The Golden Temple: Sri
Harimandir Sahib, Amritsar
sikhism
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The Golden Temple: Sri Harimandir Sahib, Amritsar
A way of life and philosophy well ahead of its time when it was
founded over
500 years ago, The Sikh religion today has a following of over 20
million
people worldwide. Sikhism preaches a message of devotion and
remembrance of
God at all times, truthful living, equality of mankind, social
justice and
denounces superstitions and blind rituals. Sikhism is open to all
through
the teachings of its 10 Gurus enshrined in the Sikh Holy Book and
Living
Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
The word 'Sikh' in the Punjabi language means 'disciple', Sikhs
are the
disciples of God who follow the writings and teachings of the Ten
Sikh
Gurus. The wisdom of these teachings in Sri Guru Granth Sahib are
practical
and universal in their appeal to all mankind.
Sikh Religious Philosophy
1.There is only one God, he is the Creator, Sustainer and
Destroyer.
2.God cannot take human form.
3.The goal of human life is to break the cycle of birth's and
deaths and
merge with God. This can be accomplished by following the
teachings of the
Guru, meditation on the Holy Name and performance of acts of
service and
charity.
4.The five cardinal vices are; Kam (lust), Krodh (anger), Lobh
(greed), Moh
(worldly attachment) and Ahankar (pride). If one can overcome
these, they
will achieve salvation.
5.Narm Marg; emphasizes daily devotion to the remembrance of God.
6.Rejection of all forms of blind rituals such as fasting,
religious
vegetarianism, pilgrimages, superstions, yoga, as well as any form
of idol
worship.
7.Normal Family life (Grasth) is encouraged, celibacy or
renunciation of the
world is not necessary to achieve salvation. The devotee must live
in the
world yet keep his mind pure. He must be a soldier, a scholar, a
saint.
8.The Sikh Holy Book (Guru Granth Sahib) is the perpetual Guru,
there is no
place in Sikhism for a living Guru today.
9.Sikhism rejects all distinctions of caste, creed, race or sex.
10.The Guru's stressed the full equality of women, rejecting
female
infanticide, sati (wife burning), permitting widow remarriage and
rejects
purdah (women wearing veils).
11.Honest labour and work (Kirat Karna) are the approved way of
living ones
life. It is considered honourable to earn ones daily bread through
honest
work and not by begging or dishonest means.
12.Vand Chhakna, sharing with others is also a social
responsibility. The
individual is expected to help others in need through charity.
13.Seva, community service is also an intergral part of Sikhism.
The free
community kitchen (langar) found at every gurdwara and open to
people of all
religions is one expression of this community service.
14.There is only One God. He is the same God for all people of all
religions.
15.The soul goes through cycles of births and deaths before it
reaches the
human form. The goal of our life is to lead an exemplary existence
so that
one may merge with God. Sikhs should remember God at all times and
practice
living a virtuous and truthful life while maintaining a balance
between
their spiritual obligations and temporal obligations.
16.The true path to achieving salvation and merging with God does
not
require renunciation of the world or celibacy, but living the life
of a
householder, earning a honest living and avoiding worldly
temptations and
sins.
17.Sikhism condemns blind rituals such as fasting, visiting places
of
pilgrimage, superstitions, worship of the dead, idol worship etc.
18.Sikhism preaches that people of different races, religions, or
sex are
all equal in the eyes of God. It teaches the full equality of men
and women.
Women can participate in any religious function or perform any
Sikh ceremony
or lead the congregation in prayer.
History and Practices
The founder of the Sikh religion was Guru Nanak who was born in
1469. He
preached a message of love and understanding and criticized the
blind
rituals of the Hindus and Muslims. Guru Nanak passed on his
enlightened
leadership of this new religion to nine successive Gurus. The
final living
Guru, Guru Gobind Singh died in 1708.
During his lifetime Guru Gobind Singh established the Khalsa order
(meaning
'The Pure'), soldier-saints. The Khalsa uphold the highest Sikh
virtues of
commitment, dedication and a social conscious. The Khalsa are men
and women
who have undergone the Sikh baptism ceremony and who strictly
follow the
Sikh Code of Conduct and Conventions and wear the prescribed
physical
articles of the faith. One of the more noticeable being the uncut
hair
(required to be covered with a turban for men) and the Kirpan
(ceremonial
sword).
