Kenneth Strickland
Japi Hw 3
12-15th Pauris (stanzas)
Hearing enables one to remember. To remember is to agree with the God inside of yourself; remembrance is beyond definition. Nevertheless remembrance is encoded in our DNA, and experienced in our whole being.
No words can speak of remembrance, Attempts to explain are later regretted. No paper, pen or scribe can describe, Nor any philosophizing help to realize, So wondrous is the immaculate Name. It is known only by those who hold It in their mind.
For me, any attempts to remembrance conjure up past failures, historical oppression, and hurt. Remembrance of this world brought me nothing but pain, restless meditations, disjointed movements, and shallow breathe. Beyond worldly remembrance is a remembrance that comes from holding the Name in the mind. In this remembering, “we find the door to liberation.” According Nikki Guninder Kaur Sing translation of fourteen stanza states:
Remembering, we walk on a clear path, Remembering, we advance in honour and glory, Remembering, we do not stray down lanes and byways, Remembering, we keep to righteousness.
The clear path is righteousness–the good within you, the love within your heart, the peaceful moments in life. Thus, by remembering righteousness the ruminations of my mind were bypassed and slowly(almost 3 years and counting) clear awareness peeled away the layers of trauma. Or, as Guruka Singh beautiful translates:
Such is the Nam. It makes you pure. If you agree to agree,Your mind becomes sure
This is the mantra of breaking the psychological chains of slavery, oppression, and victimhood because “you agree to agree.” By letting go and surrendering all the limitations my mind now has the power to climb out of this cycle of abuse. A clear mind not only illuminated my life but the way in which I saw the world. Once I saw a world of hurt now I see a world that is healing. This healing takes lifetime and is not without setbacks; but if I hold healing in my mind God will guide me through the ups and downs.