Honoring the life and contributions of Yogi Bhajan, a leader of Sikhs, and expressing condolences to the Sikh community on his passing.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dear friend of mine and a man who was an incredible voice for peace--Yogi Bhajan. H. Con. Res. 34 recognizes Yogi Bhajan, the late chief religious and

administrative authority for Sikhism in the West, as a wise teacher and mentor, an outstanding pioneer, a champion of peace and compassion, and extends condolences to his family and to the Sikh community on his passing.

A native of India, Yogi Bhajan introduced thousands around the world to Sikhism, a religion that carries the message of truthful living and the fundamental unity of humanity, and reaches out to people of all backgrounds to work together for world peace. When he came to the United States in 1968, Yogi Bhajan recognized immediately that the experience sought by many young people through drugs could be alternatively achieved through Kundalini yoga, which stimulates individual growth through breath, chanting, and meditation among other components. Soon after, he founded the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO), a nonprofit private educational and scientific foundation with 300 centers in 35 countries, dedicated to improving physical well-being, deepening spiritual awareness, and offering guidance on matters of health and heart. He later also founded a successful drug rehabilitation program that blends ancient yogic wisdom of the East with modem technology of the West.

In 1971, the president of the governing body of Sikh Temples in India gave Yogi Bhajan the title of chief religious and administrative authority for Sikhism in the Western Hemisphere. That same year, the Sikh Dharma was legally incorporated and recognized as a religion in the U.S. and soon after, Yogi Bhajan founded the Sikh Dharma community in Espanola, New Mexico. This community in my district is home to at least 300 Sikh families.

Yogi Bhajan wrote 30 books and inspired 200 more through his teaching, and inspired the founding of several businesses including Akal Security Inc., one of the fastest-growing security companies in the nation. Throughout his lifetime, he traveled the world and met with world leaders such as Pope John Paul II and the Dalai Lama to discuss world peace and religious unity. He also served as informal counsel to numerous political and spiritual leaders. As the resolution states, Yogi Bhajan's teachings and the businesses formed under his inspiration, improved personal, political, spiritual and professional relations between citizens of the United States and citizens of the nation of India.

After the terrorist attacks on U.S. soil on September 11th, Yogi Bhajan reached out to Sikhs across America, encouraging and helping them to educate their fellow citizens about Sikhs, and to work with law enforcement and community leaders to help them protect Sikh populations. He established links to human rights advocates nationwide to ensure that the issue of Sikh identity was understood and respected. When a Sikh man named Balbir Singh Sodhi was murdered in Arizona five days after 9/11, Yogi Bhajan worked with community and government leaders in Arizona to help raise awareness about the Sikh community there, and to honor Balbir Singh with a major memorial event.

Yogi Bhajan passed away on October 6, 2004 at age 75 in Espanola, New Mexico. I had the privilege of Yogi Bhajan's friendship and support for more than 20 years. He was a dynamic, powerful person with a strong devotion to human rights, religious freedom, and good health. Whatever your faith, Yogi Bhajan had the right words, the right lesson, the right message. He spoke to us all and he inspired us. Around the world he was a powerful voice for peace. I am pleased that he will be honored by Congress today. Before he passed away, Yogi Bhajan requested that his passing be a time of celebration of his going home. It is my hope that through passing this legislation, we are helping to fulfill that wish.

I would like to thank Representatives Joe Wilson, Joe Crowley, and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for their strong support of this resolution, as well as Ranking Member Lantos and Chairman Hyde of the House International Relations Committee, who were also early supporters of the bill. I also thank Senators Jeff Bingaman, Pete Domenici, and John Cornyn who are sponsoring the Senate companion. Lastly, I thank members of the Sikh community in my district for their work in carrying on the memory of Yogi Bhajan.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support House passage of H. Con. Res. 34, honoring the life and contributions of Yogi Bhajan, a leader of Sikhs in the Western Hemisphere who passed away October 6 of last year. Yogi Bhajan was a world leader in peace and helped hundreds of thousands around the world during his ministry.

