[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 34 Introduced in House (IH)]
109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 34
Honoring the life and contributions of Yogi Bhajan, a leader of Sikhs,
and expressing condolences to the Sikh community on his passing.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 26, 2005
Mr. Udall of New Mexico (for himself, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Brown of South
Carolina, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Engel, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Herger, Mr.
Hyde, Mr. Lantos, Mr. McCotter, Mr. McNulty, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Pearce,
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Weiner, Mrs. Wilson of New Mexico, Mr. Wilson of
South Carolina, and Mr. Wexler) submitted the following concurrent
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Honoring the life and contributions of Yogi Bhajan, a leader of Sikhs,
and expressing condolences to the Sikh community on his passing.
Whereas the Sikh faith was founded in the northern section of the Republic of
India in the 15th century by Guru Nanak, who preached tolerance and
equality for all humans;
Whereas the Sikh faith began with a simple message of truthful living and the
fundamental unity of humanity, all created by one creator who manifests
existence through every religion;
Whereas the Sikh faith reaches out to people of all faiths and cultural
backgrounds, encourages individuals to see beyond their differences, and
to work together for world peace and harmony;
Whereas Siri Singh Sahib Bhai Sahib Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji, known as Yogi
Bhajan to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, was born Harbhajan
Singh Puri on August 26, 1929, in India;
Whereas at age eight, Yogi Bhajan began yogic training, and eight years later
was proclaimed by his teacher to be a master of Kundalini Yoga, which
stimulates individual growth through breath, yoga postures, sound,
chanting, and meditation;
Whereas during the turmoil on the partition between Pakistan and India in 1947,
at the age of 18, Yogi Bhajan led his village of 7,000 people 325 miles
on foot to safety in New Delhi, India, from what is now Lahore,
Pakistan;
Whereas Yogi Bhajan, before emigrating to North America in 1968, served the
Government of India faithfully through both civil and military service;
Whereas when Yogi Bhajan visited the United States in 1968, he recognized
immediately that the experience of higher consciousness that many young
people were attempting to find through drugs could be alternatively
achieved through Kundalini Yoga, and in response, he began teaching
Kundalini Yoga publicly, thereby breaking the centuries-old tradition of
secrecy surrounding it;
Whereas in 1969, Yogi Bhajan founded ``Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization
(3HO)'', a nonprofit private educational and scientific foundation
dedicated to serving humanity, improving physical well-being, deepening
spiritual awareness, and offering guidance on nutrition and health,
interpersonal relations, child rearing, and human behavior;
Whereas under the direction and guidance of Yogi Bhajan, 3HO expanded to 300
centers in 35 countries;
Whereas in 1971, the president of the governing body of Sikh Temples in India
gave Yogi Bhajan the title of Siri Singh Sahib, which made him the chief
religious and administrative authority for Sikhism in the Western
Hemisphere, and subsequently the Sikh seat of religious authority gave
him responsibility to create a Sikh ministry in the West;
Whereas in 1971, Sikh Dharma was legally incorporated in the State of California
and recognized as a tax-exempt religious organization by the United
States, and in 1972, Yogi Bhajan founded the ashram Sikh Dharma in
Espanola, New Mexico;
Whereas in 1973, Yogi Bhajan founded ``3HO SuperHealth'', a successful drug
rehabilitation program that blends ancient yogic wisdom of the East with
modern technology of the West;
Whereas in June 1985, Yogi Bhajan established the first ``International Peace
Prayer Day Celebrations'' in New Mexico, which still draws thousands of
participants annually;
Whereas Yogi Bhajan traveled the world calling for world peace and religious
unity at meetings with leaders such as Pope Paul VI; Pope John Paul II;
His Holiness the Dalai Lama; the President of the former Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics, Mikhail Gorbachev; and two Archbishops of
Canterbury;
Whereas Yogi Bhajan wrote 30 books and inspired the publication of 200 other
books through his teachings, founded a drug rehabilitation program, and
inspired the founding of several businesses;
Whereas Sikhs and students across the world testify that Yogi Bhajan exhibited
dignity, divinity, grace, commitment, courage, kindness, compassion,
tolerance, wisdom, and understanding;
Whereas Yogi Bhajan taught that in times of joy and sorrow members of the
community should come together and be at one with each other; and
Whereas before his passing on October 6, 2004, Yogi Bhajan requested that his
passing be a time of celebration of his going home: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That the Congress--
(1) recognizes that the teachings of Yogi Bhajan about
Sikhism and yoga, and the businesses formed under his
inspiration, improved the personal, political, spiritual, and
professional relations between citizens of the United States
and the citizens of India;
(2) recognizes the legendary compassion, wisdom, kindness,
and courage of Yogi Bhajan, and his wealth of accomplishments
on behalf of the Sikh community; and
(3) extends its condolences to Inderjit Kaur, the wife of
Yogi Bhajan, his three children and five grandchildren, and to
Sikh and 3HO communities around the Nation and the world upon
the death on October 6, 2004, of Yogi Bhajan, an individual who
was a wise teacher and mentor, an outstanding pioneer, a
champion of peace, and a compassionate human being.
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