Before his death in 1708 Guru Gobind Singh declared that the Sikhs
no longer
needed a living and appointed his spiritual successor as Sri Guru
Granth
Sahib, his physical successor as the Khalsa. Guru Gobind Singh
felt that all
the wisdom needed by Sikhs for spiritual guidance in their daily
lives could
be found in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Eternal Guru of the Sikhs.
Sri Guru
Granth Sahib is unique in the world of religious scriptures
because not only
is it accorded the status of being the spiritual head of the Sikh
religion,
but besides the poetry of the Gurus, it also contains the writings
of saints
of other faiths whose thoughts were consistent with those of the
Sikh Gurus.
Sikhism does not have priests, which were abolished by Guru Gobind
Singh.
The Guru felt that they had become corrupt and full of ego. Sikhs
only have
custodians of the Guru Granth Sahib (granthi), and any Sikh is
free to read
the Guru Granth Sahib in the Gurdwara (a Sikh temple) or in their
home. All
people of all religions are welcome to the Gurdwara. A free
community
kitchen can be found at every Gurdwara which serves meals to all
people of
all faiths. Guru Nanak first started this institution which
outline the
basic Sikh principles of service, humility and equality.
The most significant historical religious center for the Sikhs is
Harmiandir
Sahib (The Golden Temple) at Amritsar in the state of Punjab in
northern
India. It is the inspirational and historical center of Sikhism
but is not a
mandatory place of pilgrimage or worship. All places where Sri
Guru Granth
Sahib are installed are considered equally holy for Sikhs.
The Sikh Gurus
The word "Guru" is a Sanskrit word meaning teacher,
honoured person,
religious person or saint. Sikhism though has a very specific
definition of
the word Guru. It means the descent of divine guidance to mankind
provided
through ten Enlightened Masters. This honour of being called a
Sikh Guru
applies only to the ten Gurus who founded the religion starting
with Guru
Nanak in 1469 and ending with Guru Gobind Singh in 1708;
thereafter it
refers to the Sikh Holy Scriptures the Guru Granth Sahib. The
divine spirit
was passed from one Guru to the next as "The light of a lamp
which lights
another does not abate. Similarly a spiritual leader and his
disciple become
equal, Nanak says the truth."
Sri Guru Granth Sahib
The Guru Granth Sahib (also known as the Adi Granth) is truely
unique among
the world's great scriptures. It is considered the Supreme
Spiritual
Authority and Head of the Sikh religion, rather than any living
person. It
is also the only scripture of it's kind which not only contains
the works of
it's own religious founders but also writings of people from other
faiths.
The living Guru of the Sikhs, the book is held in great reverence
by Sikhs
and treated with the utmost respect. Sikhism rejects idol worship,
so the
Guru Granth Sahib is not worshipped as an idol, but rather
emphasis is
placed on respect of the book for the writings which appear
within. Guru
Granth Sahib is a collection of devotional hymns and poetry which
proclaims
God, lays stress on meditation on the True Guru (God), and lays
down moral
and ethical rules for development of the soul, spiritual salvation
and unity
with God.
The Khalsa
The word "Khalsa" means "pure", Khalsa's are
Sikhs which have undergone the
sacred Amrit Ceremony initiated by the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind
Singh.
The Khalsa order was initially created on Baisakhi Day March 30
1699, with
Guru Gobind Singh baptizing 5 Sikhs and then in turn asking the
five
Khalsa's to baptize him. Following this the Guru personally
baptized
thousands of men and women into the Khalsa order. The Khalsa
baptism
ceremony is undertaken as part of ones own personal spiritual
evolution when
the initiate is ready to fully live up to the high expectations of
Guru
Gobind Singh. All Sikhs are expected to be Khalsa or be working
towards that
objective.
The Khalsa baptism ceremony involves drinking of Amrit (sugar
water stirred
with a dagger) in the presence of 5 Khalsa Sikhs as well as the
Guru Granth
Sahib. The initiate is instructed in the following; (a) You shall
never
remove any hair from any part of thy body, (b) You shall not use
tobacco,
alcohol or any other intoxicants, (c) You shall not eat the meat
of an
animal slaughtered the Muslim way, (d) You shall not commit
adultery. The
initiate is required to wear the physical symbols of a Khalsa at
all times
as well as follow the Khalsa Code of Conduct.
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