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Duni Chand of Lahore
Living Sikhi - Lesson Twenty Four

by VERONICA SIDHU


 

DUNI CHAND OF LAHORE

 

Lesson Objectives:

1   To understand the request that Guru Nanak  made of Duni Chand.

2   To begin to examine why clinging to material things brings us unhappiness.

 

Teachers, ask the students to say the Sikh greeting with you; then fold hands and do simran with the students.

 

Homework Review:  How important is it to have friends who have good habits? Why?

Read pages 75 - 80. (Reminder:  we are using the series of books, Stories from Sikh History, by Singh and Dhillon, Hemkunt Press. Book I)

 

Duni Chand, like most of us, had many qualities in his character. He was very competitive. This means that he wanted to do better than others. In what way? (Pause for answers.) He was also proud of himself. How did he show it? (Pause for answers.)

Duni Chand was persistent. He invited Guru Nanak to come to his house. He wanted to serve him. He kept after Guru Nanak until he said "yes".

Duni Chand was also honest enough in answering Guru Nanak's questions and he was humble enough to listen to his wife.

Guru Nanak saw all this complexity - all of the many qualities in Duni Chand's personality. He could see that Duni Chand, like Sheikh Sajjan, was doing what he thought would make him happy. But, despite his gathering so much money, Duni Chand was unhappy almost as soon as he put up a flag announcing another 10 million rupees that he had accumulated. Why would Duni become unhappy so soon afterward? (Pause for answers.)

Guru Nanak felt sorry for Duni Chand and for all of us who are caught in the grip of materialism, which is the love of money and things. He had compassion for us because we are wasting our short lives trying to get money, to hold onto money, to buy things with money and then show off those things. This keeps us from experiencing the love of Waheguru and takes us away from our time to do simran and good deeds that will truly help us.

Guru Nanak understood that if we only value material things and/or money, we are always afraid! Why is that? (Pause.)

Right! First of all, we will never have enough and we may be afraid that we may not get what we want. As soon as we get one thing, we will be bored with it before long and want the next latest thing. Have you noticed that in yourself? (Pause for participation.)

Secondly, the more we have, the more we fear it will be taken away or lost or even stolen. We may even find it hard to sleep well.

Thirdly, we may worry that we are not popular unless we have "cool stuff". Not only that, if we think that material things are very important, we may not be friendly with some exceptionally and truly great kids who don't have the latest "stuff" or who don't care much about material things. Then, even if we have "cool stuff", we worry that people who hang out with us only do it because we have these things and not really because they like us.

Guru Nanak's compassion for Duni came from the love that Waheguru has for each of us. He was very gentle with him. He only made a very simple request. Guru Nanak  knew that even if we have made mistakes, making choices that we think will make us happy, there is the life and light of God shining in each of us. When we forget that, we are reminded by our fear and unhappiness that we have made a wrong choice. This is why the idea of the needle that Guru Nanak asked Duni to bring to him after he died was such a great choice.

A needle is sharp. If you pick it up the wrong way or hold it incorrectly, it will hurt you. But it is useful in this life if it is used properly - to sew something. This is the perfect picture of material things. They are useful in this life, but must be used properly and not held so tightly. The more we love material things, the more we will suffer. The more we love God, the more we will be happy. The love of God cannot be bought nor destroyed. It will go with us to the next life.

Shabad: Hum aisay tu aisaa madho

 

Homework -  Review and Test:

OUR GREAT TEACHER, GURU NANAK

Fill in the blanks or give a short answer:

1    Guru Nanak was a gentle teacher. He saw the ________ of God in every person.

2    He had ________________ for all of us who make mistakes, that is why he taught us.

3    What is a Qazi?____________________________.

4   Guru Nanak taught the Qazi and Nawab about true prayer by preaching to them. __Yes or __No?

5   Why didn't he say the prayers out loud with them? Check the right answer:

    a)  He forgot them.

    b)  He didn't like them.

    c)  He knew that their minds were somewhere else, not on their prayers.

6.  The Qazi and Nawab had the ____________of praying, but did not pray with their whole _________ and hearts.

7   When we tune our hearts to God in prayer we are _______________, changing for the better.

8   Why did Guru Nanak eat with Bhai Lalo and not with Malik Bhago? Choose one:

    a)  His food tasted better.

    b)  He worked for his food in an honest way.

    c)  He was more popular.

9   Eating with Bhai Lalo was the beginning of a ____________ ______________that went around the world because it showed everyone the mistake of thinking that some people are born better than others.

10  Guru Nanak taught that all ______ and ___________ are equal.

11  Everyone has the opportunity to merge with God like a drop of _________ in the great ocean.

12  The ___________ System of India had four levels and an additional level that kept many people out entirely.

13  What do you think Guru Nanak would say to people who treated others unequally today?

14  Write the Three Golden Rules taught by Guru Nanak.

15  How did Sheikh Sajjan change from being a thief and a murderer to being a true sevaadar?

16  Shabad energy is not magic, it is true spiritual  _____________.

17 Those who sing with their minds and hearts focused on God are like _______  tuned into the God station.

18 They are called the __________  ____________.

19 Who said "What seeds you plant, that's what you will eat?"____________________

20 This saying illustrates the Law of _____________.

21 The effects of both bad habits and good habits will follow us in this life and the ________ _________.

22 How can we help to change a bad habit? Choose one:

     a) Worry about them.

     b) Choose friends who don't have the bad habit.

     c) Tell yourself it is not important.

23  Why is having good friends with good habits important?

24  What else can help us change for the better?

25  What would make this class/ or these lessons better?

 

 

 

October 22, 2010

 

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Living Sikhi - Lesson Twenty Four"









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