alone to share in your Solstice, Hanukah, Christmas, New Year’s and other festivities…

~ Organize service projects in your community or neighborhood…

~ Spend time making gifts or visiting those unable to celebrate as you do, in hospitals, nursing homes, shelters, prisons…

There are so many more people willing to be more open and generous, willing to listen more, willing to help wherever they can. Projects are going up across the country involving community and interfaith outreach. We are inspiring ourselves and each other to be strong in the face of adversity and this inspiration comes directly from our state of being.
May God bless us all. May we all be showered with compassion, love, health, joy, and abundance. May the New Year hold for us all that has true value. May our hearts be open and may we live in the Grace of God.

Lessons in Letting Go

I was recently sitting with my friend for a cozy afternoon tea. I had the baby with me. One of his new accomplishments – a typical baby action – is dropping things, waiting for them to be picked up and given back to him and letting them fall once again. My friend commented that we should learn from children – they have no problem letting things go!

This is the first exercise in letting go because if we are grasping on to something tightly, how can we be open to receive? It is by opening and letting go that we enable God, Guru, the Universe, the Infinite to provide for us, to provide us with abundance. A child has no doubt of this, he or she freely drops things, and always expects to receive more. Young children are never worried about what they will get – they simply expect it and it is so for them. Perhaps that is why it is said, that children bring their own prosperity with them.

If we cling tightly to the belief that what we have is not enough, how can we be open to receiving more? If we hold on tightly to a system of dealing with our personal finances which does not work for us, how can we expect God to provide better for us? By the same token, when we learn to give within our ability to give, we are letting go, and thereby opening the door to the flow of prosperity in our lives. We must examine what it is that we are holding on to so fiercely, and we must learn the simple trust of children again. Prosperity consciousness is a journey. Releasing of convictions which impede us from giving and receiving is one step on the journey.

When first confronting the issues of prosperity consciousness, it is vitally important to assess our personal financial situation. I have seen over and over again how very difficult this is in the beginning for so many people, myself included. For best results, this assessment requires creating a personal budget, and in this process it is imperative to accurately judge expenditures. Very often there is an element of blissful ignorance (how much do I really spend?), often elements of fear (will I find that there is enough to cover my needs?; am I doing everything right?), which need to be confronted, but the essential function of this exercise is to enable us to examine our expenditures versus our needs.

Sometimes, in order to get our finances straight and create a solid foundation for prosperity to enter our lives, it is important to eliminate some unnecessary expenditures. At the same time we must clearly evaluate mandatory expenditures, while keeping an eye open for the possibility to reduce them. Upon first entering into this process, it can produce a feeling of having to do without, which may or may not be true. Sometimes restrictions need to be applied. For example, my motto for my life is: “God guides, God provides”. However, this is not a carte blanche invitation to relentless spending. To start on my path towards prosperity consciousness, I initially gave myself a spending allowance and stopped taking my checkbook and credit card with me on shopping trips. For me a part of this process was learning what I really needed and what was compulsive or unnecessary spending. Once I could reach this level of clarity and honesty with myself, it was easier to determine what I needed each month. But even more importantly, it allowed me to see how much I have – as opposed to thinking about what I don’t have! I had previously thought I didn’t have enough to make ends meet, and yet when I went through the process, I found that I did.

My prayer is that we may all find the strength to trust the Infinite, to give freely within our means to give, thus allowing the shower of abundance and good will to saturate our lives and our consciousness.

No Sacrifice

Greetings, and many blessings to you for a wonderful New Year from the Dasvandh Office. Many thanks to all of you who shared your wonderful feedback about the year-end video, and for your generous contributions to help us continue our work.

While I was gathering information for this issue, I found the saying: “Giving is not a sacrifice.” I mentioned to a friend of mine that I was going to write my article about that and she answered, “But the Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) said to give until it hurts.” What better way to get a point across!

