Sikhism101.com | UniversalFaith.net

Man's creation could not have been meaningless. It is difficult to affirm what God had in mind when He created man. But one thing is certain that human life offers a great opportunity for development.

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Many religions of the world agree on the need for a spiritual guide. On meeting the True Perfect Guru, the ignorance of superstition is removed and divine knowledge obtained. The Guru sheds light through his message. What is important is not the person but 'The Word'.

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In view of the need of a Guru, one must be on guard against a pseudo of fake Guru. Sikhism lays down certain qualifications and qualities for a Guru.

Guru Raam Daas Ji says:

ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਸਾਗਰੁ ਗੁਣ ਨਾਮ ਕਾ ਮੈ ਤਿਸੁ ਦੇਖਣ ਕਾ ਚਾਉ ॥
"The True Guru is the Ocean of Virtue of Naam, the Name of the Lord. I have such a yearning to see Him!"
(Ang 758)

ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਮੇਰਾ ਸਦਾ ਸਦਾ ਨਾ ਆਵੈ ਨਾ ਜਾਇ ॥

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Prophets and saints have performed miracles. A miracle is an extraordinary event which reason or science cannot explain. Science has not yet advanced so far as to explain everything. According to the scientists, miracles have nothing to do with holiness or piety. Miracles are "not happening against the laws of God, but are the results of superior powers which God bestows on His servants." Men of God are able to do things which are beyond the understanding of the scientists' limited reason.

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The word Sikh means a learner, a student. He is therefore to get his instruction from a teacher who is called a Guru. The personality of the Sikh Guru, is so influential that it completely transforms the disciple and shapes his life to diviner issues. This is achieved not by personal and physical instruction but by the belief that the Sikh incorporates the Guru. The Sikh "fills himself with 'The Guru' and then feels himself linked up to an inexhaustible source of power." e.g.

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Those who offer prayers sincerely, know the efficacy and value of prayer. Other people think that prayer may give consolation and peace to man but cannot affect physical events, because the universe is governed by law. If fire burns today, it will also burn tomorrow, in spite of the prayer. Life is regular and smooth because of these unchanging laws. Though saints and mystics may possess great powers. What we regard as a miracle may really only be the "power of prayer" or the "working of a spiritual law".

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Real prayer is deep and inward; it is a dialogue between man and God. It is being in companionship with the Almighty.

Man's friendship with God should enable him to grow like Him. In the fleeting moments of "vision", man forgets his body and the world he lives in. He unites with his Lord and Benefactor.

Real prayer is pure adoration and dedication. It has no ulterior aim, no worldly things to gain. Prayer based on material desire, defeats its own purpose.

ਮ: ੫ ॥

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A part of the prayer called 'Ardas' was given to the Sikhs by Guru Gobind Singh. The first part invokes God and the blessings of first nine Gurus. The second part recounts the events in the life of the Tenth Guru, the subsequent Sikh history, the struggles faced and the sacrifices made, for the reform of temples and the maintenance of Sikh tradition. The third part pertains to the individual's own thoughts and any special purpose or the occasion for it.

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Death has been interpreted in different ways. According to the general concept, death is the extinction of the body and the sense-organs. According to Sikh Gurus, death is the forgetting of God. Guru Nanak says: "If I remember Him, I live; when I forget Him, I am dead." It is this forgetfulness of God which makes man enter the cycle of birth and death.

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Sikhism affirms the omnipotence of God and consequently modifies the concept of Karma. Man is not a helpless puppet. The course of fate may be compared to the flow of a river, while individual action may look like an eddy, or a whirlpool or a wave.

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The scientific concept of cause and effect, action and reaction is called the law of Karma(in religious parlance). A man reaps what he sows. Is it not typical that in spite of the law of Karma, man expects nectar after sowing poison?

Just as our present life is the result of our past Karma, the present Karma will determine our future life. Karma operates in this life and successive ones. The law of Karma does not cease to operate after death, because death is just a matter of physical disintegration, and has no effect on the soul, which survives.

