Sikhism Tenets
Most of the Sikh gurus were excellent musicians, who composed songs that conveyed their message to the masses in the saints' own language, which combined variants of Punjabi with Hindi and Braj and also contained Arabic and Persian vocabulary. Written in Gurmukhi script, these songs are one of the main sources of early Punjabi language and literature. There are 5,894 hymns in all, arranged according to the musical measure in which they are sung. An interesting feature of this literature is that 937 songs and poems are by well-known bhakti saints who were not members of the lineage of Sikh gurus, including the North Indian saint Kabir and five Muslim devotees. In the Guru Granth Sahib , God is called by all the Hindu names and by Allah as well. From its beginnings, then, Sikhism was an inclusive faith that attempted to encompass and enrich other Indian religious traditions.
The belief system propounded by the gurus has its origins in the philosophy and devotions of Hinduism and Islam, but the formulation of Sikhism is unique. God is the creator of the universe and is without qualities or differentiation in himself. The universe (samsar ) is not sinful in its origin but is covered with impurities; it is not suffering, but a transitory opportunity for the soul to recognize its true nature and break the cycle of rebirth. The unregenerate person is dominated by self-interest and remains immersed in illusion (maya ), leading to bad karma. Meanwhile, God desires that his creatures escape and achieve enlightenment (nirvana) by recognizing his order in the universe. He does this by manifesting his grace as a holy word, attainable through recognition and recitation of God's holy name (nam ).
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion and the ultimate goal of Sikhs is to achieve liberation (Mukti or Moksha) from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth and eventually be one with the Divine, depending on the outcome of their Karma (deeds). According to the Sikh world-view, the major source of suffering in life is the perception that the ego (ahankar) is one’s authentic center. Unlike the psychoanalytical concept of the ego, wherein the ego is the organized conscious mediator between the person and reality, the Sikh concept of the ego is the experience of “I” and the sense of being different from others.
While the ultimate Sikh religious goal is to experience unity with Ek Onkar (the one cosmological essence that unifies all diversity), the human tendency is toward ego-centredness. The ego’s tendency to be different from others results in a struggle for existence and permanence. This struggle for existence and permanence is regarded as the major source of stress and despair in life. The life-stress model can best be described as an existential approach or philosophy premised on the assumption that human beings are motivated by the ego’s desire to fulfill four core human needs: security (surakhia), love (prem), respect (izzat), and freedom (azaadi).
Although the Sikh spiritual tradition posits that life-stress can be alleviated by destroying the ego, it recognizes nonetheless that this ideal is not easily achieved by those living in the material world. Having said that, it is the Sikh belief that surti (conscious awareness) can free the ego from self-defeating impressions that have accumulated both in the present life and during the cycle of transmigration. Thus, one can be a conscious being without experiencing liberation (mukti).
The role of the guru, who is the manifestation of God in the world, is to teach the means for prayer through the Guru Granth Sahib and the community of believers. The guru in this system, and by extension the Guru Granth Sahib, are coexistent with the divine and play a decisive role in saving the world.
Where the Guru Granth Sahib is present, that place becomes a gurdwara. Many Sikh homes contain separate rooms or designated areas where a copy of the book stands as the center of devotional ceremonies. Throughout Punjab, or anywhere there is a substantial body of believers, there are special shrines where the Guru Granth Sahib is displayed permanently or is installed daily in a ceremonial manner. These public gurdwaras are the centers of Sikh community life and the scene of periodic assemblies for worship. The typical assembly involves group singing from the Guru Granth Sahib , led by distinguished believers or professional singers attached to the shrine, distribution of holy food, and perhaps a sermon delivered by the custodian of the shrine.
As for domestic and life-cycle rituals, well into the twentieth century many Sikhs followed Hindu customs for birth, marriage, and death ceremonies, including readings from Hindu scriptures and the employment of Brahmans as officiants. Reform movements within the Sikh community have purged many of these customs, substituting instead readings from the Guru Granth Sahib as the focus for rituals and the employment of Sikh ritual specialists. At major public events -- weddings, funerals, or opening a new business--patrons may fund a reading of the entire Guru Granth Sahib by special reciters.
Sikhs can essentially be divided into two main groups: the baptised and the non-baptised. The Pahul or baptism ceremony (Amrit Sanskar) is undertaken when an individual fully comprehends the implications of such an act. Hence, it is rare for a pre-pubescent child to be baptised. There is no upper age limit to baptism, which is encouraged for both men and women. The ceremony takes place in the presence of the Guru Granth Sahib. Here the principles of Sikh faith and other key instructions on how a baptised Sikh must live are imparted to the initiate. These include devotion to God; service to mankind; fighting against injustice; and defence of the weak. These religious virtues are represented by the religious Sikh symbol known as the Khanda.
Sikhs fundamentally believe that the body is simply just a shell to transport the soul while it resides on its earthly sojourn. Death marks the release of the ‘‘knot’’ between body and soul. After death the body is cremated. This ceremony is usually for the immediate family only and culminates in the scattering of ashes into a river or sea. Sometimes this involves a trip to India where ashes of previous family members were disposed. This custom of scattering ashes in flowing rivers is practised as it precludes erection of gravestones — a practice forbidden by the Sikh religion.
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