What defines sacrifice? “The surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim; an offering to appease or make favorably inclined.” What makes it a sacrifice is the tag-on of having too much of a vested interest in the result of the giving. Giving is not a sacrifice – it is like showering a loved one with love or showing our gratitude to the Infinite – there can be no “return receipt” for what we give. But once we learn to give so freely that there is no gain involved for ourselves, once we give regardless of an outcome, and regardless of our personal interest, we have learned to give without sacrifice, and it can never hurt, no matter how much we give.

This year, if you don’t already, I invite you to try out this theory in your own life and bring giving in your life to a place of no sacrifice. I’ll end with a beautiful quote I recently found on the internet: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” (Norman MacFinn).

Giving Thanks

In the delightful, excited babble of my one-year-old son, there are few words we adults can actually understand, but the one that stands out most prominently is his cute little “thank you.” And it warms my heart to hear this young, growing human, who cannot otherwise communicate, clearly giving thanks. Every time he says, “thank you,” it not only gives me joy, it reminds me again, how important giving thanks on a regular basis is. And I am blessed to be reminded so many times each day!

So many others must also feel that warmth in their hearts when they give and receive thanks. We are microorganisms of the macro organism, when we give thanks in our own ways, in our own lives, we are automatically affecting the larger world around us. Giving our thanks is like the seed, that once planted and nurtured, bursts from its shell, blossoming and growing into beautiful life.

Our donations to Dasvandh are another way of giving thanks. They seed the mission of Sikh Dharma and 3HO, by creating and supporting the foundation to carry it on. In this season of Thanksgiving, Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, and so many other celebrations, let us do just that.

Celebrate the joy of giving back.

The Inspiration to Give

What really inspires you to give? Have you ever thought about it in a concrete manner? Is it something you believe in? Something that makes you feel good? Something you know is making positive changes in the environment and world around you? Is it because of something you’ve experienced or something you have heard about?

All of these reasons are common understandable reasons, but the source of our ability to give in any way is faith, our innate faith in the Universe. For how can we give unless we feel we are able? If we feel we are not able, how can we open our hearts and love someone? If we feel we are not able, how can we give our time to help others or help in our communities? If we feel we are not able, how can we give monetary contributions and support? Faith underlines all of our giving. Faith in God, faith in ourselves. Faith that there is enough to give, faith that there will be enough even though we give, and faith that there will be enough to give again.

The Siri Singh Sahib/Yogi Bhajan has often given mantras for prosperity that include all the aspects of God. Our ability to give, that feeling of being able to give (in other words our personal prosperity) is simply another aspect of God. The inspiration to give comes from deep within, with the vast experience of expansion that comes when we are in a place of unity with the Universe – all aspects of God. In that place we receive, in that place we give, simply because our faith dictates it.

I invite you to try the prosperity meditation on our site and to look inside yourself for the faith that underlies your inspiration to receive from the Universe and to give back to God. Test out your faith, and see how it is like Infinity – boundless, flowing and endless.

“I Can’t Afford Not to…”

It was so surprising the other day at a children’s birthday party to run into a Dasvandh donor who was bound and determined to thank me for the Donor Acknowledgment letter we just sent out. While I was a first pre-occupied with the clown and the balloon-animals she was making, he began telling me how he understood where some people are sometimes afraid of giving money to Infinity, but that when it came down to it, “I can’t afford not to give,” he said. How inspiring!

We are all seeking a quality of life – in our spiritual endeavors, in our financial and practical matters, in our relationships. It is easy to recoil from the thought of giving away money, “how can that be sensible?” But the greatest quality is trust. It is God who provides and when you give, you are just allowing more room for God to give back to you. You give to God, God gives back. How can you afford not to?

The Act of Giving

Solstice was such a wonderful experience for me this year. I spent a lot of time at the Dasvandh booth at the bazaar - giving away t-shirts! What fun - amidst sales and sellers - to be giving something away for free.

Giving away t-shirts may not sound like an activity to aspire to, but it was so wonderful!! The act of giving made me feel generous, prosperous, and bountiful; and it made me feel grateful and very happy. Sometimes the mundane, everyday things in life can obliterate that ecstatic feeling of generosity, prosperity and bounty - but it doesn’t have to. Giving, in any way, can bring that feeling to the surface almost immediately.