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If the theory of Karma were carried to its logical extreme, no man would deserve redemption. In Sikhism, the doctrine of Karma is modified by the "Principle of Grace". Man's sincere efforts and noble deeds achieve precious little. What is required is a constant solicitation of His aid in effort of spiritual endeavor. Recitation of Gurbani, meditation, acts of love and charity are merely a means to win His Grace.

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According to Sikhism, Bhagti (also spelt Bhakti) is a way of life, a dynamic manifestation of faith, a kindling of the mind and awakening of the heart.

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In Sikhi "Saint" or "Sant" (in Panjabi) is not a title or name for a person. Sadly nowadays self-styled God men or the followers of pious Sikhs have ended up using the title of "Sant" (Saint) as part of the name of a leader of holy man.

The use of "Sant" in Gurbani

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The Virtue, of having the ability to do good, is a gread aid to the achievement of peace and happiness. Self control itself is a great virtue, because the mind usually turns to brooding on evil. Control over the organs of action - Karma Indries - is really necessary. The mischief of the tongue and the eye must be assessed or controlled. Bhai Gurdas insisted on the cultivation of sweet speech, toleration and charity.

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Each religion has its own set of vices which its followers are enjoined to avoid. In Christianity, there are seven deadly sins. Sikhism, regards as sin any willful disobedience of God's law or principle of natural morality. Sin is a defiance of the Moral Law.

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Everything is created by God, even evil. But what we regard as evil has a special purpose to serve. Evil is neither Satan nor any demon. This Dark Age, Kalyug, (the age of sin) is the period when evil is likely to thrive.

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Fasting is good for health but has no religious merit. Some sects of the Hindus hold very strong views on fasting. For them, fasting has some real value and has to be strictly followed.

Sikhism does not regard fasting as meritorious. God has given us the human body - the temple of the soul - which has to be nourished and cared for. Fasting as an austerity, as a ritual, as a mortification of the body by means of willful hunger is forbidden in Sikhism. Guru Nanak says:

"Penance, fasting, austerity and alms-giving are inferior to 'The Truth'; right action is superior to all."

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Hindu tradition emphasises the role of undertaking pilgrimages as an aid for one's spiritual development. Sikhism does not consider pilgrimage as an act of spiritual merit. Guru Nanak went to places of pilgrimage to reclaim the fallen people, who had turned ritualists. He told them of the need to visit that temple of God, deep in the inner being of themselves. According to him: "He performs a pilgrimage who controls the five vices."

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The aim of education is to develop and integrate the human personality. The present system is lopsided and needs modification. Guru Nanak based the uplift of man on the cultivation of character. It is character which helps us to make the right choice or to take the right step in a moral crisis. Temptations come so suddenly that man has to make quick decisions. Unless one has virtue and guts both acquired by steady practice over a number of years, one may easily fall prey to evil.

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Within each individual is a source of inner judgement, which tells them what is right and what is wrong. Our conscience, is popularly called the voice of God. Even people who follow no particular religion have moral sense. They know what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. Even atheists who have done a wrong thing express remorse because they have later felt dejected and unclean, possibly due to the weight of public opinion or perhaps the moral sense that was engrained in them during childhood.

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Sikhism does not accept the conventional meaning of Maya as "illusion". The world is not Maya; it is a creation of God and as such, an abode of the Truthful One, or rather a Temple of Divinity. According to Sikhism Maya epitomizes the principle duality. It is this duality which makes one forget the Lord and attracts the man to wealth, beauty, power, or scholarship. In water one can swim or one can drown. Water is not intrinsically evil; however it has the potential of both.

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Man possesses a divine essence. He is not separate from God, but on account of his self-assertion, he thinks he is. He builds round himself, wall of egoism which makes him forget"God in himself" and in all things. This is called Agyaan or ignorance. Guru Nanak says:

ਅੰਤਰਿ ਅਗਿਆਨੁ ਦੁਖੁ ਭਰਮੁ ਹੈ ਗੁਰ ਗਿਆਨਿ ਗਵਾਈ ॥
"Deep within, there is ignorance, suffering and doubt; through the spiritual wisdom of the Guru, they are eradicated."
(Ang 1291)

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The word 'Naam' is derived from the Sanskrit "Naaman" which means the practice of remembrance. The remembrance of God - "Naam Marg" is the essence of Sikhism.

