What is Sikhism?
Sikhism is
the youngest of the World Religions, barely 500 years
old. It was founded by Siri Guru Nanak Dev Ji in 1469
who laid the basic principles of Sikhism. It offered
the people a simple Sikh religion teaching "Oneness
of God", whose name is TRUTH. Nine Gurus followed
him who all reinforced and added to what was taught
by the first Guru. After which in 1708, the holy book
of the Sikhs, The Siri GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI was Proclaimed
to be the only Guru by the last Guru, Siri Guru Gobind
Singh Ji. This holy book embodies the philosophy and
fundamentals of Sikhism. It is the only holy book of
a major religion which was written and authenticated
by its founders.
All the fundamentals of Sikhism emanate from the concept
of love for God which follows the love of man. God is
the Supreme being, Universal and all powerful. For a
Sikh, all human beings are creatures of God and must
be treated equally. One must work hard and share one's
earnings with the less fortunate which had to be earned
by righteous means. One must be always active in mind
and body. (click for more)
Being a Sikh
The
essence of being a Sikh is that one lives one's life
according to the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, devotes
time to meditating on God and the scriptures, and does
things to benefit other people. Sikhs believe that there
is a single, all-powerful God, who created the universe
and everything in it. Sikhism emphasizes social and
gender equality, and stresses the importance of behaving
altruistically.
- Equality:
Everyone is equal in God's eyes; whatever their caste,
creed, or gender.
- God
is accessible without priests: Everyone can be directly
in touch with God. There are no clergy in Sikhism.
- Accept
other faiths: Sikhs do not believe that any religion
has a monopoly on the truth. They do not regard Sikhism
as the only way to God.
- Live
in the world: One should live a responsible life as
part of the community. Withdrawing from the world
or becoming an ascetic are not as worthwhile.
- No
ritual for its own sake: Empty ritual is meaningless
and should be avoided.
- Devotion
can take the form of action as well as prayer: Personal
devotion includes Nam simran (meditation on and awareness
of God) and Sewa (community service).
- A
good world is just and fair to all: Social justice
is to be supported. The use of force as a last resort
is justified to uphold it.
- Death
is not the end: Death is seen as the transition to
a life where the joy of being in the presence of God
can be fully realized.
Sikh and
God
Sikhs
believe that there is only one God.
- God created the universe, and the
universe depends on God's will for its continued existence
- God has always existed and always
will exist
- God needs nothing else in order to
continue to exist
- God has no shape
- God has no gender
- God has never taken and will never
take human form on earth
- The essence of God is truth
- God is without hatred or fear
God
reaches out to humanity through the word, which is conveyed
by the Gurus, or teachers, and which is laid down in
the form of shabads, or hymns, which form the backbone
of Sikh worship.
A True
Sikh
The Sikh code of conduct defines a Sikh like this:
"Any
human being who faithfully believes in:
- One
Immortal Being,
- Ten
Gurus, from Guru Nanak Dev to Guru Gobind Singh,
- The
Guru Granth Sahib,
- The
utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus,
- The
baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru,
and who does not owe allegiance to any
other religion, is a Sikh."
|
