sikhism worship beliefs week 2 review 500 yearold

sikhism: worship & beliefs (week 2)

review 500 year-old religion, pronounced SEEK-ism or SICK-ism (not SHAKE-ism, SHEEK-ism, etc. ) originated in North India (Punjab state) more than 30 million Sikhs worldwide (as compared to 14 million Jews)— Sikhism is the 5 th-largest religion in the world language of the Sikhs is Punjabi Sikhism is an independent religion—not a part of Islam or Hinduism, but inspired by both. Sikhs are NOT Sheikhs, Sufis, or Muslims. Sikh place of worship is called gurdwara (door to the guru) 10 human teachers (gurus) of Sikhism final guru of Sikhism is Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scriptures (we will discuss this in depth today) many Sikhs do not cut their hair and abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and other substances. many Sikhs are also vegetarian for religious reasons, but not all Sikhs follow this teaching 5 Sikh articles of faith—uncut hair, steel bracelet, long under-shorts, wooden comb, and ceremonial knife Sikhs live all over the world—many in the USA there is a large gradient of observance in Sikhism—some cut hair, some do not

review 10 human teachers, called Gurus, began the faith. Their lineage was based on spiritual fitness, not familial ties. Guru Nanak was the founder Guru Gobind Singh was the 10 th guru. He gave his authority to the Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, making it the eternal teacher of the Sikh community, forever. No more humans would become Sikh Gurus.

review: sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib is written in Punjabi language. It contains writings of the 10 Sikh Gurus along with Hindu and Muslim saints of the period who were also considered God-realized beings. Guru Granth Sahib is treated as a human, since it is the leader and teacher of the Sikh community. Scripture sits on a throne at the highest point in a Sikh sanctuary. Sikh scripture has a liberating message for people of all religions, classes, genders, and races. All are equal. People of all genders can play equal parts in Sikh religious life, including reading from scripture, handling scripture, and conducting rituals.

moving on: sikh scripture in detail A copy of Sikh scripture that is printed and bound all together in one volume is considered a full swaroop– a full body– of the Guru Granth Sahib. It needs to be treated in certain ways– kept in clean cloth, in a room without meat or alcohol. Guru Granth Sahib goes to bed at night and rests in an actual bed, and wakes up around 3: 30 AM during the amrit vela (ambrosial hours) in which early-morning prayers are read. Only orthodox Sikhs do this each day. It will happen in Sikh temples daily. It is possible to print the Sikh scriptures (1450 pages) in 2 or more volumes. If this is done, it is not a full swaroop– it is called Senchi Sahib– and is not subject to as strict restrictions.

guru granth sahib rests in bed Guru Granth Sahib has a bedroom, called Sukhasan, which means “peaceful repose. ” The word sukh means peace or enjoyment, and the word asan (think asana, like in yoga) means repose or ease. In the winter, warm blankets are used to keep Guru Ji warm. In summer, the Sukhasan may be the only room in the temple that is air-conditioned

sikh theology Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, uttered “EK ONKAR”– God is one/All is one. Guru Nanak taught that all is one and all souls come from God. Thus, all souls are of the same essence as God. Sikh scripture uses many metaphors to describe this phenomenon– the human being’s sameness with the essence of God. Many hymns use the metaphors of water blending back into water, and light merging with light, to describe union with God. “The rays of light merge with the sun, and water merges with water. One's light blends with the Light, and one becomes totally perfect. ” –Guru Granth Sahib page 846, written by Guru Arjan Dev (5 th guru)

core sikh beliefs: light of god in all beings equality of all people, since all people are of the same essence as god. only maya, illusion, teaches us that we are separate from god. this is not reality. we all contain the divine light: From the One Light, the entire universe welled up. So who is good, and who is bad? ||1|| O Siblings of Destiny, do not wander deluded by doubt. The Creation is in the Creator, and the Creator is in the Creation, totally pervading and permeating all places. ||1||Pause|| The clay is the same, but the Fashioner has fashioned it in various ways. There is nothing wrong with the pot of clay - there is nothing wrong with the Potter. ||2|| The One True Lord abides in all; by God’s making, everything is made. – Guru Granth Sahib 1350, Bhagat Kabir

core sikh belief: equality of genders women are highly regarded in the Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Nanak preached extensively on topics related to gender and women’s equality. From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married. Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come. When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound. So why call her bad? From her, kings are born. From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all. – Guru Granth Sahib page 472, words of Guru Nanak

core sikh belief: share with others seva, or service, is very important in Sikh theology. we will all experience this when we visit the temple. all food, labor, and supplies are donated. temples often feed and sometimes offer shelter to the needy.

core sikh belief: all religions contain truth many passages from scripture support this teaching, as does the radical inclusion of Hindu and Muslim saints into the Sikh text. ਬਦ ਕਤਬ ਕਹਹ ਮਤ ਝਠ ਝਠ ਜ ਨ ਬ ਚ ਰ ॥ Do not say that the Vedas, the Bible and the Koran are false. Those who do not contemplate them are false. (Page 1350) ਕਰ ਣ ਕਤਬ ਦ ਲ ਮ ਹ ਕਮ ਹ Practice within your heart the teachings of the Koran and the Bible. (Page 1083) Many different names for God are used in the Sikh scriptures, representing many religions– Allah, Ram, Krishna, Gopal, Har. The use of names of God from other religions emphasizes that all religions worship the same, One God, and that humans have simply categorized and described this God in different ways. Sikhism is not a proselytizing religion.

