Sat Nam, Everybody!               
Welcome to HariSingh.com

My name is Hari Singh Bird.

Mission Statement,
To serve is to succeed.

Ask, it will be given to you; seek, you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds;
and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Luke 11: 9-10

"The true man of God sees no man as good or evil, no
man as friend or enemy." SiriGuruGranthSahib.Guru

"Sikh Dharma is an inclusive and pluralistic path.
Sikhs must practice what we teach." MySikhSense.com

"Humanity's first teachers are women." FirstTeachersAreWomen.com

"The job of a teacher is to poke, provoke, confront and elevate." Yogi Bhajan

"It is incumbent on those who know to teach those who do not know. It is
incumbent on those who do not know to surrender their ego." Hari Singh Bird

"As humanity enters the Space Age, how will we resonate with Greens and Grays,
when we do not relate well to Blacks, Browns and Gays?" ACTForDiversity.com

"Do not spend your spiritual energy on fear. We are now at the turning point, the
end of Kali Yuga, so all insanity will prevail. Wisdom shall arise from the insanity.
Light shall arise from the darkness. Divinity will arise from the chaos. Compassion
shall arise from the madness." Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Zen Buddhist

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Mission

MSS Hari Singh Bird

A robust transparency is necessary at this time in our history.
I pledge to advocate and participate in thoughtful disagreement.
Therefore my prime objective is to promote diversity and cultural
competency, explore issues of color and gender, and inspire people
who have a history of being marginalized, using social media and other
means as platforms to inform various communities of the life experiences
and concerns of marginalized people with regard to the necessity for social
action, dialogue, inclusion, compassion, tolerance, and cultural literacy to
expand and improve human relations going forward, in order to better facilitate
the current worldwide shift in global consciousness from tribalism, instability,
and extremism, to harmony, cooperation and enduring peace. In addition, I
welcome and support other organizations that promote the transformation of
consciousness as taught by spiritual teachers like Guru Nanak Dev and others.

My commitment is to serve as many people as possible the
opportunities to explore the sensitivities of the human spirit to wit
each person is inspired to (a) teach and interact with other people while
maintaining a keen appreciation for their longing for inclusion, the innate longing
to belong within our human nature; (b) respond with compassionate consideration
and sensitivity to those racial, cultural, religious, ethnic, economic, political, social,
ethical, psychological, and philosophical differences that exist within every community.

Attention: This site and its associated Web sites offer visitors More Than You Can Know.

The Story of My Life

The Beginning

The genesis of HariSingh.com dates back to the directive from my teacher, Yogi Bhajan, that I tell my story including how I became associated with 3HO, the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization. As I proceeded with this task I began thinking of other teachers with whom I was associated in the early '70s. So in addition to my Web site I designed several more. Thus emerged Web sites like LivtarSingh.com, AwtarSingh.com, KirpalSinghKhalsa.com, RamDasSingh.com, PreetKaurKhalsa.com, RamDhanSingh.com, SatHanumanSingh.com, 3HOLegacyLinks.com, and OneIsTheAnswer.com. Sites like MySikhSense.com and commentaries like why Sikh women don't tie turban also emerged.

Personal Profile

I am an octogenarian and a native of the Midwest, which includes Native American heritage of the Cherokee and Modoc nations according to my father. I am a husband, a father, an optician, a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher, a Sikh minister, a turbanator, and a chaplain. See My Ancestry Profile. See EyewearGenie.com. See Lifetime Achievement Award. See Legacy Documents and Testimonials.

Since 1969 I have been a student of Yogi Bhajan, who is the founder of 3HO, the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization, and the master of Kundalini Yoga. I began teaching Kundalini Yoga in 1970 and directed 3HO activities in the Denver, Colorado region from 1973 to 1984. I am a founding member of ACT, Akal Committee Thirteen, and a retired founding member of SAT, the Security Advisory Team.

