Santokh (Kaur) Rinpoche
say : Sun Talk Rin po shay
In January of 2009, Joan received a spiritual name from Nirinjan Kaur, (Yogi Bhajan's Chief of Staff), who was personally trained by Yogi Bhajan in his method of determining spiritual names. In January of 2010, Joan's name was legally changed to Santokh Rinpoche.
What is a Spiritual Name?
“—Nam means a noun. Noun is the name of a person, place or thing. So Sat Nam means “Truth is my identity.” That’s my Nam. That’s my name. When one asks for a spiritual name, that name describes the destiny.”
Yogi Bhajan
The Master’s Touch
June 27, 1996
Yogi Bhajan first started giving spiritual names in 1971. Day by day, as those of us who received them from him firmly and proudly pronounced and announced them to the world, we became a part of them, and they became a part of us.
The power of sound vibration (Naad Yoga), or what Yogi Bhajan called the “sound current” vibrated and echoed in our ears. This sound current together with the meaning of our name, reinforced our spiritual base, and helped us to live in more meaningful and conscious ways. Our spiritual name became a tool, which daily touched our hearts, impactfully scripted our words and delicately influenced our actions, transforming us and releasing us from the insecurities of the past." -- Nirinjan Kaur (Yogi Bhajan's Chief of Staff)
A spiritual name reinforces and accelerates your progress to your highest destiny. It challenges you to live in highest consciousness and awareness and blesses you to continually relate to your divine self. Yogi Bhajan used to say, “We are not human beings looking for spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Your sacred name is one of your first steps in leaving past patterns behind, taking a new direction, and embracing your spiritual identity.
During his lifetime, Yogi Bhajan gave thousands of spiritual names to those students who requested them. “What we do is, we consider what your past is, calculating your destiny, and give you a target name, a spiritual name. That is the journey you have to travel. It sets the standard, the base.” (Yogi Bhajan, Master’s Touch, April 24, 1997) It was his gift to his students. For many years, Yogi Bhajan trained his Chief of Staff, Nirinjan Kaur, in his technology of giving spiritual names. Nirinjan Kaur has given Joan the spiritual name of Santokh (Kaur) Rinpoche with the blessing and technology of Yogi Bhajan. 