The Siri Singh Sahib says: “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience”, and I think this is very true. Whatever our source of faith and spiritual joy is - a yoga set, a meditation, a hukam, or bowing to the Guru - we are all spiritual beings and the concept of tithing/giving is universal spiritual concept: we give back to Infinity 10% of what we receive.

It’s My Life

Here’s an exercise: Fill in the blank as many times as you want to:

It’s My Life and I’ll _________________ if I Want to…
It’s My Life and I’ll _________________ if I Want to…
It’s My Life and I’ll _________________ if I Want to…
It’s My Life and I’ll _________________ if I Want to…

I hope you chose to fill in the blanks with some wonderful words like: love, prosper, experience joy, succeed, thrive, be relaxed… for once again we see our friend CHOICE. Choice is essence of prosperity. We either choose to see the glories and the wonders of prosperity in our life as it exists, or we choose to disregard what is there to want “other”, “different”, “more”.

The gift of true prosperity is the wonderment of wealth in the world surrounding you and it is not measured in dollars or galleons. True prosperity gives us the feeling we are wealthy on all levels and it fills our heart up so much, we simply have to give, which then inspires greater and greater prosperity in our lives. Whether it be our smile or our help, whether is $10 or $10,000, whether it is one hour a month or one day a week, that which we give from our hearts flows back into our lives with doubtless certainty in the form of even more prosperity.

Once a student came to see Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) and complained of so many problems. Yogi Bhajan asked him to write down each of his problems. When he was finished his list had 20 different problems written out. Yogi Bhajan then directed him to go out the next day and get a list of 30 problems other people have. He came back with a list of 70! And he said, I didn’t realize it before, but now I understand that it is our focus, how we look at things, that makes us think our lives are full of problems instead of blessings.

So, take a moment to reflect on the inherent prosperity in your life. When your heart is so filled up with gratitude and joy at the prosperity you have, create a plan to give back. Some of many choices:
· Offer time at a local youth center, a place of worship or a hospice.
· Organize a neighborhood clean up (or just start cleaning up on your own).
· Give back in thanks by tithing. Support organizations like Dasvandh, which teach about spiritual lifestyle and practices.

As Goethe wrote, “Until you are committed, there is hesitancy… Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” Choice is the essence of true prosperity. It’s your life and you’ll enjoy true prosperity if you want to!

The Fear of Giving

What is it about giving that frightens us so much? On the one hand I think it all starts in our childhood, but then infants clutch and release without differentiation, so this reflex – to hold – must be learned later. The Siri Singh Sahib says that those who go around saying “What about me?” will never find “Thou.” Wow! But of course: if I am always thinking about “me,” it will be hard, frightening and next to impossible to give. And, of course, the more I think about others with compassion, goodness and grace, the easier it is to give.

Ahh, but you ask, “Why is it so important to give anyway?” The Siri Singh Sahib answered this so clearly recently, when he said, “There are 108 elements in this Universe which are at the tip of your fingers, provided you decide to be compassionate, kind and caring.” “As you expand in kindness, prosperity comes with it.”

We are all interested in something. Maybe you are looking for a partner in life, maybe you are looking for material wealth, or maybe you just want to get the bills paid. Compassion, kindness, caring, generosity – these are the virtues which expand our consciousness so that we can receive the objects of our desire. Whatever your motivation, we are most open and able to receive when we give and expand ourselves through the act of giving.

And how can we charge our natures and our lives with compassion, kindness, caring and generosity? Here are some ideas:

1. Counsel or help those in need. Some ideas:
a. Is anyone in your family or immediate surroundings in need of your help?
b. Visit hospitals or nursing homes
c. Join one of the many non profit organizations which help children in need
d. Become a “buddy” for someone dealing with a similar problem you have gone through

2. Help out in your community. Some ideas:
a. Give some time each week (even if it is only an hour) to your local house of worship, a youth group, or other community projects.
b. Help an elderly friend or neighbor with something they can’t do such as yard work, moving large items or organizing a space.
c. Volunteer at local schools to help tutor or teach.