My career as an optician began in 1958 following active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps. I maintain active optician licenses in Florida and Arizona. I am certified by the American Board of Opticianry (ABO), and National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE). I am a passionate advocate of (a) the resurgence of opticians as genuine Health Care Providers, i.e., highly skilled Eye Wear Professionals, as opposed to today's eyeglass dispensers, most of whom are trained only as merchants or online clerks, (b) the resurgence of the three dimensional dispensing of prescription eyewear, and (c) most importantly, the conscientious Hands on the Patient practical training of aspiring opticians in the design and delivery of handcrafted, form-fitting eyewear. I am currently a consultant with Opticians For Change. I conduct Hands-on Frame Fitting Workshops, which are accredited for Continuing Education by ABO and the Florida State Board of Opticians, and sponsored by the Professional Opticians of Florida (POF). See OpticalGuidelines.com. See My Letter to Eye Care Professionals.  

Teacher Profile

My history of teaching (see 3HO Legacy Teachers gallery) includes numerous facilities and locations as a Kundalini Yoga and meditation teacher, counselor and chaplain, which include the Federal Prison in Littleton, CO; the Colorado State Prison at the Buena Vista facility; the Youth Detention Center, Brighton, CO; the Orange County Jail, Orlando, FL; the Florida State Prison, Bushnell, FL; the YWCA, Orlando, FL; Sikh Chaplain at the New Mexico Military Institute, NMMI, Roswell, NM; and several years as the Drill Instructor for the Select Rifle Drill Team at the 3HO Women's Training Camp, formerly Khalsa Women's Training Camp (KWTC), Espanola, NM, now International Women's Camp, IWC. See an inspiring account of one woman's Drill Team experience at the Khalsa Women's Training Camp.

Note: I taught the first-ever Kundalini Yoga and Meditation prison classes to inmates at the Orange County jail in Orlando, Florida, 1971-1972; followed by the first-ever classes at the Florida State Prison in Bushnell, Florida; followed by, in the mid-70s, the first-ever classes at the Colorado state and federal prisons. See 3HOHistory.com. See 3HOLegacyLinks.com. See Forum Feedback. See My Heritage. See More.

Pages And Points To Ponder

Also see EyewearGenie.com. See A Factual Story. See OpticalWorkshops.com. See Life According To Guru Nanak. See 18 Things White People Should Know. See Message For Persons of Color. See How The Marines Transform 'Me' Into 'We'. See Family Photos. Hear Our Favorite Dance Music. See Definitions. See Commitment. See I'm Just Going Home. See Hari Will Stand By You. See Women Are Much More Than This.

My Sweet Wife

Hari Kaur Bird

Visit my wife at HariBird.com.

See all my wife's hang ups here.

See Women Are Much More Than This.

Parentage Profile

I have been blessed with the life experience of
colored eyes as well as white eyes. While most
folks see the issue of race through either white eyes
or colored eyes, I see the issue of race through both.
This matters greatly because my life experience affords me
a more cosmopolitan perspective on issues of diversity.

My parents were married in the late 1930s making us a
rare mixed-race family. Thus the community marginalized us.
But I came to understand and appreciate diversity issues.

My sister, my father and me, 1949.

My sister and my mother, 1952.

Ancestry Profile




The peoples of East Asia and the Americas have a shared genetic history.
Their common ancestors left the Near East as early as 80,000 years ago,
migrating across Asia. The ancestors of Native Americans began to cross
into the Americas 12,000 to 15,000 years ago. You most likely had a fourth-
great-grandparent, fifth-great-grandparent, sixth-great-grandparent,
or seventh-great (or greater) grandparent who was 100% Yakut.
This person was likely born between 1670 and 1760.
Source:

Turkic (Yakut) peoples, any of various peoples whose members speak languages belonging to the Turkic subfamily of the Altaic family of languages. They are historically and linguistically connected with the Tujue, the name given by the Chinese to the nomadic people who in the 6th century CE founded an empire stretching from what is now Mongolia and the northern frontier of China to the Black Sea.

With some exceptions, notably in the European part of Turkey and in the Volga region, the Turkic peoples live in Asia. Their most important cultural link, aside from history and language, is with Islam, for, with the exception of the Sakha (Yakut) of eastern Siberia and the Chuvash of the Volga region of Russia, the vast majority of Turkic peoples are Muslim.

