Spirituality & Religious StudiesSikhism
Sikhism is an Indian religion & philosophy that started in the Punjab Region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century. It’s 1 of the most recently founded major religions & is followed by 25-30 million followers, known as Sikhs. The Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, India is the holiest site in Sikhism.
Sikhism developed from the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak (1469-1539), the faith’s 1st guru, & the 9 Sikh gurus who succeeded him. The 10th guru, Guru Granth Sahib (which is the central religious scripture in Sikhism), was his successor. This brought the line of human gurus to a close. Sikhs regard the Guru Granth Sahib as the 11th & eternally living guru.
The core beliefs & practices of Sikhism, articulated in the Guru Granth Sahib & other Sikh scriptures, include faith & meditation in the name of the 1 creator (Ik Onkar), the divine unity & equality of all humankind, engaging in selfless service of to others (seva), striving for justice for the benefit & prosperity of all (sarbat da bhala), & honest conduct & livelihood.
Following this standard, Sikhism rejects claims that any particular religious tradition has a monopoly on absolute truth. Because of this, Sikhs don’t actively proselytise, although victory converts are generally accepted.
Sikhism emphasizes meditation & remembrance as a means to feel God’s presence (simran), which can be expressed musically through kirtan, or internally through naam japna (“meditation on God’s name).
Baptised Sikhs are obliged to wear the 5 K’s, which are 5 articles of faith which physically distinguish Sikhs from non-Sikh. The 5 K’s are: kesh, uncut hair & beards (Thus wearing a turban.); kangka, a comb for the kesh, usually made of wood; kara, a bracelet, usually made of iron or steel; kachhera, an undergarment; & kirpan, a small curved sword or knife made of iron or steel.
The region developed & evolved in time of religious persecution, gaining converts from both Hinduism & Islam.
The Mughal emperors of India tortured & executed 2 of the Sikh gurus, Guru Arjan (1563-1605) & Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621-1675), after they refused to convert to Islam. The persecution of the Sikhs triggered the founding of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 as an order to protect the freedom of conscience & religion, with members expressing the qualities of a sant-sipahi (“saint-soldier”).
The majority of Sikh scriptures were originally written in the alphabet of Gurmukhi. A script that was standardized by Guru Angad (he’s the 2nd of the 10 gurus of Sikhism) out of Landa scripts, historically used in present-day Pakistan & North India, specifically in the Punjabi region.
Sikh followers of Sikhism are known as Sikhs (pronounced Sicks or Six or Seeks), meaning “students” or “disciples” of the guru.
The definition of a Sikh (according to their code of conduct called the Rehat Maryada) is ANY human being who faithfully believes in the following:
- 1 Immortal Being
- 10 Gurus, from Guru Nanak Sahib to Guru Gobind Singh Sahib
- The Guru Granth Sahib
- The utterances & teachings of the 10 Gurus &
- The baptism bequeathed by the 10 Gurus.
- And those who don’t owe allegiance to any other religion.
The basis of Sikhism lies in the teachings of Guru Nanak & his successors. Sikhs emphasize the balance between spiritual development & everyday moral conduct.
The founder summarized this by saying, “Truth is the highest virtue, but higher still is truthful living.” Sikhism emphasizes Ek nur te sab jag upjia, “From the one light, the entire universe welled up.”
Sikhism is a monotheistic & panentheistic religion. A panentheistic religion is the belief that the divine intersects every part of the universe & also extends beyond space & time.
Sikhs believe that one 1 God exists & that God is simultaneously within everything & is all-encompassing. The oneness of God is reflected by the phrase Ik Oakar.
In Sikhism, God is named Waheguru (“wonderous teacher”). The Waheguru is considered to be “Nirankar” (shapeless), Akal (“timeless”), Karta Purakh (“the creator being”), Akaal Purkh (“beyond time & death”), & Agam A gochar (“incomprehensible & invisible”).
In a literal sense, God is genderless in Sikhism. Metaphorically, however, God is presented as masculine & God’s power as feminine. For example, Guru Gobind Singh refers to God as his dad & God’s creative power as his mom.
Another example is that the Guru Granth Sahib, the main Sikh Scripture, says that all humans are the soul-brides who long to unite with their husband Lord. Also the gurus wrote in the Guru Granth Sahib that there are many worlds on which the transcendental God has created life.
Maya, explained as a temporary illusion, or “unreality,” is 1 of the core deviations from the pursuit of God & salvation: where worldly attractions give only illusory, temporary satisfaction & pain that distracts from the process of the devotion of God.
In Sikhism, the influences of ego, anger, greed, attachment, & lust, known as the panj chor (“Five Thieves”), are believed to be particularly distracting & hurtful. Sikhs believe the world is currently in a state of Kali Yuga (“age of darkness”) because the world is led astray by the love of & attachment to maya. The fate of people vulnerable to the 5 Thieves is separation from God, & the situation may be remedied only after intensive & relentless devotion.
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