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This is the Hari Mandir, the world’s largest free kitchen. It serves free vegetarian food
to about 100,000 people everyday. It’s also the holiest site in Sikhism. The 5th largest
and youngest of the world religions. A religion that preaches about love, peace, and the equality
of humankind, but also asks it’s followers to carry swords.
So who are the Sikh’s, what do they believe, and why does everyone confuse them for Muslims?
Well Let’s Find Out.
Sikhism originated in the Punjab area of India and Pakistan, 500 years ago. The Punjab, the
land of five rivers, is one of the most historically and culturally dense areas on Earth.
This was the home of one of the world's earliest civilsations, the Indus Valley Civilsation.
Persians, Greeks, Central Asians, Muggles, the British, and others have invaded here…..I
meant Mughals, Mughals invaded here. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Jainism, and a handful of
other faiths have all left their mark on the region. The diverse culture of the Punjab
has heavily influenced the Sikhs.
Today there are about 25 million Sikhs. They make up about 2% of India's population but
about 60% of the Punjab's. The Sikh diaspora is spread out across the world with concentrations
in the UK, Canada, The US, East Africa, Australia, and Malaysia. Sikhs interestingly enough make
up almost 1.5% of Canada's population which is second only to India.
The word Sikh simply means learner. Sikhs called their religion ‘Sikhi’, ‘Gursikhi’
and 'Gurmat’.
You can't really understand the Sikhs without understanding their relationship with Gurus.
The word guru means a teacher or spiritual guide. The Guru teaches and the Sikh learns.
The Sikhs follow the teaching of 10 succeeding Gurus that shaped Sikhism.
The first and most important Guru is Guru Nanak. The founder of Sikhism. Born in 1469
CE near what is today Lahore Pakistan. Nanak was seen as special even as a child.
As a baby he was said to have had the laugh of an adult man.
As a teen he perferred to listen to Hindu Saints and Sufi Muslim preachers then follow
his parents orders.
As an adult Nanak would settle in Sultanpur where he worked for the government. The actions
of his fellow government officials and the rich and powerful disgusted him as they exploited
ordinary people and he hated the caste divisions that he saw all around him.
One day while bathing in a river near Sultanpur Nanak had a miraculous experience. He was
swept up into God's court were God spoke to him. Nanak reappeared three days later declaring:
“There is no Hindu and there is no Muslim.”
There was only God.
This was a message inspired by his experience with god, one that spoke in favour of the
equality of human kind and against caste, ethinc, and religious divisions.
Nanak would later say:
Accept all humans as your equals And let them be your only sect.
Nine human gurus followed Nanak all preaching the same message of One God and the equality
of humankind. Two fundamental events that shaped Sikh history was the martyrdom of two
Gurus. The First was the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan who was roasted alive by the Mughal
Emperor Jahangir.
The next martyr would be the ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur. He was beheaded by the Mughals
while attempting to defend the religious rights of Hindus. His son Guru Gobind Rai the tenth
and final human Guru started a new Sikh community called the Khalsa and ended the line of human
Gurus by making the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Book the last living Guru. We’ll
look at both of these in a bit.
So with that brief history out of the way, let's look at the core beliefs of Sikhism.
One God
The Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib's opening sentence is just two words. Ik Onkar
- "The is only one God"
Nanak made sure it was clear that the focus was on "one". Ik, doesn't just mean one, it
is literary the numeral 1.
One God is by far the most important belief in Sikhism. This may not be the kind of God
you're used to though. Sikhs believe in a formless, genderless, universal god, beyond
description. This God is all of reality, it is within everything.
They believe no idol or image could ever represent this being, so they use the sacred symbol
of Ik Oankar to represent it instead. Many Sikhs refer to this one God by the name Waheguru,
Wondrous Lord.
Guru Nanak and his followers constantly emphasized that this one could be understood in many
different ways. No religion had a monopoly on the Truth. Nanak's One God could be known
as Vishnu, Allah, the Tao, Yahweh, The Algorithm or any other name or belief. There was no
need to fight over whose god was the true god, as they were all the same One.
Recognize all mankind, whether Muslim or Hindu as one.
The same God is the Creator and Nourisher of all;
Recognize no distinctions among them. The temple and mosque are the same;
So are the Hindu worship and Muslim prayer. Human beings are all one. - Guru Gobind Singh
The lack of a gender for this One God means that there is no difference between men and
women in Sikhism. Sikhism was among the first major world religions to make the radical
suggestion that maybe women are human beings too.
Women in Sikhism have fought in battles, led religious services, and even acted as some
of the longest reigning leaders of the entire community.
Sikhism isn't based on doing things to get into some heaven or hell. Hell is just life
on Earth, which your soul is constantly reborn into after you die. Which is ehhh...pretty
dark.
You see, Sikhs believe in reincarnation and karma, similar to Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains.