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"Yoga" means union, and therefore, means of merger with Divinity. Guru Nanak's way is called - Naam Yoga or Sehaj Yoga. The word Sehaj means the natural or gradual process. Just as vegetables cooked over a slow fire retain their flavour, so in the same way, the sehaj discipline of mind and body, will bring out the essential goodness of a human being. Sehaj Yoga differs radically from Hath Yoga.

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Contentment lies in feeling satisfied with what one has. Some people question the value of contentment, because they consider ambition as the ladder to progress. The more one has, the more one seems to want. There is no end to ambition and greed. According to Guru Nanak, greed burns like an unquenchable fire; the more it is fed, the stronger its flames rise. A greedy man is never satisfied, even when he gets all that he wants. Avarice leads to many vices like fraud, lying and gluttony. An Avaricious man blunts his conscience and even bleeds his nearest and dearest ones.

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As God is the Father of all human being, any slight or insult to anyone is to injure God in every soul. Guru Arjan says:

ਸਭਿ ਜੀਅ ਤੇਰੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਮੇਰੇ ਕਰਿ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਸਭ ਰੇਣ ਥੀਵਾ ॥
"All beings are Yours, O my God; bless me with Your Mercy, that I may become the dust under the feet of all men."
(Ang 926)

The antidote for the poison of pride, is humility.

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Renunciation of the world - Tyaaga - is regarded by Hinduism as one of the ways to spiritual attainment. Many devotees leave their homes and go into the jungles to practice austerity. This approach is disregarded in Sikhism, because this way or renunciation is not practical in Kalyug (This age of darkness). The mind does not find peace in physical solitude; rather, it wanders away to the missing worldly possessions and interests.

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The Gurus mentioned the performance of selfless service on the part of a disciple as the first step in Sikhism. By doing service of various kinds without payment or any expectation of reward, one acts as a Sewak, or Sewadar. From this may spring humility and the consequent elimination of one's ego in this way, God's "Name" can best enter an humbled mind.

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Spiritual attainment is directly allied to personal development. Much depends on the amount of effort - Saadhana - the devotee puts in. Meditation on "The Name", joining the company of the saints, performing good or noble deeds all help one to progress on a spiritual plane.

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The Khalsa was the creation of the last living Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh. The ten Gurus had given more than 200 years of training to the Sikhs and wanted to demonstrate the type of Godman who would be perfect in all respects. He would be a model of Sikh principles. Guru Gobind Singh gave the Khalsa "Amrit" - the initiation through the nectar of the double-edged sword. He knelt before the Panj Piyaras and begged for Amrit (The nectar prepared by the Panj Piyaras). He said that the Khalsa was his physical form and the embodiment of all that is best in the Sikh religion.

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The weak followers of any religion are likely to renounce their faith in fear or temptation, so it is, necessary to accept only those adherents who have a firm and sincere belief in the basic tenets of their religion.

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Five hundred years ago, Guru Nanak introduced the concept of a casteless society. The Hindus rigidly adhered to the caste system which divided the community into water-tight compartments. This not only prevents social intercourse but also encourages fatalism. Caste system believed that people were born either pure or impure and that "in principle" people were high or low which was unchangeable irrespective of an individual's actions.

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The institution of "free kitchen" or the "temple of bread", as Puran Singh called it, was started by Guru Nanak. He desired that every Sikh should share his food with others - Wand Chhakna - and that his kitchen should be open to all. Subsequently the Langar took on an institution form and became a part of the Sikh temple. This community kitchen is meant to provide food to all devotees and pilgrims. Every Sikh is expected to contribute to it either by donating food stuff or by participating in the cooking and distribution of the food.

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In his personal life, a true Sikh has to follow a three-fold discipline: the discipline of the Word, the discipline of the Sacrament and the discipline of Service.

The discipline of The Word implies that the Sikhs must rise early in the morning, say about 4 a.m., take a bath and then meditate on The Name (GurMantar). In the morning a Sikh reads: Japji, Jaap Sahib, ten Swayyas, Benti Chaupai & Anand Sahib. In the evening he reads Rehraas and before bed or night time Sohila. He should visit the Gurdwara daily. If possible, he must sing hymns and read from Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

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Though it is not possible for man to become God, he may try to become God-like. According to Guru Arjan, there is no difference between the God-conscious soul and God.