3. Remember gratitude and give. Some ideas:
a. Make a list of everything you are grateful for and post it on the wall. Write a new list every few days to keep it fresh in your mind.
b. Bless the loved ones in your life.
c. Start a prayer circle of thanks.
d. Give to organizations which support your mind set or other charities.

Whatever you decide to do, begin it today and allow yourself to be infused with the gratitude and grace of giving.

A Life Fully Lived

Recently I read and re-read a sentence in an article, “Yes, wealth is a tool that gives you choices – but it can’t compensate for a life not fully lived, and it certainly can’t create a sense of peace within you.” It was a most inspiring sentence, because I have, as many others at this time of year, been pondering GIVING.

There are many ways to give. As I look back, I clearly see the changes in my perception of giving from youth, to teen, to adult, and to parent. What was once done for many reasons, including a sense of obligation, has now become a much more thoughtful and intuitive process.

Wealth gives us the opportunity to give presents, but to live a life fully lived is more than presents! There is the yearning to give the gift of time, instead of or as well as well-chosen gifts. It might mean spending time with someone, showing love through a wink, a gesture, a few hours talking. These are my thoughts:

Arrange a walk, a café, or simply time to relax separately with each person on my list, so that the true gift is my love and the presents are secondary.

Do something for that person that they need help with, something that no one likes to do, but everyone likes to have done! For example, clear out a storage space, clear out the garden, shampoo the carpets, move furniture, or clean the refrigerator.

And, finally, to serve the innermost spirit of each person. For my friends who strive to make the planet a better place, a donation to the cause of their choice; for a family member a savings bond;

And, when I do spend money for gifts, this year I choose gifts that will inspire each person on my list to engage in the activities that give them the feeling of fully living life. I find myself often motivated by “needs”, (and who doesn’t need socks?), but serving the real needs of the people I love is foremost on my list this year. Maybe that’s a savings account for my son, or a donation to a non-profit for a friend. Maybe it’s a book of inspirational quotes or a yoga manual for my family.

Hope

The lighthouse has forever been a strong symbol of hope. It is a light in the darkness, the promise of help, of a foundation beneath our feet.

Sadhana, a daily spiritual practice, is in its own sense a lighthouse too. In some inexplicable way we trust that by giving this time we will experience something like a communion with our very essence, our souls, and our connection with the Infinite. When we are able to let go, to “allow,” this experience becomes more and more a regular part of our lives, and gives us a strong core to go through life with.

Giving in the form of tithing is like seeing the lighthouse in the physical aspects of our lives. We are giving to our Infinity, and from that same place of trust and faith, we experience the connection with the Infinite, we own a foundation and we know we are provided for. We open ourselves to the inherent prosperity and abundance of the Universe and we begin to experience it, until this, too, becomes such a regular part of our lives that we know we can depend on it.

Hope is an energy source straight from the heart. It’s like the alarm clock urging us to go to Sadhana, a light bulb inside of us that lets us simply be and shine in the world. Trust in that energy source. Know hope and be hope. Allow yourself to be the light of hope that shines in the world.

Success

It used to be that when I even heard the word “success” I would cringe inside and my only thought was finding a good place to hide. It took me a very long time to understand that I was hooked on Piscean values, but it’s taken me even longer to understand that judgment is really my worst enemy.

Originally (looking in my dictionary) success is defined simply as an outcome, without any particular association to a good or bad outcome. The Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) has told us many times: the only thing that is important is the intention we set, and the results will always follow in kind.

“The results will always follow in kind.” This is a very profound statement, an old truth. If we write out checks with fear in our heart (how will we make it through, the economy is so haphazard, price of living increase, etc.), no matter what we thought our intention was, it will be marred by that same fear, and the results will follow in kind.