In addition to those groups already mentioned, contemporary peoples who are classified as Turkic include the Altai, Azerbaijanis, Balkar, Bashkir, Dolgan, Karachay, Karakalpaks, Kazakhs, Khakass, Kipchak, Kumyk, Kyrgyz, Nogay, Shor, Tatars, Tofalar, Turkmen, Turks, Tyvans (Tuvans), Uighurs, and Uzbeks. -- Source. See DNA Connections.

Heritage Profile

"Mukhia Singh Sahib Hari Singh Bird Khalsa is a
Native American by birth, a U.S. Marine by choice,
a Sikh by destiny." -- SS SatHanuman Singh Khalsa

"Question is, are we mature enough to sit down and
discuss issues of diversity, including religion and race?"

"Looking at the one and only Black Family native to SDI/3HO/KRI
after 49 years from my perspective as a person of color I have to
ask, why are there so few Black families? How many White Families
vs. Black Families are there after 49 years? Oh sure, there are a few
African-Americans, but they are disproportionately represented.
Think about the optics from the perspective of most people of color.
Do people of color see this disparity as a positive or as a negative?
And how many Black Kundalini Yoga teachers-trainers are there?
Isn't it time for there to be some serious mixed-race adult dialogue?

Detractors: Kindly answer questions before vilifying messenger.

The key indicator that organizations have come of age is when steps
are taken to permit open dialogue on the issue with people of color.
BTW: When asked if one Black Family after 49 years is an issue
of concern, some Sikh Dharma ministers agreed. But when asked
why the issue is never discussed, they were unable to answer.
Discourse is not meant to stir up feelings of guilt. Discourse is
meant to drive people to action against injustice. Question is
are we mature enough to sit down and discuss issues of
diversity, including race, religion, and gender?"

"Colored eyes who remain silent enable white eyes to
remain culturally illiterate. It is incumbent on those who know to
teach those who do not know." -- MSS Hari Singh Bird Khalsa

Note: Many of my associates are unaware of my Native American heritage.
I make it known in order to establish my experience with diversity issues.
Reflecting on my life experience as a person of color, a "half breed" looking
through colored eyes, I have a mostly eclectic and cosmopolitan perspective.

      

      
Mukhia Singh Sahib Hari Singh Bird Khalsa

Childhood Profile

My teacher, Yogi Bhajan, asked me to tell my story, so I will begin by saying I was blessed with a life experience, which taught me the meaning of these words. I was born of a mixed parentage, at home, in the late '30s. My younger sister and I were raised in a tiny 3-room house, which had no bathtub or shower, and no hot water heater. We were the only family I knew that had no hot running water. See 'Half Breed' Video.

         

My mother boiled water in a tea kettle and poured it into a galvanized tub in which she bathed us until we were old enough to bathe ourselves. We bathed once a week because it was a real challenge for the four of us to bathe more frequently. She boiled water in a tea kettle and used a wash board to wash our clothes until she acquired a wringer-type washer along with two rinse tubs in the late '40s. Our parents heated the house with a coal-burning stove until the late '40s when we acquired an oil-burning stove. We also used an ice box to keep food cold until the late '40s, early '50s.

   

I slept in the front room of our tiny but tidy 3-room house, my mother and sister slept in the middle room and my father slept in the kitchen. We acquired a black and white TV in the mid-'50s. We always walked to school. Our mother worked full-time at a meat packing plant to which she always walked.

My dad was a barber and served as an air raid warden for our neighborhood during World War II. I remember hearing the air raid sirens and seeing big search lights roaming the night sky during air raid drills. We had to turn off all the lights. I remember just about everything being rationed, sugar; salt; milk; bread; gasoline; etc. And we had to use tokens in order to make purchases. Life was good albeit challenging, just as it is to this day, by God's grace.

   

We lived next door to a store front where an elderly immigrant Syrian couple lived and operated an oriental rug store, and across the street from a carton factory. On the back side of the carton company was the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad that ran coal burning, steam powered, locomotives, which stopped frequently at a watering station just down the railroad tracks.