Born in India in 1929 as Harbhajan Singh Puri, Yogi Bhajan became a master of kundalini yoga by age 16, but he showed his real strength in 1947 when he lead on foot 7,000 people from his village in what is now Pakistan, over the partition and to safety as a refugee in present day India.

After a successful career in the Indian government with Customs and the IRS, Yogi Bhajan developed his commitment for his faith, Sikh Dharma, washing for four straight years each night the floor of their holiest temple, the Golden Temple.

In 1968 when Yogi Bhajan migrated to Canada and then in 1969 to the United States, he recognized the disenchantment and spiritual yearning that was felt by Western youth during the tumult of the 1960's and began to teach them the technology of Kundalini Yoga and meditation. That same year he incorporated the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO), whose Superhealth Drug Rehabilitation centers soon garnered top awards and results from the Joint Accreditation Body for Healthcare Organizations.

Through his personal efforts, Sikh Dharma was legally incorporated and officially recognized as a religion in the U.S. in 1971. In 1971, in acknowledgement of his extraordinary impact of spreading the universal message of Sikhism, the president of the SGPC (governing body of Sikh Temples in India), Sant Charan Singh called him the Siri Singh Sahib, Chief Religious and Administrative Authority for the Western Hemisphere, and he was given the responsibility to create a Sikh Ministry in the West by the Akal Takhat, the Sikh seat of religious authority in Amritsar, India. He was honored with the title Bhai Sahib by the Akal Takhat in 1974. When he became a United States Citizen in 1976, Yogi Bhajan changed his name legally to Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji.

Under his guidance as Director of Spiritual Education, 3HO mushroomed worldwide, to 300 centers in 35 countries. In 1994 3HO became a member of the United Nations as an NGO (Non-Governmental-Organization) in Consultative Status (Roster) with the Economic and Social Council, representing women's issues, promoting human rights and providing education in alternative systems of medicine.

Loyal friend and mentor of Senators, Congressmen, and Governors regardless of political affiliation, he promoted spiritual awareness in all arenas. An ardent advocate of world peace and religious unity, the Siri Singh Sahib met with world leaders of all faiths to encourage dialogue, including Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, the Dalai Lama, and two Archbishops of Canterbury. He became Co-President of the World Fellowship of Religions in 1974.

He became a trusted management consultant for 14 corporations worldwide, representing industries as diverse as health food manufacturing (KIlT-Golden Temple Foods), computer systems (Sun and Son), and security services (Akal Security). He conducted business seminars and authored several books to guide the aspiring entrepreneur as well as the seasoned executive.

He is survived by his wife, children, five grandchildren and all those in his 3HO and Sikh Dharma families.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (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.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to recognize the fine work of the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) for placing this resolution before us.

On October 6, 2004, Yogi Bhajan passed from this world. He had requested that his passing be a time of celebration. Thus I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 34 in order to celebrate the life of this extraordinary man.

At the age of 18 during a time of turmoil, he led his village of 7,000 people over 325 miles on foot to the safety of New Delhi, India. He served the Government of India faithfully through both civilian and military service.

When he came to the United States, he founded a nonprofit private educational, 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.

In 1971, the President of the Governing Body of Sikh Temples in India named him the chief religious and administrative authority for Sikhism in the Western Hemisphere, and he was given the responsibility for creating a Sikh ministry in the West.

In June of 1985, he established the first International Peace Prayer Day Celebration which draws thousands of participants annually.

Mr. Speaker, it is appropriate that Congress join in the celebration of his passing and recognize his legendary compassion, wisdom, kindness, and courage and extend its condolences to his wife and family.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to echo a sentiment put forward by the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer). In my district, the 11th Congressional District of Michigan, we have a substantial Sikh presence; and in the wake of September 11, I was asked by their temple to come before them and to reassure them that their fellow Americans understood Sikhism and would never stand for any type of oppression or prejudice or acts of hate being perpetrated against them.

I think in passing this resolution, we add one more accord on our part to Sikhism and its adherents and I am honored to be a part of this, as I am honored to have the friendship of the Sikh community and people like Chain Sandhu back home in my district.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, as the whole House of Representatives rises also, to honor the exemplary life of Harbhajan Singh Khalsa Yogiji. He died on October 7th 2004, just several weeks after his 75th birthday. Though he gained notoriety as a great yoga teacher, throughout his life he wore many hats; that of a successful business man, an author and a diplomat who bridged the boundaries of culture and religion.