In this light, it is of the absolute and highest importance to reflect on what our true intentions are – at all times. This is where Tithing can help. Tithing, too, is a spiritual discipline and like every discipline, its object is to bring us to a place of 100% neutrality. We have to get out of the space of reacting emotionally to the topic of money. Once in a place of neutrality, Infinity can serve you. You have created the vacuum and God can fill you.

In reality, it is just like getting up and doing yoga. You can’t predict an outcome, because that prediction is based heavily on emotions. You just have to do it, until there is no more room for emotions.

Relationship to Self

If they have taught me anything, the books I have read on relationships have taught me not about partnerships like marriage, but much more about the Self as it relates to every single thing and every single being on the planet. And, most importantly, the relationship to Self.

The Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) says, “If you can’t see God in all, you can’t see God at all.” To see God in all is to see God in yourself as well. He also says, “I shall see God in all, I shall serve God in all,” that means serve the self, too. This relationship to Self directly corresponds to your ability to give on every level. You have to give to yourself, in order to be given to. It’s pointless to want love in your life, if you are unwilling to love yourself the way you are wishing/dreaming/imagining someone else should love you. If you give of your time to others, but not to yourself, you end up depleted and possibly resentful on some level.

There are three tools I use in my personal life and I am grateful to be able to share them with you. I once read a book called, Conscious Loving (Gay and Kathleen Hendricks) and applied their simple 7 step system to loving myself. This has made a very profound difference in my life. The second, and you may smile, is that I have a weakness for a good romance book. The romantic traits are inspiring, and I use them. I look to cultivate those traits within and to be that for myself.

The third tool is Tithing. I am blessed to work in the Dasvandh office, yes, but Dasvandh is a very personal and intimate thing of itself. My position is one thing, the opportunity tithing itself allows me is another. For me, it is the most intimately fulfilling art of giving there is. The tradition of tithing is giving back to Infinity. To see God in all, is to know God in yourself, and to give to Infinity is to give back to yourself.

If you do not already participate, I invite you to step into this intimately fulfilling art of giving, by starting your tithing program today. It is a place of profound trust, yes, but it allows a freedom of spirit achieved in few other ways. The relationship to Self is to grant yourself the freedom of feeling the Universe taking care of you.

The Bridge

Like a bridge over troubled water, the technology we use for expansion and growth steadies us through thick and thin. I find this to be one of the most reassuring parts of my life. No matter what happens in my personal world, in my community or in the world at large, the technology of my spiritual discipline holds, nurtures and sustains me.

Tithing, too, is a spiritual discipline, and an important one. It is the daily discipline of acknowledging all that we have and being grateful for all we receive from the Infinite. It is the discipline of maintaining the flow, of filling the vacuum - giving back to the Infinite, and accepting more as it returns to us.

There are different reasons for doubting, or even quitting disciplines. There is fear, there is Shakti Pad – a stage at which either transformation or discontinuity occurs (in the spiritual disciplines, shakti pad is known as the test of ego or the test of power). There are conditions like changes in work, family structure, and events like the war we just experienced.

Whatever happens, I encourage you to do as the Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) has been teaching us for decades: “Keep Up.” Allow yourself the opportunity to experience the profound satisfaction and fulfillment of not interrupting your disciplines.

Relaxation for Prosperity

When it comes to the theme of prosperity, we are blessed to share the Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan)’s teachings on it all the time: gratitude, faith, patience. Dasvandh is inadvertently all about prosperity. The teachings are about giving back and allowing the Universe to fill you back up – ten times more than you have given. Though this is not the incentive for giving, it is the inadvertent result of trusting, letting go, and allowing.

The trick, it seems, is to come to the space of resting in this process, a place of trust, faith and patience, a state of continual gratitude.

The Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) says: “What is meditation? When you empty yourself and let the Universe come in you.” Often this place is only possible if we ensure - in our incredibly busy lives - that there is time for Sadhana (spiritual discipline). Prosperity comes to us when we empty ourselves and let the Universe come in to fill the tank, so to speak.

