More Sikhi
Sikhism comes from the word Sikh which means a disciple. A Sikh is a person who believes in One God and the teachings of the Ten Gurus, enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Sikh holy scripture.
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Ik Onkaar - There Is Only One God |
Sikhism is a practical religion - a faith of hope and optimism. It's ideals form a large part of the more progressive elements in humanity today. It shows mankind how to lead a worthy and useful life in the world, which elevates it into the status of Universal World Faith. Sikhs believe in that there is Only One God (Ik Onkaar) for all of humanity/Universe with no form.
Sikhs practice Simran (meditation), Seva (service) and Sangat (congregation) and lead a happy, healthy, holy, honest and humble life, leading ultimately to the spiritual union of their Atma (soul) and Parmatma (God).
Sikhism teaches respect for individuals and love for one's neighbors. It tells how to be useful in society, to care for the interests and concerns of others and cherish the values taught by the Gurus. Social commitment and goodwill among Sikhs have inspired them to finance and undertake projects of social benefit because of their belief that human beings all over the world form just one family, the family of the human race, namely Manas-ki-jaat. This concept is reflected in Ardas, the Sikh daily prayer, which ends with this line:
'Nanak Nam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat Ka Bhalla'
O Almighty God, kindly shower your blessings on the entire humanity.
Currently, there are about 23 million Sikhs in the world, making it the 5th largest world religion. Approximately 19 million Sikhs live in India with the majority living in Punjab. Large populations of Sikhs can be found in the United Kingdom, Canada, and USA. By percentage there are more Sikhs in Canada (4%) than India (2%).
Sikhism In-depth Summary |
Sikhism shares beliefs with Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (e.g. monotheism – belief in ONE GOD) and Hinduism (e.g. Bhakti – Spirituality by Devotion). Its followers believe it to have been authenticated by a new divine revelation as validated by their sacred holy book (Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji), which was written directly by the Prophets that is unparalleled in history of religions. Guru Nanak (1469-1538), the founder of Sikhism, was born in the village of Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore in present-day Pakistan. His parents were of Hindu background and he belonged to the mercantile caste. Even as a boy, Nanak was fascinated by religion, and his desire to explore the mysteries of life eventually led him to leave home. He took 4 udasi (spiritual journeys) that took spanned 32 years and covered ground from Bagdad (current Iraq) to west and south India covering over 10,000 miles. Hindu saints did similar travels but confined themselves to only India. It was during this period that Nanak met Kabir (1441-1518), a saint revered by both Hindus and Muslims. After several years of wandering, Nanak had a call to teach. He preached before Jain and Hindu temples and Muslim mosques and, in the process, attracted a number of sikhs or disciples. Religion, he thought, was a bond to unite men, but in practice he found that it set men against one another. He particularly regretted the antagonism between Hindus and Muslims. He wanted to go beyond what was being practiced by either religion and hence a well-known saying of Nanak is, "There is no Hindu and no Muslim." Nanak was opposed to the caste system. His followers referred to him as the guru (teacher). Before his death he designated a new Guru to be his successor and to lead his community. The tenth and the last Guru, Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708 A.D.) initiated the Sikh Baptism ceremony in 1699 AD ; and thus gave a distinctive identity to the Sikhs. The five baptized Sikhs were named Panj Pyare (Five Beloved Ones), who in turn baptized the Guru at his request. This is a uniquely empowering and democratizing phenomenon not seen in any of the other major religions, i.e. a leader acknowledging the primacy of the Sikh community, the Khalsa. Shortly before passing away the Guru ordered that Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Scripture would be the ultimate spiritual authority for the Sikhs and temporal authority would vest in the Khalsa Panth - The Sikh Commonwealth. The Sikh Holy Scripture was compiled and edited by the Fifth Guru, Guru Arjun in 1604 A.D. This is the only scripture in the world which has been compiled by the founders of a faith during their own life time. The Sikh Holy Scripture is written in Punjabi with parts in Bhojpuri, Urdu and other dialects to put emphasis on the message not the vehicle thus eliminating a point of contention. Nanak's doctrinal position is fairly simple, despite the appearance that it is a blend of insights originating from two very different faiths. Sikhism's coherence is attributable to its single central concept - the sovereignty of the One God, the Creator. Nanak called his god the "True Name " because he wanted to avoid any limiting term for God. He