But. Sikhs believe that karma is modified by God. As in karma might decided what life
your born into but God makes sure that everyone can become a good person in their lifetime
if they try.
The goal of Sikh life is to break free from the cycle of rebirth by merging their soul
back into God’s soul.
One do this by releasing that you are already a part of god, you just need to let go of
your ego.
When your soul remerges back into God’s this is called mukti, which is similar to
Hinduism's moksha and means liberation. When you remerge your soul is released from the
cycle of rebirth and death and becomes infinite, timeless, and blissful. This is the closest
thing Sikhs have to heaven.
Maya
Sikhs believe that God is reality, God is the universe that we exist in. But we forget
this because humans are distracted by illusion or Maya, which is anything that takes your
mind off God. Maya keeps people trapped in the cycle of rebirth and death.
Guru Nanak thought that Maya built a wall between people and God. The wall of Maya is
built with the 5 Thieves:
Lust (Kham), Anger (Krodh),
Greed (Lobh), Attachment (Moh),
and Pride (ahankar).
It is the duty of all Sikhs to avoid these thieves.
The five thieves are caused by haumai, literally I-Myself. Haumai make people say I am this
I am that, it separates you from others. Which blocks you from realising your oneness with
God.
This ego causes people to live only for themselves, to spew negativity, and to crave power and
wealth. Such a person is called manmukh, facing towards desires.
Guru Nanak saw the world's problems as the negative effects of ego. Hindu v Muslim, Israeli
v Palestinian, Sitting down wipers v Standing up wipers
All these conflicts are caused by Ego and Maya. The Guru Granth Sahib said it is not
religion, or race but ‘it is wealth that divides brothers’ (GG: 417).
But Guru Nanak taught that there was another direction people could face. By being a spiritual
person practicing
Compassion (Daya), Truth (Sat),
Contentment (Santokh), Humility (Nimrata)
and Love (Pyar)
and meditating on God you could instead become gurmukh, facing towards the Guru.
How does one become gurmukh and egoless?
Well, Sikhism offers a path to follow that can help, called the Three Pillars.
Three Pillars
The Three Pillars are:
Naam Japo: Meditation on God and the reciting and chanting of God’s Name—Waheguru. This
is normally done in the morning and before bed. This isn't supposed to just be some mindless
ritual either, Sikhs are supposed to genuinely reflect on the qualities of God as they do
this.
Kirat Karni: - Working hard and making an honest living.
Guru Nanak said, “Only he who earns his living by the sweat of his brow and shares
his earnings with others has discovered the path of righteousness.”
Wand chhakna: - Sharing the fruits of your labour with others, providing free food, and
donating to the community. The Sikh tradition of a communal meal (langar) at the gurdwaras
is part of Wand Chhakna.
The langar or communal free kitchen inside a Sikh gurdwara, which is their equivalent
of a church or mosque, is open to all who visit. Regardless of caste, faith, or gender.
These serve vegetarian food to all, not because Sikhs have to be vegetarian but simply because
that means all people of all diets can partake. So if you want a taste of typical Punjabi
food just visit a gurdwara.
In Guru Nanak’s time, the idea of different castes sitting together on the floor and eating
side by side was a revolutionary act. Famously the Mughal Emperor Akbar visited Guru Arjan
and the Guru would not meet him until he partook in a langar. Which the Emperor did, sitting
side by side with peasants.
Guru Nanak claimed an enlightened person are ‘those who view everyone equally, like the
air touching king and beggar alike’ (GG: 272).
Another vital part of Sikhism that isn't one of the Three Pillars is Seva - selfless service.
Through service to their community, Sikhs can become more humble and overcome their
ego.
Seva can include cleaning up the gurdwara, preparing food or cleaning dishes in the langar
or it can include volunteering, building things for your community or subscribing and ringing
the notification bell on educational Youtube channels.
Through remembering God's name, honest work, and sharing, along with selfless service,
and avoiding the Five Thieves a person can rid themselves of egoism and be released from
the cycle of rebirth and death.
The Khalsa
Guru Gobind Rai was the son of the ninth Guru, Tegh Bahadur, who was beheaded by the Mughals
and his body was abandoned by his Sikh entourage. They fled easily because no one could recognise
them. So Guru Gobind decided the give Sikhs a distinct look from now on so that they would
be compelled to always uphold Sikh values.
In 1699 Guru Gobind brought his Sikhs together at Anandpur. After their morning prayer he
stood in front of the huge crowd and demanded a human sacrifice. The shocked crowd was silent
for a while before one Sikh rose up and entered the Guru's tent. The Guru followed them in.
And then......The guru comes out with blood on his sword. He demands another sacrifice,
another Sikh offers themselves and enters the tent.....Again only the Guru comes back
out of the tent, bloody sword in hand....again another sacrifice....and again....until finally
after the 5th sacrifice the Guru reamerges with the 5 Sikhs all wearing saffron coloured
robes
The Guru declares these to be the panj pyarey, the five beloved ones. They would form the
centre of a new Sikh community called the Khalsa.