This month, instead of action, I invite you to try relaxation for prosperity!! Empty yourself and simply allow prosperity to come to you. There is a wonderful tape you can order* called Patience Pays. The Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) speaks about allowing the Hand of God to work for you. Try it – it is superb! It is a graceful reminder to always dwell in God, to be patient and to allow the Universe to take care of us. Currently we have this CD playing on the Dasvandh Prosperity Altar 24/7.

“Patience pays. Wait. Let the hand of God work for you. One who has created you let Him create all the environments, circumstances, and facilities & faculties.

Oh individual, why you are in a very doubtful state? One who has made you will take care of you. One who has created this universe, all the planets, planetary faculties and facilities on Earth, He is the One who has created you. Wait, have patience, lean on him, and all best things will come to you.

Dwell in God. Dwell in God. Dwell in God. Befriend your soul. Dwell in God and befriend your soul. Dwell in God and befriend your soul. All the faculties and facilities of the Creation, which are in your best interest, shall be at your feet. You need million things; million things will reach you, if you are stable, established, firm, patient. Remember, Creator watches over you and Creation is ready to serve you, if you just…be you.

So please take away the ghost of your life and stop chasing around. Consolidate. Concentrate. Be you. And may all the peace & peaceful environments, prosperity approach you forever. Sat Nam.”

*To order this tape: Ancient Healing Ways, 1-800-359-2940 or www.a-healing.com.

What is Giving?

What is giving? As the leaves begin to fall, and the coolness closes in, it signals a time of reflection and contemplation. I am often blessed to read the lectures of the Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) in the course of my work, and I find that most of what he speaks about leads back to giving. Here are some attitudes about giving I have gleaned from his vast teachings:

· Giving is being kind, compassionate, loving and sweet, regardless.
· Giving is learning not to judge yourself or others, regardless.
· Giving is your prayer for others, regardless.
· Giving is getting up every morning for Sadhana, regardless.
· Giving is taking out your checkbook and giving 10% back to God, regardless.
· Giving is blessing everything and everyone around you, regardless.
· Giving is relating to your soul, regardless.
· Giving is keeping your dignity, divinity, grace and honor in every environment, regardless.
· Giving is answering the call of duty and doing the job right, regardless.
· Giving is choosing to walk towards your own destiny, regardless.

Everyday, in every moment, we are given the gift and opportunity to give. Regardless of what the situation may hold, regardless of the way thoughts may crash around in our heads, regardless of the other person, regardless of anything – we can give. We give everything in a place of love and nothing in a place of fear. And, in the place of love, we give, and everything comes back to us: The prayers, the sweetness, the peace of mind, the wealth, and the blessings.

The vast, vast teachings of the Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) empower us everyday to a richer, fuller life, following our destinies. That, is the true mission of his teachings.

The mission of Sikh Dharma is to share these teachings with you, and her and him and with everyone around the world. Meditate on how much these teachings give you – imagine how much they can help others. And then, please give back. Thank you.

Facing Change

I remember when I first started out with yoga and meditation, and defining my spiritual path. When something would happen in my life that would bowl me over, I was dumb-founded and slightly ticked off! How could this be – when I was doing yoga, working on myself, and as disciplined as one could wish!

Here I was thinking I should be some goddess who defied the trials and tribulations of life simply because I was praying or meditating or doing So Darshan Chakra Kriya every day! But when I could get over that one, I could see in truth that even though my spiritual discipline has not stopped things from happening to me in life, it has definitely strengthened me in dealing with them. Sometimes it is mystifying to see things revolve around again, but I see also, that there are different levels being dealt with, each time deeper, more profound, more revealing, each time making closer that relationship with the soul that the Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) and many spiritual teachers are forever teaching us about.

It has been many years since that time and I have realized many times that life is really a never-ending spiral of change. We change physically with age; we change psychically with the occurrence of life around us and with us; we change mentally with all we learn, and we change spiritually with the maturation of our faith, our spiritual practice and our prayer. Facing change is made hardest by our expectations of ourselves. We expect ourselves to perform perfectly in life and some things in life simply defy perfection. “Now that we’re doing something, why is this thing still happening?”