taught that the true Name, although manifest in manifold ways (like the many rays of the Sun) and in manifold places and known by manifold names, is eternally One (Sun), the Sovereign and omnipotent God, at once transcendent and immanent, creator and destroyer. To argue which components of his beliefs are Hindu, which are muslim, is arguing like fools on which one religion in the world owns the intellectual right to profess the sole ownership of universal thoughts, ideas and movements such as kindness, giving, honesty, remembering the name of god, and respecting others. Nanak also subscribed to the belief in maya (illusion). Even though he regarded material objects as realities and as expressions of the creator's eternal truth, they tend to erect "a wall of falsehood" around those who live totally in the mundane world of material desires. This prevents them from seeing the truly real God who created matter as a veil around God, so that only spiritual minds, free of desire, can penetrate it. The world is immediately real in the sense that it is made manifest to the senses by maya, but is ultimately unreal in the sense that God alone is ultimately real. Retaining the Hindu doctrine of the transmigration of souls, together with its corollary, the law of karma, Nanak warned his followers not to prolong their round of reincarnation by living apart from God - that is, by choosing, through egoism and sensuous delights, to live in a worldly manner, abandoning God. To do this is to accumulate karma. One should do nothing but think of God and endlessly repeat God's name (Nam Jaapna) and so have union with God. Salvation, he said, does not mean entering paradise after a last judgment, but a union and absorption into God, the true name. Political pressure from surrounding Muslim nations forced the Sikhs to defend themselves and by the mid-nineteenth century, the Punjab area straddling modern-day India and Pakistan was ruled by them. The Sikh khalsa (army) was a match even for the invading British army. Today, Sikhs can be found all over India and also elsewhere in the world. The observant men can be identified by their practice of always wearing a turban to cover their long hair. The turban is quite different from the ones worn by the Muslim clergy. (in some countries, laws requiring motorcyclists to wear crash helmets had to be modified to accommodate them) and their almost universal use of the surname Singh1 (meaning lion). Of course, not all people named Singh are necessarily Sikhs! Sikh men are also supposed to have the following items on them at all times: a comb, short breeches, a steel arm bracelet and a sword or dagger. In modern society, of course, one cannot really carry a sword or even a large dagger, but even a good penknife or a miniature dagger is sufficient to express the symbolic meaning. By carrying a weapon, the Sikh is reminded of the persecution his religion has experienced and the need to defend the weak against the mighty. The breeches are a symbol of chastity and monogamy. The steel bracelet, the Kara, indicates bondage to God. A corollary being that a Sikh does not bow before anyone except his master i.e God. A Sikh is supposed to never cut his hair, both to indicate a lifelong search for spirituality and acceptance for God's gifts to man. A comb is to keep the hair tidy, a symbol of not just accepting what God has given, but also an injunction to maintain it. Sikh women would generally wear typically North Indian dress. Ideally they should use the surname Kaur (traditionally believed to mean "princess", but actually means "lioness" to match the Singh’s as lions – Lions (and lioness) have been considered majestic through history), rather than the name Singh that is actually meant only for the men, but few countries allow this.
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Sikhs In United States |
Sikhs have been in United States since the late 1800’s in California. Their first Gurdwara (Temple) was established in Stockton, California in 1929. They are critical in the farming and Trucking industries as well are prominent in various types of retail business endeavors (Convenient stores, fast food franchises, etc..) further they span a spectrum of professional professions (Medical, Engineering, Legal, Politics, etc..). However, following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack some Americans turned on Sikhs. They mistook symbols of religious belief, such as turbans and beards, for the garb of those who carried out the terrorist attacks. Some vigilantes in the United States threatened and hurt individuals within the Sikh community. In the months after 9-11, the Sikh community received nearly 300 reported incidents of threats, assaults, violence, and even death. The U.S. senate issued a resolution which condemns bigotry against Sikh-Americans. The texts of Senate Concurrent Resolution 74 and the introductory statement by Senator Richard Durbin from the October 2 Congressional Record are available here: Please see the links section for site with further details. Summary is from following sources:
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All credit given to : https://calsikhfoundation.org/who_we_are.htm