I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, with my parent's written permission, in my junior year at a Catholic high school from which I graduated before reporting for active duty. See For The People Of Color. --

The Cherokee Language

Custer Died For Your Sin

Life According To Rumble

The History of The Turban

A tribute to all who dared.

 

See To The Greatest Generation...'Before You Go'.

Chardee Kala

Those who shall not learn to obey shall never
be in a position to command. -- Yogi Bhajan

Create dependable children, not dependent children. Give your children
the basic values to face their own tomorrows, not be blinded by yours. Make
them proper personalities, not helpless puppets. Position them for success;
do not paralyze them with the commotion of your emotions. -- Yogi Bhajan

The basic aspect of you as woman is not in your sensuality and in your dramas.
You are not only the givers of life, you are the manufacturers of character. Whatever
character you will give to your children, that shall be their future. -- Yogi Bhajan

Children are born with intrinsic leadership traits that prepare them for life.
These must translate positively into the lives they lead as citizens of the world.
These are: Service, Justice, Courage, Compassion, Decisiveness, Reliability,
Integrity, Initiative, Knowledge, Loyalty, Enthusiasm, Endurance. -- Hari Singh

My Teacher's Teacher (Yogi Bhajan's Teacher) Sant Hazara Singh By SS Shanti Kaur Khalsa © 2005 Aquarian Times Magazine Sant Hazara Singh Sat Nam. Over the past thirty years I listened to Yogi Bhajan speak of his many spiritual guides. However, there is only one man whom he called his teacher, and that was Sant Hazara Singh of Gujaranwala (an area of northern India which is now part of Pakistan). Nothing changed the look on his face more dramatically than when he recalled "Santji." Suddenly his features would soften, his eyes looking to the distant past, the pain of separation like a fresh wound. When he spoke of his own spiritual teacher, you knew it is a profound matter. A while back, I began compiling these stories, not only because they give me a better window on my own teacher, but also because they help me understand that I am indeed part of an eternal Golden Chain. In a real way, Sant Hazara Singh is my teacher too. It all began for the Siri Singh Sahib , aka Yogi Bhajan, at a very young age, when he was still known as Harbhajan Singh. He recalled: I was born into a very rich family. I played with diamonds for marbles and I had great authority. I was the elder son of the ruling dynasty, like the Prince of Wales, and I had every opportunity to act like a total idiot. There were thousands of servants to whom my word was the law, and I could have whatever I wanted, like a rich, spoiled kid. But I was lucky. I had a very saintly grandfather, and a saintly family tradition and disposition. I met a lot of holy men who would come to our house, and I chose a very saintly teacher. His approval of me was considered the joy of the family. His mark on me is so deep, I love him even now. Do you know that I still do not recognize the face of my grandfather or my teacher? I never, ever, looked at their face, but I can accurately draw their feet. That's the consciousness of it. -- Yogi Bhajan Harbhajan was just eight years old when he met Sant Hazara Singh, a great mystic and yogi of his time. He was also a renowned horseman and a perfect master of Gatka, the ancient Sikh martial art. Harbhajan was deeply attracted to Sant Hazara Singh, who had a manly mastery over all aspects of life, and he asked his parents if he could learn from him. His grandfather, Bhai Fateh Singh, made the proposal and it was with great happiness that the family was told that Santji agreed to take him as a student. The future Yogi Bhajan packed all his clothes and, with his mother and several of his servants, he went to Sant Hazara Singh's ashram. When Santji saw Harbhajan Singh arrive with the full pomp of aristocracy, he sent him home without even letting him get down from the carriage. He told him to come back alone, with only what he could carry. And when Harbhajan returned, he told him not to come to the main ashram, but to stay at one of the outposts. There he stayed for several years and while there, intently studied Gatka. Sant Hazara Singh was a legendary sword master, and he oversaw the training of all the students. He was a very hard and strict teacher, and there was no room for error. When I was learning Gatka we had an arena in which we practiced this martial art. Upon my teacher's orders I entered the field and thought, 'I'll be given just one or two people to spar with.' It was very unusual because I was not given a shield; I was only given one sword. To my astonishment, six people came out to face me armed with long spears, which are the most difficult to fight against. 