It is like that with prosperity as well. It’s easy to think, “Well, I give and what have I gotten?” but we don’t always look at the shades and nuances of our financial lives. Looking at our prosperity, although it may not be “picture perfect,” it is an ever-revolving spiral on a conscious journey. Reducing or eliminating debt is a nuance; informing one’s self about savings, mutual funds, IRA’s and education funds is a nuance; your ever-growing consciousness about prosperity is a nuance. Your steady tithing practice is a nuance and all these nuances create a truly perfect picture…the pictures of our real lives.

In the end what we impress ourselves the most with is how we have kept up, and there is a deep satisfaction in the knowledge that despite all odds, we were able to do so. My prayer is that we might all live this knowledge not only in retrospect but in the present as well, that we may just smile in deep satisfaction as life rolls it’s waves over us and we paddle along content in our spiritual practices, our tithing and our prayer.

Rise Above the Hurdles

I have seen lately in my own life that prosperity is allowed to manifest itself, if only I will center my attention on knowing that it is possible. I read somewhere recently of an interesting situation: for a long time it was believed totally impossible to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Then one year a man broke that record, by running the mile in 3:59.04 seconds. The miracle is that in the year after -twelve more people matched his time - because they now believed it was possible.

This, for me, is the essence of rising above any hurdle we may find on any path in life. Whatever is between us and our prosperity of finances, health, and circumstances, we can triumph over it by knowing that it is possible to overcome, to step over, to rise above. I don't assume this is easy or simple, but I do believe it is possible.

There are many tools we can use. Meditation is one way that allows us to overcome the hurdles our brain puts up for us ("I can't") by allowing us to focus on the vastness of God, instead of focusing on the limits of our perceptions of our bodies, our minds, or our lives. Tithing is another excellent way. Our brain puts up its usual fight ("I can't afford it", "I already give in other ways", etc.) but instead we focus on the vastness of God's bounty and it becomes possible to give because we know it will come back to us.

Whatever tool we choose, the exercise can be invigorating, enlivening, and totally worth the effort. One hurdle risen above gives us unlimited inspiration to rise above any others that might exist now or in the future. There are many tools - sadhana, events, 40-day, 90-day, 1000-day meditations, White Tantric Yoga courses, are a few. Tithing is our particular tool of choice in the area of prosperity because it challenges us, and because our prosperity can be so pivotal to so many other areas of our life.

Absorbing and Manifesting – Questions answered

God Answers Questions
In this issue, we wanted to cover a serious and often asked about subject pertaining to prosperity – How do we absorb Prosperity Consciousness, how do we manifest it? And the most amazing thing happened! Two people, literally from opposite sides of the country (Oregon, Massachusetts) submitted truly excellent articles, each using the same meditation! Even more astounding - it is a previously unpublished meditation. This is exciting. And it goes to show – when you ask a question clearly, God does answer.

Tithing – A Part of the Path to Financial Freedom
I recently taped an Oprah show because my favorite financial teacher, Suze Orman, was scheduled as a guest. It was a fantastic show and at the end, there was also a good “Spirit” segment. This particular segment was about a woman who shared how her family was able to get their finances together because she started tithing on a regular basis! She told how she had seen a presentation by Suze Orman and how the part about tithing as one of the steps to financial freedom really stuck. Even though she didn’t think she had anything extra to give, she started with a small monthly donation of $25 to her local church. She was amazed that gifts and things started coming in. And within 18 months, she shared, they had reduced their debt and their only monthly payment left was the mortgage. It was a very inspiring story.