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Sikhism is the Truth. Therefore, Sikhs do not frighten others to convert to the religion as in Islam and Christianity with fear of eternal damnation, discrimination, inferiority, oppression and torture. Sikhs do not have to lure people to become Sikhs through greed and appealing to their lower desires as in Islam and Christianity.

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"When we see this in practice however, we can see that very rarely has a Sikh War been any different to any other war fought on behalf of misguided religions: For Land, Nation and Resources."

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"Bole So Nihaal" is a Sikh war cry and slogan used to express high spirits, joy and happiness.

It means "Whosover replies (to the call) shall be blessed." The slogan is replied with everyone saying "Sat Siree Akaal", meaning "True is the Immortal Lord".

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The contemporaries and beloved Sikhs of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, recorded the Tenth Master's oral instructions and given discipline in Rehatnamas (Codes of Conduct). Bhai Desa Singh Ji's Rehatnama states:

ਰਹਿਤ ਪਿਆਰੀ ਮੁਝ ਕਉ ਸਿੱਖ ਪਿਆਰਾ ਨਾਹਿ ॥
"More than a Sikh, dear to me is to follow the rules of the Sikh conduct."
(Bhai Desa Singh Rehatnama)

The statement stresses the need of living like a Sikh and following the Sikh code of conduct sincerely, and not just appearing as a Sikh outwardly.

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Gurbani is essentially poetry. To convey the message effective language tools were needed to explain to individuals the message of Waheguru. These included using metaphors, imagery and similes. Guru Ji drew upon the culture, beliefs and ambient practices of the society when Gurbani was revealed to help explain to the common folk the universal message of Truth.

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The role is that of a Gursikh, not of a man or woman but of a Sikh. Sikhism is a way of life and this code (Rehat) is the same for men and women, and so it is their role in the family, and in the community. Sikh men and women are to see their roles as the same.

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In the words of Bhai Vir Singh Ji, the Sikh brotherhood can be described with five words: "NAAM, DAAN, ISHNAAN, KIRAT KARNA AND VAND CHHAKNA."

NAAM - Naming Him, The Secret of the personality that has no personal aims, ambitions, of selfishness. Selfishness is transcended by love. So by living in Him, by Naming him, by dying in him, in love of him, man attains his manhood, which is forever divine and unselfish.

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What is Naam di Daat? This is a wonderful question and an intricate one too. With respect to Naam let’s ponder upon the following Gur-hukams from Gurbani:

1) NAAM JAPO MERE SAAJAN SAINA||

2) NAU-NIDH AMRIT PRABH KA NAAM||
DEHI MEH ISS KA BISRAAM||

3) NAAM KE DHARE SAGLE JANT||
NAAM KE DHARE KHAND BRAHMAND||

In the first line, Guru Ji is instructing us to recite or japp Naam. Here Naam means Gur-Mantra that we are supposed to recite and japp. As we japp and recite this Naam, it leads us to Jyot Prakaashi roop of Naam which in essence is roop (image) of Waheguru himself.

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A "Yug" in Hindu philosophy is the name of an 'epoch' or 'era' within a cycle of four ages. These are (1) Sat Yug, Treta Yug, Dvaapar Yug and finally Kal Yug, which are equated with the Roman Golden, Silver, Bronze and Iron Ages respectively by E. Burgess. According to Indian astronomy and Hindu Mythology, the world is created, destroyed and recreated every 4,320,000 years (Maha Yuga). The cycles are said to repeat like the seasons, waxing and waning within a greater time-cycle of the creation and destruction of the universe.

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Karma is a spiritual law. It is not really a punishment so much as just a system or web. It works much like a physical law; every physical action has a reaction. Good karma will bring the fruit of good karma and bad will bring bad. But regardless of good or bad, the individual is still stuck in the web of karma and cannot escape which is punishment in itself of sorts. It is true that we don’t have memory of our old lives but frankly that’s a boon. If we had memory of our old family relations and friendships, it would be overwhelming.

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