“4 af ‘a S Aé - ™% Metrace Standard, Wednesday, August 26, 1998 ime Sikhs boycotting temple over furniture issue By ALEX HAMILTON A NUMBER of baptized Sikhs are refusing to wor- Ship at Terrace’s Guru Nanak Temple because tables and chairs remain in the temple’s dining hall. Approximately 30 out of _ 120 Sikh families want fur- niture removed, saying it violates the Sikh religion. They are disappointed that the Medeck Avenue temple hasn’t followed the edict from fundamentalist Sikh high priest Ranjit Singh of Anzitsar, India last month. Singh wants temples in B.C. to remove their tables and chairs and everyone to share meals while seated on. the floor. Like most B.C, temples, Sikhs here ignored the order and voted June i4 to keep their furniture in the eating area. An open strip of car- pet, however, was left .on ole side of the hall so people could also eat on the floor if they wanted. But the small area on the floor isn’t good enough, ac- cording to some baptized Sikhs (physical and spiritual defeuders of the faith who live according to the Sikh holy scriptures and who wear the five key Sikh sym- Mohinder Jit Singh Gill bols.) “There’s uot enough room to sit down (on the floor) in Terrace,”’ said Har- preet Singh Gill, a baptized Sikh. “But we don’t want any violence. We'll just pray at home since we woil't be able to go to the temple.’’ Violence erupted over this issue at the Gum Nanak Sikh temple in Surrey and Vancouver’s Ross Street temple earlier this year. Mohiader Jit Singh Gill, a lL ig canary | AssocIATION as DIABETES => | CANADIEHNEL noe, ASSOCIATION OU DIABETE. BLURRY, VERY BLURRY? You could be at risk for diabetes, “You-NeeD To Know. =~ . Le ALL .1-BOO-BANTING — Shadez of Hair is pleased to welcome Diane Caetano to their team of professdinals. Diane has recently completed her training from Advanced School of Hair Design in Victoria. Diane invites you to see her for all your hair care needs. SHADEZ of Hair Salon 109-4716 Lazelle Ave. « Phone: 635-0030 ANADIAN; TIRE We Accept le] ‘CANADIAN TIRE. www.canadiantire.com Or Email us at . www.cantlre.terrace@osg.net SAFEWAY www.safeway.com TERRACE www.terraceautomall.com ron, TER Sess TERRACE DT CHIRVSET TERRACE Sart] TOYOTA terrace.automall@osg.net STANDARD The Terrace Standard slandard@kermode.net FMW Terrace Builders ey Ci center terracebuilders@osg.ne Your website/email address. _ could be here! Contact us at 638-7283 A w A high priest from the temple in Surrey was in Terrace last month speaking with local families about why it was important to remove furni- ture, He said all Sikhs should sit on the Boor while eating in holy temples because sit- ting cross-legged will help people meditate. ‘When cating food in the temple it’s not regular food,’’ said Singh Gill’s translator Jaswinder Khalsa. *Iv’s something sacred, It’s prepared with devotion and love because its prepared through meditation. It is a manifestation of the guru’s blessing. When you sit on the ground in the neutral state (lotus position), you can concentrate to absorb the blessing.’’ He said people who eat while sitting on chairs defeat the whole purpose of eating in the temple and tum ihe meal into a social event. They have forgotten that process — that cating on the floor will help them with in- . ner awareness and peace,” he said. But modeyates, like local temple member Ravinder Ravi Gill, say that is pure nonsense. ‘When you eat, you can’t meditate,’’ Gill said. ‘‘They are two different actions — one’s mental and one’s physical. Meditation can only be done when you’re mentally and physically alert.”’ Gill said that sitting on the floor isn’t a requirement in the holy book, “The gurus said everyone -should be seated equally. They said everyone should sit in the same way because the emphasis was on equali- ty. They never said every- one should sit on the floor.” Gill said when everyone eats while using tables and chairs ( a hundred year-old tradition in BC.) then everybody is equal. But when some use furniture and others sit on the floor, that isn’t following the holy books. ‘What we have in the temple now rejects the doc- trine of equality,'’’ he said, “It’s a rejection of what the gurus said because it creates a two-tiered equality within the same temple.”’ Gill called the order from India to remove the furni- ture ridiculous saying rules put forth by high priests in India don’t apply here. To end the long dispute, Gill said perhaps _ there should be two temples: one where people can .eat with furniture, the other with only floor space. Another solution, he said, is that people can wait until the next election and vote to remove the furniture. Family counselling at no charge. ® i BRITISH COLUMBIA 1-898-223-3366 EPILEPSY SOCIETY Foran /nformation . Box 22, | IMPROVING ‘Terrace, B.C. Mar Credit Cards YOUR ccepte eons ae Mn “Your dontation is HEART tax deductible AND STROKE | CANADAS -{966 ZOUNDANION | 47 KILLER 638-196) Your In Memoriam gift is a lasting tribute. Please send your donation to the address above, along with the name and address and the name and address of the next-of- kin, for an acknowledgement card. Sept. 5, 1998, in Vancouver Listen to CNFR for details Courtesy of Canadian Airlines, Uniglobe _ Courtesy Travel and Coast Hotels. — Civic - Canada’s “1 Automotive Nameplate Purchase Financing , eee 98 Civic Hatchback All models at 4-8%. Now choose the Civic that suits your lifestyle, From the room and commuter comfort of the Sedan, to the sporty looks and spirited handling of the Coupe Exomple: The fun-loving, adaptable Civic Hatchback CX (Model: £3632) ord ex meyers “BUY: FROM OER BL °25,850 G3 i 4.8% on’98 Acc Rated #1 by Car. ations — but, well within reach. Example: with * 150HP VTEC Engine * Automatic © ABS « CFC-Free A/C * Cruise Control and more! Exomple: The roomy, powerful, stunningly luxurious Accord LX Sedan (Model: C6564 WE) 4-Cylinder Sedans PER MGNTH O.AC 4.8% on’98 CR- The TOP-Seller in Goyour own way in sivle With its unique Real Time™ davheel drive plus its fi CR-V will astound you! Example: The exhilarating CR-V LX (Model: RD174W) t of standard equipment, the aM Jorrace GIR IIEIES Saas 4838 HWY 16 W, TERRACE a a er rer IN Loase and finance offers are from Honda Ganada finance Inc,, O.A.C. ‘Based on a 1998 Civic Hatchoack CX (modal EJE32 Bones 295 PER MONTH OAC, Dealer #9662 1-800-665-1990 638-B171 W} ("*Accord LX Sadan, model CG 684WE)(""CA-V LX, modal FID174W) @ $188 "298! PER MONTH OAC. * BUILT WITHOUT COMPROMISE. wuchy | (*"$299) ("°°$298} per month for 48 months raspectively. Total laase obligation of $12,487.96 (**$20,395.57) (**'$18,746.56) includas down payment. documentation fae, registration fee, tira & batlary lavy, 48 Monthly paymenta and retated taxes. Down payment or equivalent trade Is $1,300 (53,436.50) (*°°51,990). Iniliation required of $2,129.12 (°°$4,776,74) (°°°S3,129.72) includes down payment, first monthly paymant, registration fea, securily deposit of $250 (*'$350) ("°$350). Zero down payment plana are also available. 84,000 km allowance (10c/km excaeding 98,000 applies). Taxas, licence and insurance ara additional, Option fo purchase al lease end for $6,300 (""$12,500) (**"$12,900) plus taxes. Dealer may lease for less. See dealer for complete catails. This ia a limited time offer. t 4.8% financing is availabla on all new in-stock 1998 Civic Halchbacks, Sedans, Coupes, Accord 4-Cylindar Sodang and GR-Vs for 24, 36, 48 or 60 month terms, (Doss not include V6 Accords or Accord Goupas). Finance example: $20,000 at 4.8% par annum equals $458.77 par month tor 49 months. C.0.8, is $2,020.96 for a total of $22,020.98, Down payment may be required, This offar ta for a Imited tima, See Dealer for complete detalts.