Leap of Faith
We all often think – “There’s just barely enough to make ends meet, how can I give?” and yet, this is our subconscious mind talking and it is a good example of how we block true absorption of prosperity consciousness. When we determine that there is “barely enough”, how can there be room for expansion, how can we be open to more? Sometimes it is only a matter of a leap of faith. Try it – make the commitment of a monthly Dasvandh donation. Give yourself a trial run period of 6 months. See what happens. Or, if you already make monthly Dasvandh donations, consider increasing your donation by 10%. Allow for expansion – allow for more prosperity to come into your life. And watch how God provides.

Intuitive Generosity

Sometimes I think that learning to allow generosity to control the mind is what it is all about. In those moments of fear, doubt, trepidation, wariness – the mind contracts and argues that nothing is possible. And it is in exactly those moments that we most need to let the heart rule. A healthy portion of caution can be a good thing, but to allow only the contraction or the fear allows the mind and the subconscious to have control and that is rarely a good thing. While things need to be thought about, the mind cannot rule, it must be the heart. So in this vein, it is perhaps that we must allow our generosity control our minds and not our minds control our generosity.

I speak from my experience today, when something someone did upset me. I had to recognize the need to be more generous, the need to not allow my mind to take over, not allow my thoughts to dominate, but to be generous of spirit. When I could see the fear, acknowledge its uselessness and be generous towards this person and their actions, the pain, frustration and anger all melted away immediately.

When I take this concept into the area of personal finance, I find the same principles apply. The Siri Singh Sahib Yogi Bhajan once said: “Whatever goes out of you will create a situation that will be either positive or negative…. Your mind tells you not to give such-and-such amount, because you will be poor, but the moment to think that, you are poor.” Very often our first impulse – our intuitive response – is the correct one and, surprisingly, the most generous. We may intuitively want to write a check for a certain amount, and then talk ourselves out of it. But then we might end up spending more on something later that does not serve us half as well; or we may intuitively want to do something, and then our minds take over and before we know it, the time has lapsed, the opportunity is gone and we have done nothing at all.

Tithing is a golden opportunity to trust ourselves, trust our intuition and enhance our ability to allow generosity to guide our minds and consequently our actions. It is a wonderful experience of heart. It is one of the greatest exercises in ridding ourselves of fear.

"I've Come Home to Stop Yearning…"

There is a song I hear occasionally - an acapella song with these words, "I've come home to stop yearning" and no matter how often I hear it or in what circumstance, it never fails to touch me deeply. In all the years of studying the teachings of the Siri Singh Sahib (Yogi Bhajan) the theme that rings through to me the most is coming home to one's self, i.e. being one with the Infinite. I think we take to our different spiritual paths because we want to come home, so we can stop yearning. In that place of being home - being within ourselves, one with our breath, in the state of mindfulness, Oneness - there is no yearning for anything outside of this experience itself. Instead there are profound feelings of fulfillment, gratitude, love, compassion.

Lately I have been finding this true for prosperity as well. In coming home to myself, in practicing deep meditation, I am more in synch with the Universe, my actions are more destined to serve, and the feelings I have are of having arrived in a place where I no longer need to yearn because everything is inherent…the steps to take, the things to do, and the rewards I reap - i.e. my prosperity.

In the Dasvandh office we provide a lot of technology. Someone recently asked if one was better than the other? No. But one person may resonate more to a particular technology and another person may resonate more towards a different one. The technology itself helps us along, through blocks and barricades, through thought patterns and through all of life's situations, into a place of calmness, clarity, and certainty that the bounty of the Universe belongs as much to us as to anyone else.

Tithing is the technology we teach most about in the Dasvandh Office. Serving as any other technology - helping us through the same blocks and barriers, thought patterns and situations - tithing helps us understand that giving is as natural as receiving and that we are not lessened by what we give - we are enhanced. I often wonder at the particular challenge of tithing - our pocketbooks are no holier than the rest of our lives and in the same way as meditation, tithing offers us a way to come home to ourselves, to experience that prosperity is as inherent as our breath. Then we can stop yearning because we experience the falling away of doubt, we feel fulfilled, and we find we have come home to ourselves.

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The Seven Steps to Prosperity

The Seven Steps to Prosperity are:

Yogi Bhajan