crash course in sikh theology - one God who is called many names, but the particularly Sikh name is Waheguru (wonderful teacher) - reincarnation and karma, but also the grace and will of God - samadhi, liberation from birth and death, unites one’s soul with the Larger Soul (God) - sadh sangat (company of the holy): it is important to surround oneself with spiritual companions - naam (name): we should meditate on the name(s) of God in order to bring ourselves closer to God - shabad (word): God’s word is written in scripture and should be studied - kirtan (devotional music) is a way to sing and vibrate upon naam and shabad

sikh devotional music all 1500 pages of Sikh scripture can be sung. they were composed as hymns in classical North Indian style. Guru Nanak himself was a musician, as was his companion Bhai Mardana who traveled with him for years. the main component of Sikh worship is singing the hymns from scripture together as a group. laypeople are welcome to sing and lead hymns in the temple. professional musicians travel and perform these hymns for a living. it is also common for Sikhs to perform kirtan at home and to listen to it throughout the day. harmonium (tabletop organ) and tabla (pair of hand drums) are the most commonlyused instruments

Bhai Onkar Singh (middle) and his jatha (group) playing kirtan, Sikh devotional music

my classmates in Punjabi language school playing kirtan in Chandigarh, India– Brandon and Rajdeep

sikh worship: symbology Ek Onkar is the most important symbol in Sikhism. It reads “God is One” or “All are One in God. ” Khanda is another very important symbol. It consists of several crossed knives. It is found on many Sikh buildings, flags, clothing, etc. . It represents the martial tradition of the Sikhs as well as some aspects of Sikh theology– miri and piri represent spiritual and temporal life

how to interact in a sikh temple Sikh greeting is “Sat Sri Akal” Sikh temple is called “Gurdwara” Palms pressed together (praying hands) rather than handshakes Wear modest, loose clothing suitable for sitting on the floor Do NOT bring alcohol, tobacco, drugs, meat, or eggs into the temple Shoes will be removed in the foyer Heads need to be covered with bandana or scarf (both of which are also available at the temple) There will be snacks before and dinner after the service Sit cross-legged on the floor on men’s and women’s sides, remembering not to point feet straight out in front of you (very rude in Indian culture)

conflicts in the state of Punjab In the last 100 years, there have been 2 major conflicts that involved the state of Punjab. The first is PARTITION. To grossly oversimplify, when the Indians won independence from the British Empire (Raj), one of the last acts of the British was to partition India into India and Pakistan (now India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh). Largest forced mass migration in world history. Much loss, death, violence, looting, and destruction. Sikhs were hard-hit as their state (Punjab) was the one being torn in half.

partition, continued In the riots which preceded the partition in the Punjab state, between 200, 000 and 2, 000 people were killed in the retributive genocide between the religions. It is estimated that 14 million Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims were displaced during the partition.

1984 and sikh separatism after the violence, loss, and inequality of Partition (1947), separatist sentiments (which predated Partition in some senses) grew. several separatist factions existed. the goal was the creation of Khalistan (“land of the pure, ” as khalas means pure), a Sikh nation in the Punjab region, reclaiming a homeland for the Sikhs and establishing their rule as a nation rather than a tiny religious minority within a hugely Hindu nation (India). a powerful separatist named Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale began to amass a large following. he and his followers centered their movement in Amritsar, the holiest city of the Sikhs. they attracted more and more followers, and finally took control of the Golden Temple’s niwas (guest house) and headquartered their actions there. ultimately they began to stockpile weapons. it is unsure whether they were planning an offensive or just preparing to defend themselves against the Indian government, who were not pleased with the separatist rumblings

jarnail singh bhindranwale

Indira Gandhi (granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi) was prime minister of India in 1984 and made the call to send the Indian army into the Golden Temple to root out the armed separatists. operation blue star The Indian army acted with great force, killing thousands and desecrating the Golden Temple. Even copies of scripture and the temple itself suffered bullet wounds. Bhindranwale and most of his followers were killed. Sikh separatists as well as many mainline Sikhs were in an uproar. Indira Gandhi’s two Sikh bodyguards assassinated her a few days later in New Delhi. This caused widespread rioting and murder, with Hindus attacking, killing, and burning Sikhs alive (this violence was centered in Delhi but spread throughout India). For this reason, Sikhs (and others) have a complicated relationship to the name Gandhi.

Sikhs post-1984 many left India, never to return. those whose names were connected to the separatist movement were often banned from re-entering the country. many families were torn apart as a result of murders, especially murders of fathers and young men, who were easily identifiable due to their turbans and beards. - Khalistan (Sikh state) never happened. - Bullet holes can still be seen at the Golden Temple today, although many repairs have been made. - The Akal Takht, political center of Sikhs, was totally torn down and rebuilt. - The Indian government has never acknowledged what happened, made any reparations, or apologized.