Sikh Beliefs
BELIEFS
Sikhs believe in One God. Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh Holy Scripture) begins with the numeral 1 (Ek) and Oangkar. It is significant that Guru Nanak used a numeral to refer to God, emphasising the unity of God. There is only one God and no other. Guru Nanak says what is One, cannot be yours or mine but is One for everyone. Guru Nanak said:
There is only One Supreme Being, the ever unfolding Creative power; Eternal Truth, Creator Being, without fear, without enmity (rancourless), Timeless, not born, self-existent, realised by the Grace of the Guru. The True One was there at the beginning, was True throughout the ages, is True now, Nanak says, will be True in the future. (SGGS, p. 1)
Guru Nanak’s concept of God is that of a Benevolent and Gracious Being whose primal covenant with humankind is to provide them with a refuge of his abiding love. God in His essence is nothing but pure and good. God is all love. Guru Granth Sahib abounds in positive, moral and ethical attributes of God. God has been extolled as father (pita), Mother (mata), brother (bhrata), friend (mittar), protector and helper (rakhanhar), shelter of the poor (greebniwaj), helper to the helpless (nidharian didhir), as remover of pain and suffering (dukh bhanjan) as generous and forgiving (daata, danee, dyal, bakshind), merciful (raheem), etc. This aspect of God is significant because it assures humankind Divine support and direction. God saves the saints, protects the righteous and redeems the repentant sinners.
Sikh Beliefs
PURPOSE OF LIFE
This life is a gift by God, and it is an opportunity to realize the One ( SGGS p, 12). The highest ideal of human life is to evolve from the lower self to a higher self, to evolve from a self-centered person (manmukh) to a God-centered person (gurmukh). So one has to cultivate all those attributes, which are associated with Him. 'O mind, you have emanated from the light of the Lord, know, your source' ( SGGS p. 441). Such an ideal gives relevance and a sense of direction to the entire moral and spiritual life of human beings.
Salvation is attainable by the Grace of God, in this lifetime. A Sikh's goal is to make oneself worthy of such Grace through effort by becoming a gurmukh. Salvation signifies a spiritual experience, a state of perfect inward tranquility and harmony, equipoise of the soul (sehj). It implies a submission of one's ego to God's cosmic order (Hukam). It leads to eternal bliss and freedom, which is the eternal destiny of the spirit.
Sikh Beliefs
EQUALITY IN BROTHERHOOD
There is no virtue in the caste system. All people are equal before God. Discrimination on the grounds of race or religion is an act of denial of God. The Sikh Gurus helped to unite people in one unique brotherhood having faith in one common God with many names. God may be referred to as Allah, Ram, Gobind, God, Waheguru, etc. depending on one's liking and the community in which one is raised. All those who love Him achieve the goal of human life.
The Creator exists within all Creation, and all human beings have a spark of Divine light. Consequently no race, colour or gender is intrinsically superior to others.
God is the Father of us all; His reflection is in everyone of us, hence do not grade any person as inferior or superior' ( SGGS, p. 1349). 'Know that Divine Light is within all, do not inquire the caste. There is no caste in the next world.'( SGGS, p.349)
Guru Gobind Singh said: ‘recognize all belonging to the one race of humanity’.
The Sikh Gurus were particularly concerned with gender equality. Women were discriminated against. They were considered inferior. Guru Nanak strongly disapproved of this thought. He encouraged them to take an active role in every sphere of life. He said:
'We are born of woman, we are conceived in the womb of woman, we are engaged and married to woman. We make friendship with woman and the lineage continued because of woman. When one woman dies we take another one. We are bound with the world through woman. Why should we talk ill of her, who gives birth to kings? From a woman a woman is born. There is none without her. Only the True Lord is without a woman' ( SGGS, p. 473).
