Trafford Publishing: Children of the Cusp

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Children of the Cusp

by Gurutej Singh Khalsa

210 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #01-0230; ISBN 1-55212-830-X; US$21.50, C$27.00, EUR17.60, £12.20

This is a collection of poetry describing life on a spiritual path in this modern age, here in the west. The poems describe the spread of Sikh dharma to the west and the reflections of a student of a great new age master, Yogi Bhajan.

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about the book about the author Introduction catalogue info

About the Book

The story of personal spiritual growth told through poetry. The book includes five sacred Kriyas or meditations.

About the Author

Gurutej Singh Khalsa has been a student of Yogi Bhajan for 32 years. He lives in northern New Mexico wehre he works at the company he founded, Akal Security.

Introduction

On November 22 nd, 1993, I was asked to write a poem for the 40th anniversary celebration of the marriage of Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji and his wife, Siri Sar arni Sahiba Bibi In erjit Kaur; Yogiji an Bibiji. I was not known as a great poet at that time, but was considered a pretty good writer. From time to time I had written various pieces for ifferent occasions within the activities of Sikh Dharma and 3HO such as announcements, a few official letters, and an occasional article. But I was not really a poet.
It is interesting how the hand of Destiny can move to change the course of a person's life; and on that day, the course of my life changed. So, I put my ego into it and knocked out a five-stanza poem in less than an hour. It sounded pretty good to me and as the day wore on, I polished it a little more. In my car, I drove around reciting until it felt right. I later recited the poem, with some rama, in the Gurdwara, and I was surprised to see that many people had tears in their eyes when I finished. That poem, "The Ruby of the Heart," is found in this book.
After the hukam, the Siri Singh Sahib announced I should write a book of poetry that would describe our history -- the history of Sikh Dharma in the West, as well as the evolution of Guru's message to the world. His directive to me was that it should be 108 poems and should be completed in time to be published for Baisakhi 1995. If I failed, he told me, I would be banished. Then he added, "This is my gift to you."
I calculated that I would have to write a poem a day in order to meet that deadline. This seemed like a piece of cake since I had knocked out the poem that day in less than an hour. However, I did not complete another poem for four months.
I would sit and scratch out a line or couplet, sometimes a stanza, but it did not come together in a cohesive way. I began to doubt if I was really up to this project and questioned if I would succeed.My beloved wife, Sadhana Kaur, bought me a nice notebook with pictures of planets and stars on it so I could scratch out my masterpiece. Mostly though, I scratched out vague lines, no poems. Then one February morning, as I sat fuming at the table trying to produce at least one poem, she came to me, took my pen and wrote on the page in her lovely Italian way, "Gurutejino you are o.k.!" That action, a simple loving touch, gave me hope and I knew I was close.
The next evening I was outside the Gurdwara in Espanola and had the idea that I should ask Baba Siri Chand for help. Baba Siri Chand was the son of Guru Nanak, and was the greatest yogi who ever lived. I bowed before the bronze statue of Baba Siri Chand, placed my forehead on his left big toe and asked for his help. I reasoned with Babaji that he had helped Guru Arjan complete the Sukhmani Sahib, the beautiful Psalm of Peace, and all I was asking for was a few poems; to assist me with that should be effortless for so great a soul as he.The cold of that bronze statue seemed to penetrate my brain as I pressed my forehead against Babaji's big toe. The next day no poem came.
The day after, though, I felt something stir deep inside, and the poem, "CHILDREN OF THE CUSP," flowed out. I knew this was to be the title poem of the book and that the flow had begun. That night I read the poem after Yogiji's class and people responded very favorably to it. Thereafter, the poems flowed steadily. Whenever I was blocked, I would ask Baba Siri Chand for help and the next line would come. I am deeply grateful for his kind and compassionate help, which allowed the succeeding poems to flow without the interference of my ego.
Still, it took three years to complete the 108 poems. At one point the Siri Singh Sahib even wrote me a letter, saying that I was working too slowly, (a complaint I have often heard from him). He was encouraging me to hurry up. I tried, but these poems came at their own pace. However, it became a tradition that I would read a new poem after every one of his meditation classes. Having a poem for class was a great motivator for me, and many of the poems in this book were written just an hour or two before class. I was often late, trying to finish in time.
In rereading them while editing, I can clearly see the haste with which many of them were written. Some of the rhymes may seem forced and are even repeated in more than one poem. However, mostly I have left them as they were written and recited in class. After all, there are not many words that rhyme with life. More than one poem refers to "the call". That has many implications such as call of duty, call of destiny, and call of the higher self to act righteously, which fit the theme of several poems. The Siri Singh Sahib was right; this project was a gift he gave to me. The flow of the poetry and the depth of the material are truly by the hand of Grace.
I wanted the poems to be about real things, real experiences and the practical reality of spiritual life at this time, this transition of Ages at the end of the Millennium. I have, of course, taken many poetic liberties an have enjoyed each opportunity to do so. Most of the poems are written from the perspective of a struggling student on the spiritual path at a very weird time in history. The Siri Singh Sahib once told me, "You have been through the hell of it. Now write about it." While many of the poems are subjective, based on my personal experiences and musings, I have found that people relate to them. I believe it is because the challenges and confrontations I have faced are shared by others on this path, in one form or another, and are the common experiences that bind us together.
