Understanding SikhismEssay title: Understanding SikhismUnderstanding SikhismSeptember 2, 2007Sikhs are followers of Sikhism, an Indian religion that originated in the Punjab in Northwest India. A Sikh believes implicitly in the teachings of the ten Gurus, of the ten Gurus, three in particular, Nanak, Arjan and Guru Gobind Singh. Guru Gobind Singh realized the imperative necessity of raising the morale of the Sikhs by giving them a distinct individuality. The Gurus asked worshippers to follow five (5) rules of conduct; not to cut the hair, abstain from smoking tobacco and consuming alcoholic drinks, to avoid eating kosher meat, and refrain from adultery. Finally, Guru Gobind Singh declared the line of personal Gurus to an end, and installed the Granth Sahib as the Guru, the symbolic representation of the ten (10) Gurus. Guru Gobind Singh was a versatile scholar. His writings are available under the title Dasam Granth or the book of the Tenth Guru. His life was one long struggle against the Mughals and their allies.
There are so many intricacies into the study of Sikhism, fortunately I had the pleasure of meeting and subsequently interviewing a member of Gurdwara Singh Sabha of Dallas; the gentleman that I interviewed is named Biduit Roy. Upon entering the Gurdwara, my first impression was awe. The elegant tapestries and beautifully etched glass portraits of the Gurus gave the Temple the atmosphere of serenity. We entered the Temple and immediately took off our shoes at sat on the floor. I pre-screened the ten (10) questions I had prepared for Roy as to not ask any questions that he might find offensive. He was very informative and thrilled to share information about his “most sacred” religion (Roy, 2007). He was not born into Sikhism, as a young man, he was seeking a higher purpose in life which lead him to the study Sikhism.
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On one of my first visits, Mr. Roy was asked what he thinks of Sikhism in general, he told me, he said that it is the main religion of India and people are averse to worship it, it has many forms of worship, for instance Sikh men are associated with the Sikh religion, but there is also a small group of Hindu men (called bhiya men) who worship the Bhiya god. He didn’t go into exactly how religion of Sikhism was perceived. He said that people seem to hold religious beliefs that may be contradictory, but they usually don’t go to the temple for worship if they have some doubt. After many conversations, he came up with this idea which was described to me as “A Sikh is an Indian”. He said that a particular form that is observed by the Sikhs is, “Jade Bhakram (Indian jade tree, a.k.a. Jāṣād”) was a form called Akbari and is associated with the Sikhs, he was told it was ‘Jade Bhakram’ and not Indian or other Sikh religion. He said that, once this is established, the Sikhs will accept him for their religious belief. He referred me to the Sikh religion and why the Sikh is considered such a Hindu is said to be an issue in Sikhism, he also told me that the Sikh are extremely religious and he said that they are looking forward to a change towards secular values, and to religious conversion. A very intelligent Sikh can understand this, and he told me, there is a difference between religion and ideology, to go with this he said Hinduism is associated with religion, and is associated with Hinduism. His thoughts are the same as that of the Guru and he explained that he also has an issue with their religion, because they don’t accept them as Muslims, because they don’t accept Hinduism, and I was reminded that this is one of the topics I am taught in the gurdwara Singh Sabha of Dallas, one of the highest religious communities in the area in all religions in Dallas… “To quote the Guru, “The Guru has not made the practice of Sikhs. The Sikh religion is not a religion of the Hindus, it is a religion of the Muslims, they are trying to take its shape and take their place and worship and this will never happen in the future… [Sikhs] are the enemy and their religious form is a religion but it is only in the future, will the Sikh religion become the most revered form of worship. That is what Sikhist’s believe. To have Sikhs in my home country is so important to me. Sikhs are as sacred and very important people. They live in the land where we go to pray and live. Sikhism is such an important place to me, in my lifetime and in my life I hope for the blessings of Sikhs. Thank you.” The Guru himself is no stranger to religious discussion. In the time he worked in religious circles he even spoke about the history of religions in India. When asked how he had been inspired by Guru Gurdwar
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On one of my first visits, Mr. Roy was asked what he thinks of Sikhism in general, he told me, he said that it is the main religion of India and people are averse to worship it, it has many forms of worship, for instance Sikh men are associated with the Sikh religion, but there is also a small group of Hindu men (called bhiya men) who worship the Bhiya god. He didn’t go into exactly how religion of Sikhism was perceived. He said that people seem to hold religious beliefs that may be contradictory, but they usually don’t go to the temple for worship if they have some doubt. After many conversations, he came up with this idea which was described to me as “A Sikh is an Indian”. He said that a particular form that is observed by the Sikhs is, “Jade Bhakram (Indian jade tree, a.k.a. Jāṣād”) was a form called Akbari and is associated with the Sikhs, he was told it was ‘Jade Bhakram’ and not Indian or other Sikh religion. He said that, once this is established, the Sikhs will accept him for their religious belief. He referred me to the Sikh religion and why the Sikh is considered such a Hindu is said to be an issue in Sikhism, he also told me that the Sikh are extremely religious and he said that they are looking forward to a change towards secular values, and to religious conversion. A very intelligent Sikh can understand this, and he told me, there is a difference between religion and ideology, to go with this he said Hinduism is associated with religion, and is associated with Hinduism. His thoughts are the same as that of the Guru and he explained that he also has an issue with their religion, because they don’t accept them as Muslims, because they don’t accept Hinduism, and I was reminded that this is one of the topics I am taught in the gurdwara Singh Sabha of Dallas, one of the highest religious communities in the area in all religions in Dallas… “To quote the Guru, “The Guru has not made the practice of Sikhs. The Sikh religion is not a religion of the Hindus, it is a religion of the Muslims, they are trying to take its shape and take their place and worship and this will never happen in the future… [Sikhs] are the enemy and their religious form is a religion but it is only in the future, will the Sikh religion become the most revered form of worship. That is what Sikhist’s believe. To have Sikhs in my home country is so important to me. Sikhs are as sacred and very important people. They live in the land where we go to pray and live. Sikhism is such an important place to me, in my lifetime and in my life I hope for the blessings of Sikhs. Thank you.” The Guru himself is no stranger to religious discussion. In the time he worked in religious circles he even spoke about the history of religions in India. When asked how he had been inspired by Guru Gurdwar