Sikh Beliefs
JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS
When the sixth Sikh Guru put on two swords of miri and piri (spiritual and temporal authority), he was preparing his Sikhs to fight for righteousness. He was crystallizing Guru Nanak's idea that fighting against the wrongs is not against the spirit of any religion but it is an essential ingredient of a practical religion. The Sikh Gurus fought not for narrow selfish ends but for the deliverance of the people from religious and political bondage, for justice and human rights. The ninth Sikh Guru gave his life for the rights of the people for freedom of worship. The Gurus fought to save the people from tyranny of the rulers. Sikhs have imbibed these principles from their Gurus and have ever since faced the challenges. They have always upheld justice, liberty and freedom. This is an essential feature of Sikhism.
Sikh Beliefs
PRACTICES
Guru Nanak envisaged a healthy and harmonious society based on the principles of mutual help, co-operation, tolerance, goodwill, sharing, and collective well-being. He threw open the doors of organised religious life to all without distinction and to men and women from all walks of life. The three cardinal principles of the Guru's teaching are:
Naam Japna: Meditate on Naam. Naam is the essence of God. Naam is the total expression of all that is God. Naam sustains everything. Gurbani (Divine Word) itself is Naam ( SGGS p.1239). Naam is supreme. Salvation cannot be attained without Naam. Everything that is visible is ultimately destroyed except Naam. Naam Japna means remembering God to invoke His presence in one’s consciousness. Doing daily prayers, any form of recitation of Gurbani (Guru’s Word), simple reading with attention and direction, meditation on any hymn or kirtan (singing) of Gurbani is fully deemed as Naam Japna. A Sikh concentrates on God to reflect on God’s virtues. This is to inculcate such virtues into his/ her character and to observe the presence of God in every human being.
Kirt Kamaayee: A person is to earn his/her livelihood by honest means. Those who earn their livelihood with honest labour, even though poor, are better than those who accumulate wealth by exploiting others. Dishonest earnings are declared by the Guru as the ‘blood of the poor’. Guru Nanak said, ‘Taking what is due to others is as sinful as pork is to a Muslim and beef to a Hindu’. ( SGGS p. 141).
Vand Chhakna: Share your earnings. It is a social responsibility to share one’s earnings with the needy. Sharing must not be done with pride. Guru Nanak says: ‘He knows the way, who earns his living and shares his earnings with others’ ( SGGS , p.1245).
Family: The cardinal principles can best bepractised while living truthfully as a householder. The Sikh Gurus believed that asceticism and renunciation of the world is unnecessary. The Sikh Gurus themselves were married and lived as householders. The life of a devout householder is favoured.
Sangat and Pangat: In order to give concrete expression to his ideas of unity, equality and fraternity, Guru Nanak started the twin institutions of sangat and pangat According to these principles the high and low, rich and poor, men and women could sit together, pray together and eat together. Remembrance of God’s name is to be practised not only in the solitude of one’s home but also in sangat.Sangat is the holy congregation. It is aimed at improving the spiritual perception, ethical discipline and social harmony of the congregation. It had the distinctive practical purpose of carrying the society forward towards collective enlightenment. It enables people to imbibe the spirit of universal love, peace, tolerance and brotherhood. In Sri Guru Granth Sahib the creative role of sangat is repeatedly emphasised.
Sangat in the Gurduara
Pangat literally means people sitting together in a row. The purpose is to eat food from the Guru's kitchen (Langgar). In this practice the principles of equality and brotherhood are emphasized. The provision of langgar also fosters a spirit of charity on a large scale and becomes a powerful binding force.
Pangat in the Gurduara (Photo by Philip Hughes)
Sewa and Simran: (Service and meditation) The Sikh Gurus undertook preaching tours and established Gurduaras(places of worship - house of the Guru). They also established new townships. The devotees visited them in large numbers and met there every day and formed into large sangats. Some stayed for long periods of time. They were offered free food and accommodation. The Gurus prompted the Sikhs to promote the welfare of their fellow beings. So they participated in community projects and the preparation and serving of langgar. All this is referred to as sewa. Sewa is simply the performing of service to the community out of love and devotion without the expectation of any reward. They also participated in daily religious services referred to as simran. Simran is the continuous remembrance of God’s Name. Sikhs today follow these principles wherever they are. Simran and service go hand in hand. Physically the person does the service while the mind is in tune with God.