'Wait a minute!' l cried, 'This is not fair!' When my teacher heard this, he sent out two more, so I faced eight boys. They began to circle around me. My teacher gave me instructions. He said, 'In any fight, there are always three choices. You can bow out and walk away. You can fight with fairness and reserve, or you can fight fiercely unto victory. If you fight with reserve, then your opponents cannot be aggressive. They will only fight on the signs and signals. That's the way it is. I said to myself, 'Well, I didn't ask for this! I was very innocent and totally unaware that I would face these boys, today. But now that I am here, I won't disappoint them.' In my heart, I pleaded to the Guru. I said, 'You know how rotten I am, but dear God, you've got to stand with me now, otherwise I won't be able to bear it!' Believe me or not, in half an hour I had the heads of eight spears lying on the ground, but I didn't touch their hands. They understood, and they knew their hands could be cut off if I let loose. In the evening when we were sitting together, they said, 'Well Bhajan, why didn't you cut our hands?' I said, 'It was the Guru who was fighting, not me. There was no vengeance in my heart even though you were attacking me left and right.' And we laughed, we ate, and we rejoiced. -- Yogi Bhajan When young Harbhajan Singh went to live and study directly with Sant Hazara Singh, his life and his personality went through dramatic changes. Long hours were spent in the study of Kundalini Yoga, practicing postures and kriyas until the students not only perfected them, but truly understood them. My teacher was so hard, I wouldn't wish him on my enemy! (See Saturn Teacher.) But the beautiful thing was that since he was so hard, the impossible became possible under his command. One day he had us sit with our hands out straight. We came to understand that this forces the spine to adjust to its originality. Then the sushmana (central nadi or nerve channel along the spine) flows into the brain. We did this for two and a half hours without lowering our arms -- and afterwards it took us five hours just to move our hands again. -- Yogi Bhajan Sant Hazara Singh was very strict, and he demanded total obedience. This discipline was key to the strength he cultivated in his students. When Harbhajan Singh started training, over 250 students were with him, but in the end only 15 finished. Often, if a student slipped up even once, he was dismissed. Once a student failed a critical test and he knew that Santji would send him home. In agony, he threw himself at the teacher's feet, held on as tightly as he could and vowed never to let go. Time passed. For eight hours Sant Hazara Singh merely stood there with the student weeping and clinging to his feet. After a while, the student tired and relaxed his grip. Santji merely turned and calmly walked away. The student was sent home. I went through a very tough teacher! One day he said to me, 'Do you think I am cruel?' I said, 'Yes, I think you are.' And he said, 'Do you know why?' I said, 'Yes, I know why. So that nothing will look cruel to me ever again.' He nodded his head and said, 'You are right!' That was so true. Once my teacher had my hands tied behind my back, and he asked another student to beat me and not to stop. Then he just walked away! The boy hit me, and hit me. I was bruised and bleeding, my turban was knocked off and not an inch of my body was spared. Finally, the boy was tired and sickened by the brutality, and since Santji was not there, he stopped. I jumped up and cried out through split lips 'I won! I won! You stopped going, but I didn't!' One day I was walking into town with my teacher. I didn't get to go into town much, and I was excited! I was dressed up in Western pants and shirt for the occasion, and I thought myself very stylish. When we were nearly there, my teacher pointed to a tree and told me to climb it, which I did. He said 'Sit on that branch until I return and don't come down for any reason!' He hung me in that tree in my Western suit for three days. I didn't know how to pee or poop, eat or sleep, or what to do. For three days I sat there, not knowing what had happened, or what was going to happen. Somehow I survived, and to my great relief I saw his familiar figure walking back down the path. I climbed out of the tree and he said, 'Oh, it's you. Let's go. Let's hurry up. You are walking very slow.' I thought to myself, 'Yeah. You sit in this tree for three days and see how you feel!' But there was nothing I was willing to say. I remember once I went to see my teacher. It was midnight and he said, 'Ah hah! I was hoping you would come.' That made me feel good, and I said, 'Sir, what can I do for you?' He said, 'I need yogurt.' Now, this was a problem. In India there is only homemade yogurt, and at one o'clock in the morning it is never ready. If he had asked me at five or six o'clock, I