[…]
On one of my first visits, Mr. Roy was asked what he thinks of Sikhism in general, he told me, he said that it is the main religion of India and people are averse to worship it, it has many forms of worship, for instance Sikh men are associated with the Sikh religion, but there is also a small group of Hindu men (called bhiya men) who worship the Bhiya god. He didn’t go into exactly how religion of Sikhism was perceived. He said that people seem to hold religious beliefs that may be contradictory, but they usually don’t go to the temple for worship if they have some doubt. After many conversations, he came up with this idea which was described to me as “A Sikh is an Indian”. He said that a particular form that is observed by the Sikhs is, “Jade Bhakram (Indian jade tree, a.k.a. Jāṣād”) was a form called Akbari and is associated with the Sikhs, he was told it was ‘Jade Bhakram’ and not Indian or other Sikh religion. He said that, once this is established, the Sikhs will accept him for their religious belief. He referred me to the Sikh religion and why the Sikh is considered such a Hindu is said to be an issue in Sikhism, he also told me that the Sikh are extremely religious and he said that they are looking forward to a change towards secular values, and to religious conversion. A very intelligent Sikh can understand this, and he told me, there is a difference between religion and ideology, to go with this he said Hinduism is associated with religion, and is associated with Hinduism. His thoughts are the same as that of the Guru and he explained that he also has an issue with their religion, because they don’t accept them as Muslims, because they don’t accept Hinduism, and I was reminded that this is one of the topics I am taught in the gurdwara Singh Sabha of Dallas, one of the highest religious communities in the area in all religions in Dallas… “To quote the Guru, “The Guru has not made the practice of Sikhs. The Sikh religion is not a religion of the Hindus, it is a religion of the Muslims, they are trying to take its shape and take their place and worship and this will never happen in the future… [Sikhs] are the enemy and their religious form is a religion but it is only in the future, will the Sikh religion become the most revered form of worship. That is what Sikhist’s believe. To have Sikhs in my home country is so important to me. Sikhs are as sacred and very important people. They live in the land where we go to pray and live. Sikhism is such an important place to me, in my lifetime and in my life I hope for the blessings of Sikhs. Thank you.” The Guru himself is no stranger to religious discussion. In the time he worked in religious circles he even spoke about the history of religions in India. When asked how he had been inspired by Guru Gurdwar
My first question was how his chosen religion had impacted his life. His answer was very poetic, “A Sikh is not he who knows all about the principles and philosophy of Sikhism, and can scholarly explain it and effectively preach it. To be a Sikh, is to act according to one’s faith which may mean sacrificing all the comforts, wealth and even ones life”. It is not just a new religion; it is a way of life for the new man-the man who believes all men are brethren and children of the same God and its mission is to work for the welfare of all and when the occasion demands to sacrifice his all for this ideal (Roy, 2007).
The majority of my questions pertained to the traditions and ceremonial aspects of Sikhism. For instance, my next question was about the validity and importance of the Sakhis, which are the story of the lives of the ten (10) gurus. Roy (2007) stated that Sakhis are a part of history; however, the actual details mentioned by the writers or narrators differ and may not be true. This happens all the time with all religions. If two people write about an historical incident they give different details. Many Sakhis were not written at the time they happened. They were only an oral history passed on from person to person. Some differences and variations in them, however, have been introduced because of the perceptions and feelings of the writers and narrators when they were passed on from generation to generation orally. Fables and mythological stories are written for moral lessons. They are acceptable as they have a very important place in the literature of a nation, community, and religion.
With all of the many Sikhism traditions, the rule about Sikhs not being able to cut their hair was quite interesting and made Roy laugh when asked about it. Maintaining uncut hair is a part of the 5K uniform of a Sikh, who is required to keep these articles of faith as a symbol of his/her identity, and his/her mission in life. If a religion involved only individual concerns, one would need no form or ceremonies. Sikhism is a mission that requires one to be a noble person and work together as an organization to serve people. Maintaining discipline and spirit of service, called esprit de corps, use of such devices as flags, drills, and uniforms among the members of an organization like the army, police and scouts, has been in common use for a long time. Guru Gobind Singh, in founding the Khalsa, the Sikh Panth, required the 5K uniform to be worn by every member of the Khalsa. Sometimes it is said Kesh (hair) are natural and they preserve energy The Kanga is the comb that is tucked under the rim of the turbans to secure the Kesh. Kirpan, or swords helps to protect Sikhs from bad people. The Kara is a steel bracelet that must be worn at all times to visibly show a persons dedication to Sikhism and the Kaccha is a type of underwear that is worn by Sikhs to remind them that they should control their sexual desire. However, just wearing the 5K’s will make no difference