Sikhism

Objectives

Students will be able to: • Identify the key concepts and traditions

Sikhism• Describe the purpose and practices of

Sikhism• Compare and contrast the beliefs

of Sikhism to other major religions.

What is Sikhism?

• Monotheistic religion

• 500 years old

• 20 million followers

Seeks to make religion a uniting rather than dividing force

“There is no Muslim, there is no Hindu; all are equal human beings because they are the children of the same Father, God.“ – Guru Nanak

The founder of Sikhism• Guru Nanak (1469-1538)

• He was raised a Hindu

• Questioned aspects of Hinduism

• Learned Arabic and studied the Koran from a mullah (Muslim teacher)

• He went to bathe in the Bein, but did not return.

• When he returned he did not speak until he finally said: ‘There is no Hindu or Muslim. So whose path shall I follow? God is neither Hindu nor Muslim and the path I shall follow is God’s.’

• God told Nanak to sing his praises night and day.

• Nanak’s best friend, Mardana (a Muslim), composed music for him.

• Guru Nanak went on “preaching tours” to spread the word of god throughout South Asia.

Guru Nanak’s Death

• When Guru Nanak was near death they asked him if he wanted to be cremated (a Hindu custom) or buried (a Muslim custom).

• He wanted to be placed under a sheet with flowers on each side.

• They preformed Guru Nanak’s wishes when he died.

• Guru Nanak’s body disappeared!(Thought to have been taken by God)

Beliefs• One God

• Equality of all human beings

• Karma and reincarnation

• The spirit of the Guru Nanak continued for 200 years through a succession of ten human gurus…

• 2nd guru (Angad Dev) developed written form of Punjabi language for recording hymns

• 3rd guru (Amar Das) instituted the community kitchen to feed all in need

• 4th guru (Ram Das) built the Sikh holy city of Amritsar (in Punjab)

• 5th guru (Arjun Dev) built the Golden Temple in Amritsar as the center of the Sikh world; also compiled hymns of the earlier gurus, creating the Sikh holy book: Adi Granth

• 5th guru was martyred• 6th guru (Har Gobind) began a tradition of training

Sikhs in martial arts to protect those persecuted for their religion (Sikh, Hindu or otherwise)

• 7th guru (Har Rai) best known for opening hospitals and offering free medical treatment to those in need

• 8th guru (Har Krishan) was just a child but continued caring for the sick

• 9th guru (Tegh Bahadur) worked to combat religious persecution, ultimately became the 2nd Sikh martyr

The Khalsa• Today, the Khalsa is simply the community of

the faithful• Amrit ceremony as baptism and initiation into

the Khalsa (male and female, must be at least16 years of age)

• Khalsa members take a new last name: Singh (“lion”) for men, Kaur (“princess”) for women

• Khalsa members wear the “Five K’s” as symbols of their faith…

(1) Kesh • Kesh is hair. Sikhs

promise not to cut their hair but let it grow as a symbol of their faith. Because during their lifetimes it will get very long they wear turbans to keep it tidy.

• They believe that this demonstrates their obedience to God.

A Sikh putting on a Turban

(2) Kangha

• The Kangha is a small wooden comb. It keeps the hair fixed in place, and is a symbol of cleanliness. Combing their hair reminds Sikhs that their lives should be tidy and organised.

The Kangha

(3) The Kara

• The kara is a steel bangle worn on the arm. It is a closed circle with no beginning and no end...as with God there is no beginning and no end.

• It is a reminder to behave well, keep faith and restrain from wrong doing. Wearing it will remind a sikh of his duties.

The Kara

(4) The Kachera

• These are short trousers worn as underwear. They were more practical than the long, loose clothes most people in India wore at the time of Guru Gobind Singh.

• The Guru said they were a symbol that Sikhs were leaving old ideas behind, following new better ones.

The Kachera

(5) The Kirpan

• The warriors sword. These days a very tiny one is worn as a symbol of dignity and self respect.

• It demonstrates power and reminds sikhs that they must fight a spiritual battle, defend the weak and oppressed, and uphold the truth.

The Kirpan

The Gurdwara – the Sikh temple

• “Door to the Guru,” housing andhonoring the Guru Granth Sahib

• A “Granthi” (priest) is caretaker of the Gurdwara and the holy book as well as spiritual leader of the community

The Gurdwara – the Sikh temple

• Contains a kitchen and dining hall (for Langar) and prayer hall for singing of Kirtan (hymns) from the holy book.

• Open daily (in India) with continuous reading and singing from holy book,serving food to all who come.

• Following worship, all partake in the Langar, sitting (on the floor) and eating a meal together (equality)

Sikh holy days and ceremonies• Vaisakhi: April 13th, anniversary of founding of the

Khalsa• Guru Nanak’s birthday (November)• Baby naming• Amrit/Baptism (Initiation into Khalsa)• Marriage (Anand Karaj): takes

place in the Gurdwara with the community before the Guru Granth

• Death: cremation of body

The Sikh way of life• Mediation and personal prayer morning and

evening• Honest and hard work• Charity• Service to humanity, God, and guru• Strong family values• Strong identity with the Sikh

community• Khalsa members abstain from

smoking, drinking and drugs