By Bhupinder Singh
A Simran Camp was organized at Gurudwara Sikh National Center from October 23 to 25, 2026. The camp started at 5:00 PM in the evening of Friday and concluded at 10:45 AM on Sunday.
Camp Schedule (In running sequence) – Program was open to all.
10/23/20206 – Evening Prayers, Gurmat Veechar (Talk), Samapati followed by Langar 8 PM.
10/24/20206 – From 5 AM Simran, Morning Prayers, Breakfast, Guided Simran, Break, Gurmat Veechar (Talk), Tea Break, Keertan, Gurmat Veechar (Talk) and Simran, Lunch & Rest, Simran, Evening Prayers, Gurmat Veechar (Talk), Samapati followed by Langar 8 PM.
10/26/20206 – From 5 AM Simran, Morning Prayers, Breakfast, Guided Simran, Break, Gurmat Veechar (Talk), Ardas and conclusion at 10:45 AM.
Besides locals the attendees came from Austin and Dallas. Arrangements for stay were made for visitors from out of town.
Camp Objectives – Connect within, find Peace, and live with purpose.
What is Simran
Simran means remembrance. It is a type of meditation, where the focus is not the breath as with most meditation techniques but on watching our random thoughts. An average human being gets 60,000 to 70,000 thoughts a day. These random and uncontrolled thoughts are cause of human stress, worries, and anxieties. If from multiple thoughts the mind becomes focused on a single thought and eventually it becomes free from random thoughts it will be at peace. Thus, Simran is a practice to achieve a still mind. This state of mind is also called Sahaj and Shun. Simran is a focused mental practice, a way of training the mind to release thought and return to stillness. The technique employed is repetition of the word “Waheguru,” while focusing on and listening to your own voice with reverence. This technique is called “Saas Giraas.” It means exactly that: breath by breath, moment by moment. The goal is not perfection in a single session. It is a practice that should become part of lifestyle and continuities across life.
The wall between us and the Divine is made of thoughts. Simran is the practice that dissolves those thoughts, not by fighting them, not by suppressing them, instead by giving the mind something real and steady to hold on to. The voice of Waheguru. Your own voice, carrying that name, breath by breath.
Topic of Gurmat Veechar (Talk)
The theme topic for the camp was spiritual realms. Guru Nanak Ji has defined the five realms of spiritual journey as – Dharam Khand, Gyan Khand, Saram Khand, Karam Khand, and Sach Khand. We humans all are in the Dharam Khand stage. It is the physical world of five elements of creation, days of a week, dates, seasons, that we inhibit. The objective of human life is to elevate the mind in that stage to reach the stage of Sach Khand where God is. The other Khands are major milestones along the journey.