The writing of these 108 poems has been a process of personal transformation for me, both in my maturity as a poet and teacher, and in my depth of understanding of the teachings. Each poem has its own personality and each evolved in its own way. Each poem told me when it was finished, or when it needed to say more. And with the creation of each, I learned something more, understood something more and developed myself a little more. This was the gift the Siri Singh Sahib gave me. It was not the book or the poems, for they are the result of the process. It was the process, itself, and the evolution that occurred in my own psyche that was the true gift. The poetry is my gift in return, and is small compared to what I received. They came at various times.
Once, I wanted to write a poem before class and tried to force something out. I punched away at my keyboard for an hour or more, then gave up, deciding there would be no poem that night. As I was putting on my jacket to walk to class, a line came into my head; then the rest of the poem flowed. I sat and first wrote it out by hand, then fired up my computer, banged it out, and rushed to class. There were many times when I pulled over on the shoulder of the highway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe to write down the lines that begin several of these poems. A few were begun on airplanes, as well. It was not an act of love that wrote them; it was an act of love that sent them to me.
Many of the poems describe the relationship between a Master and a student, something that is not understood here in the West. This is a most sacred and essential relationship, for it falls upon the Master to pull out of the student those elements of his personality that interfere with his own excellence. So, the Master wades into the cesspool of the student's psyche and scrapes clean the walls of his consciousness. It is not the kind of benign (Well done, Grasshopper) relationship that we in the West have seen on TV. It is the ultimate sacrifice on the part of the teacher and a most intimate relationship between the Master and the student. Yogiji has said many times that the relationship between Master and student is that of a chisel to a stone. I have not given my Master an easy time of it, as much of this poetry reflects, and I will be eternally grateful to him for his selflessness and unwillingness to give up on me, though I have given up on myself many times. Without my Master, this book would not exist. In fact, the development of this book is a testament to his patience, for I am more than three years behind schedule and he has not yet banished me.
There are many references to Guru. Guru is that power of wisdom and knowledge that gives the disciple enlightenment; that living experience of God. God is like a giant mainframe computer that uses a very sophisticated language, because His calculations are so complex, fast and accurate. Guru is like a smaller mainframe computer that speaks the God language an can translate that language to a more readily comprehensible language. The Master is like a larger computer network that can translate those languages to the Basic PC language the student understands.Yet, when the Master establishes the link between the student and the Guru, there is direct communication with God. Guru is not a personality, for it is not a man. Rather, it is an energy, which is found in the shabd,or sound. It is by reciting those sounds, which are the language of the God computer, that we gain the capacity to make that link.
There is also reference to the Gurus of Sikh Dharma. These were the men who facilitated the establishment of the Guru on the Earth; who embodied that energy for a brief time. In the Age of Aquarius, Guru is not in the form of a man but in its primal form, which is the sound or shabd. There are several poems that describe this or try to explain it in some way. I have always felt that an object of poetry is to challenge the reader. If you will read these poems, that understanding will come.
There are many who deserve to be thanked for their input and encouragement while these poems were being written, though they cannot all be named. The Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji heads the list. He has guided me, driven me and inspired me to write these lines for the children of the future. The only way a student can truly express his gratitude to his teacher is to become 10 times greater than the teacher and be a great teacher himself. It is my humble prayer that through this book, many will be inspired along the path of consciousness.
My beloved Sadhana Kaur was also a great support and constructive critic when the lines were dumb or the rhymes were contrived. Shanti Kaur Khalsa, my longtime friend, associate and fellow writer, was immensely helpful with her input, although I doubt that she realizes the extent of her contribution. A special thanks goes to Tej Kaur Khalsa who pushed me at the end to take this collection of loose poems and form it into something that made sense and who helped to give shape to the book. Most especially, though, I want to humbly, from the depth of my heart, thank the sangats of Espanola and Los Angeles. It was to them that most of these poems were read and I cannot give enough thanks to all who came to me and expressed their appreciation and personal experiences when they heard the poetry. This is, without question, a collective effort. All I did was hold the pen or punch the keys, the sangat itself wrote the poems.
Finally, I would add this: Children of the Cusp is a book of poetry and poetry is meant to be recited. Please do not content yourself with reading, silently, these poems. Recite them aloud, to yourself, to your dog, to your love ones and friends. The poems will take on a deeper meaning if you do. There are challenges with rhythm and rhyme which, when you recite, become enjoyable and drive the poetry forward.
Few people in this Age and at this point of transition of Ages have been blessed as I have. My gratitude is to all, to the great Akal Purkh, to my beloved teacher and to you, the Children of the Cusp, and the Children of the Future.
Gurutej Singh Khalsa
Los Angeles,California
26 May,1997

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