He offered them amrit, a bowl of sweetened holy water.
All five, who belong to different caste groups, drank the amrit from the same bowl, which
would have been a huge deal back then. This signified that they had joined a new, casteless
family, the Khalsa.
Each of the volunteers had to leave behind their old surnames or caste names and adopt
the same surname, Singh. Which comes from the Sanskrit word simbha, meaning lion...I
KNOW RIGHT! It has no relation to the Bantu word simba which also means lion, it’s just
a weird coincidence.
The Guru then begged the Five Beloved ones to let him join their Khalsa. They offered
him the amrit and the Guru became Guru Gobind Singh.
Women were admitted to the Khalsa, the same way as men. After drinking the amrit they
received the surname Kaur, which means princess.
The Khalsa gave the Sikhs a new unified identity. Tied together as one family, with one name,
without caste with the goal of defending the weak and promoting justice. Today many Sikhs
still undergo the Amrit ceremony and take the surnames Singh and Kaur.
The Khalsa were also given new rules to follow which includes the wearing of the panj kakaar
or the Five K's.
kes - Uncut hair to represent discipline
kargha - A small comb in the hair
kirpan - A sword to uphold justice and protect the weak, nowadays it's usually a small sword.
It is not an offensive weapon and the Sikh Code of Conduct claims it can only be used
to "destroy tyrants and oppressors. It must not be used for anything else"
kachhahira - A kind of loose fitting boxer shorts, to represent sexual restraint
and kara - A steel bracelet, it's circular shape represents the infinity of God
Interestingly the turban is not one of the Five K's. Instead it's worn to cover the Sikh's
long uncut hair, the kes. Turbans have become essential to Sikh identity and hold very special
significance to them. If you see someone wearing a turban that vast majority of the time it
will be a Sikh not a Muslim. Guru Granth Sahib
The Guru Granth Sahib is the Holy Book of the Sikhs. It contains the teachings of the
Gurus and acts as a spiritual guide for Sikhs around the world.
It is probably one of the only Holy Books that contains not only the writing of the
religions founders, written by themselves, rather than after their death. But also the
writing of people from other faiths. The writings of Muslims and Hindus can be found throughout
along with references to Judaism, Buddhism, and Christianity.
Before his death in 1708, the tenth Guru Gobind Singh ended the line of human gurus by bestowing
guruship on the Adi Granth, turning it into the Guru Granth Sahib, making it similar to
both the Bible or Koran and a living Prophet at the same time. Guru means Guru, Granth
means book and Sahib means lord.
Since that moment, the Guru Granth Sahib has been revered as the current living guru. It
is treated with extreme care and respect.
The Granth is not only read but sung, it's made up of thousands of hymns. Sikhs don't
have mass or service but a kirtan, meaning communal singing. Normally these are set to
classical Indian music. Gurdwara
Sikhs gather at gurdwaras, a word meaning ‘doorway to the Guru’. A gurdwara is only
a gurdwara because it has a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib in it.
Men and women of all castes and social standing gather there to join in prayer, singing, and
eating.
This is where you will find the langar. Anyone can visit a Gurdwara and partake in the service
and meal. You only need to follow basic etiquette. Cover your head, remove your shoes, wash your
hands as you enter, and don't bring any tobacco or drugs inside.
The most important Gurdwara in the world is the Hari Mandir or Golden Temple located in
Amritsar, India.
In 1604 Guru Arjan completed work on the Golden Temple and had the Guru Granth Sahib installed
in it.
As a gesture of religious tolerance Guru Arjan invited a Muslim, Mian Mir, to lay the foundation
stone of the Golden Temple.
The Temple has four doors opening on all four sides, to show an openness to all cultures
and peoples. But on the inside only one door leads to the inner sanctum, indicating that
all paths and beliefs eventually lead to the One God.
The Golden Temple is the most visited place in the world with around 6 million visitors
each year. The Langar at the Golden Temple serves a free meal to about 100,000 people
each day, making it the world’s largest free serving kitchen. All run and staffed
by volunteers.
The waiting list to volunteer in the Golden Temple has hundreds of thousands of names
on it.
The people on that list will be waiting for a long time, a good way for them to pass the
time productively would be to listen to audiobooks on Audible. While researching this video I
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new to the topic.
If you want to go right to the source audible has The Complete 90+ hour Guru Granth Sahib
also available.
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So those are the basics of Sikhism. It isn't even close to covering everything. I probably
only covered about 1%. One video simply can't cover everything. Religions are too diverse,
too deep, and mean too many different things to different people. But learning even the
basics of anything that millions of people deeply care about gives us an insight into
our fellow humans worldview and I hope you enjoyed it :D
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