Sikhism

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Peace,

" by the guru's grace shalt thou worship Him"

Another great teacher made his appearance in northern India in the Fifteenth century CE , Guru Nanak. His followers were called Sikhs, meaning "disciples, students, seekers of truth."
In time, he was succeeded by a further nine enlightened Gurus ending with Guru Gobind Singh ( 1666-1708 ). Despite the power of these Gurus, the spiritual essence of Sikhism is little known outside India and its diaspora (dispersed communities) , even though Sikhism is the fifth largest of all world religions.

Many Sikhs understand their path not as another sectarian religion but as a statement of the universal truth within, and transcending , all religions. Sikhism is becoming a Global religion, although it doesn't actively seek converts.
Instead , it emphasizes the universality of spirituality and the relevance of spirituality of everyday life.

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Peace,

The sant tradition

Before Guru Nanak, Hinduism and Islam had already begun to draw closer to one another in northern India. One of the foremost philosophers in this trend was the Hindu saint Ramananda , who held theological arguments with the teachers from both religions. But a deeper marriage occurred in the hearts of sants , or "holy people." particularly Sufi mystics, such as Shaik Farid, and Hindu bhaktas , such as Sri Caitanya. They shared a common cause in emphasizing devotion to the Beloved above all else.

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Peace,

Central Beliefs

Sikhism's major focus is loving devotion to one God, whom Sikhs recognize as the same One who is worshiped by many different names around the world. God is formless, beyond time and space, the only truth, the only reality. This boundless concept was initially set forth in Guru Nanak's Mul Mantra (basic sacred chant):


There is One God
Whose Name is Truth,
The Creator,
With out Fear,
With out Hate,
Eternal Being,
Beyond Birth and Death,
Self Existent,
Realized by the Guru's Grace.

The light of God shines fully through the Guru, the perfect master. The light of God is also present in the shabd , the Holy Word of God, and in all creation, in which Nam the Holy Name of God dwells. God is not separate from this world. God pervades the cosmos and thus can be found with in everything.

Sikhism does not claim to have the only path to God, nor does it try to convert others to its way. It has beliefs in common with Hinduism such as Karma and also with Islam such as monotheism . According to the Sikh ideal, the purpose of life is to realize God with in the world, through the everyday practices of work, worship, and charity, of unconditional love. All people are to be treated equally, for God's light dwells in all and ego is a major hindrance to God realization.

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Peace,

Sacred Practice

To be a true Sikh is to live a very disciplined life of surrender and devotion to God, with hours of daily prayer, continual inner repetition of the name of God, NAM , and detachment from negative, worldly mind-states.
Nam carries intense spiritual power, making a person fearless, steady, inwardly calm and strong in the face of any adversity, willing to serve with out any reward, and extending love in all directions with out any effort.
Some feel that Nam is the essence of creation, the sound and vibration of which the cosmos is a material manifestation.
The standards set by Guru Gobind Singh for the Khalsa , (pure in body) are so high that few can really meet them. In addition to outer disciplines, such as abstaining from drugs, alcohol, tobacco, the person who is Khalsa, said the Guru, will always recite the name of God:

The name of God is light, the light which never extinguishes, day or night. Khalsa recognizes none but the ONE. I live in Khalsa; it is my body, my treasure store.

The one who is Khalsa renounces anger and does not criticize anybody. He fights on the front line against injustice and vanquishes the five evils: Lust, Anger, Greed, Attachment, and EGO in himself. He burns his karmas and thus becomes ego-less. He joins other people with the Nam, but he is not bound with in the forts of narrow mindedness.

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Peace,

The Sikh Guru's formed several institutions to help create a new social order with no caste distinctions. One is langar , the communal meal, which is freely offered to all who come, regardless of caste. This typically takes place at a gurdwara , the building where the Guru Granth Sahib is enshrined and public worship takes place.

The congregation is called the sangat , in which all are equal; there is no priestly class or servant class.
People of all ethnic origins, ideologies, and castes, including Untouchables , may bathe in the tank of water at Sikh holy places. The morning and evening prayers take about two hours a day, starting in the early morning hours. The first morning prayer is Guru Nanak's Jap Ji , meaning " recitation" refers to use of sound, especially the Name of God, Nam , as the best way of approaching the divine.

"Like combing the hair, hearing and reciting the sacred word combs all the negative thoughts out of the mind."