The man we know as Yogi Bhajan was born Harghajan Singh Puri on August 26th, 1929 in a part of India that later became Pakistan. He spent his youth attending Catholic convent school and studying yoga from the age of eight years old. At just sixteen his teacher, Sant Sazara Singh, proclaimed him to be a Master of Kundalini Yoga. The rest of his life was punctuated by selfless leadership and teaching to people from all walks of life.

After working in the Indian government for some time, in 1968, Yogi Bhajan left India for Canada to focus on teaching yoga. This began his ascent to popularity throughout the world. After recognizing that the spiritual seekers of that day, called ``hippies'', were trying to find a higher consciousness via drugs, Yogi Bhajan realized that this could be found rather by practicing Kundalini Yoga. He began teaching the ``3HO'' way of life, meaning a healthy, happy and holy life. Soon he was in high demand. Eventually he founded the non-profit 3HO Foundation, which services humanity through Kundalini Yoga, the Science of Humanology, mediation, and a deepening of spiritual awareness. There are now 300 centers in 35 countries.

Yogi Bhajan continually merged the principles of his belief with business throughout his time on earth. He founded 3HO Superhealth, which has become a highly successful drugless drug rehabilitation program. He furthermore wrote books, conducted workshops, and made his teachings available to large numbers of people via videotapes. He was a tireless advocate of world peace and encouraged dialogue among world leaders, including the Dalai Lama, Pope John Paul II, Pope Paul VI and two Archbishops of Canterbury.

One of Yogi Bhajan's greatest accomplishments stemming from his efforts was the official recognition of Sikhism as a religion in the USA. Because of this, he was given the task of creating a Sikh Ministry in the West. I know that the Sikh community in my district has the utmost respect and gratitude for his labors on this behalf.

Mr. Speaker, Yogi Bhajan was a person who ``walked the walk''. He used the beliefs and principles he believed in sincerely and authentically to better the world, enhance his community and enlighten his fellow human being. I am proud to honor him today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the loss of Yogi Bhajan, a leader and inspiration to more than 23 million Sikhs around the world. Born in 1929, Yogi Bhajan led his village of 7,000 people 325 miles to safety on foot when violence erupted between Pakistan and India in 1947. The 3HO organization he founded in 1969 has strengthened the spiritual and interpersonal ties of more than 300 communities in 35 countries.

The Sikh faith was founded in India in the 15th century. Today, there are more than 175,000 Sikhs living in the United States and as many as 75,000 in the New York City metropolitan area.

Like their founder Guru Nanak, Sikhs practice tolerance and equality for all humans. Unfortunately, Sikhs here in the United States find themselves the objects of just the type of discrimination and that Yogi Bhajan worked to combat. In the last 3 years, the Sikh's have been the victims of at least 62 hate crimes, 27 cases of racial profiling, and 22 incidents of employment discrimination. In a particularly public incident from my home town, a Sikh subway motorman in New York City lost his job when the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) said he could not wear his religious headgear to work.

Today, in the spirit of our commemoration of Yogi Bhajan's enormous contributions, Congress should pass the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, which would require an employer to accommodate a worker's faith unless it imposes significant difficulty or expense on the employer.

The Workplace Religious Freedom Act has the support of an incredibly diverse coalition of organizations including the National Sikh Center, Agudath Israel, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the National Council of Churches, the National Council of Muslim Women, and the Southern Baptist Convention.

If the Workplace Religious Freedom Act were passed, a Sikh would be able to wear a turban at work unless it posed a serious health or safety concern. And a Jew or Seventh Day Adventist could arrange not to work on Saturday, in exchange for working overtime earlier in the week.

We should take this opportunity to honor Yogi Bhajan by doing right by the community that survives him. Let's make sure the Sikh community in America lives in an America devoted to the spirit of tolerance and equality that Yogi Bhajan came to symbolize.