would have brought him a truckload of it. But people put the culture in the milk at about eight or nine at night, and it is simply not done by 1:00 a.m. So I asked him how much he needed and he said, 'As much as you can bring.' I just sat down for a minute and thought it through. I realized that this man knows that at this time of night, getting homemade yogurt was impossible. But instead of saying no, or making an excuse, I said 'Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir,' and I left. At about 5:30 a.m., I brought him as much as he needed and as much as he could use in his whole house. He didn't say a word, and I didn't say a word. I knew that there had been a test within this task. He had said to go and get it, but he never said to come back right away. This is what teachers do. They test your intelligence, your ability, and create your sharpness. Dull things never penetrate and dull people don't truly live. A teacher will make you sharp. -- Yogi Bhajan After years of study, there came a day when the student--very suddenly--became the Master: When I was sixteen and one half years old my teacher called me into his room and told me, 'Bhajan, you are perfect.' I said, 'No, Sir. Only God is perfect. God does everything.' After two hours of discussion, he said, 'I feel like bowing to you.' I said, 'No, Sir, I bow to you every day. If you were to bow to me one day, you would be teaching me how to bow properly, that's all.' When he couldn't crack me, he laughed and asked, `Don't you have any feelings at all?' I replied, 'I have this feeling: It is the feeling that you have taught me very well. You have given me the experience. Now I understand.' He said, All right. Explain your experience to me!' 'Sir, the experience is like when one is blind all his life, and then one fine day he is given eyes and he sees the beauty of the world. What can he say?' 'Okay,' he asked,' What does he say?' I closed my eyes and said, 'Wha! I have seen the Infinity in experience.' 'Bhajan,' he said, 'aren't you happy?' And I said, 'I am not unhappy. But there is nothing in this to be happy about either, because now the hard work will start.' When I came out of his room, all the other students asked me, 'What did he say?' I told them he said, 'You are a master.' They were amazed and exclaimed, 'You are?' And then everybody accepted it. It didn't take a minute. Nobody tested me. Nobody checked it out. He just said it; I explained it to them; and that was it. That's how it worked. I didn't need to do a thing. -- Yogi Bhajan The last lesson taught to Harbhajan at the hands of Sant Hazara Singh was even more painful than the first. By 1946, all of India had risen up against the occupation of Great Britain. Change was certain, and the partition of India was imminent. One day, all the students were called into the presence of their powerful teacher. Sant Hazara Singh announced that they were now about to enter a period of "living hell," a time of danger and a time of war. He declared, "My time as your teacher has ended, and where I now must go you cannot follow. Your final orders are to leave me, and we shall never see each other face-to-face again." Harbhajan was shocked, but he took this directive as he had been trained to do-with utmost obedience. Sant Hazara Singh went on to spend many difficult and dangerous years as a freedom fighter, moving in secrecy and living in hiding during India's struggle for independence. After partition, he lived a peaceful married life and raised a family in the village of Doraha. Even though Yogiji kept track of where Sant Hazara Singh was, and how he was doing, this devoted and disciplined student strictly obeyed those last orders. The pain of separation was very great. Yogi Bhajan recalled one occasion when he was passing by Santji's village, and sent word through his messenger that he was in the vicinity. Word came back from Santji, "I know he is there. Tell him to proceed on." My teacher brought out of me not the man, not the godly man, not the great man, but a real human being. There's nothing in the world I can pay to him in tributes, in compliments and in thanks. He did the most wonderful job. I used to say I was a nut, but he tightened all my nuts so well that I became the best. That's why today I say that calamity is my breakfast, tragedy is my lunch and treachery is my supper. If you can eat all these three things and digest them, you are the best person. That is what my teacher gave to me. -- Yogi Bhajan ANOTHER STUDENT'S RECOLLECTION In a seperate account, another student of Yogi Bhajan reports: "I also heard Yogiji tell a story saying he arrived at his teacher's house, and the first thing he was going to do was use the bathroom. However, Sant Hazara told him to lay in Guru Pranam. A few hours later, he was told to get up." -- Guru Pranam Pose

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