Free Essays on Sikhism

INTRODUCTION TO SIKHISM There are over 20 million followers of Sikhism. Born five centuries ago in the Punjab region of northern India. Between 1469 and 1708, ten Gurus preached a simple message of truth, devotion to God, and universal equality. Often mistaken as a combination of Hinduism and Islam, the Sikh religion can be characterized as a completely independent faith: Sikhism rejects the idea of worshiping idols, the caste system and ritualism. It recognizes the equality between both genders and all religions, prohibits the intake of any intoxicants, and encourages an honest, truthful living. Sikhs have their own holy scripture called the Guru Granth Sahib. Written, composed, and compiled by the Sikh Gurus themselves, the Guru Granth Sahib serves as the ultimate source of spiritual guidance for Sikhs. While the Sikhs hold their Gurus in high reverence, they are not to be worshipped; Sikhs may only worship God. BASICS OF SIKHISM Ø Sikhism is the youngest of the World religions. Its history dates back to 1469. Ø Its founder Guru Nanak Dev was born in a village called Talwandi, now known as Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, in 1469. Ø The Sikhs have ten Gurus. It is believed that they all had the same soul though they had different bodies, and that it was Guru Nanak Dev's spirit which passed on into his nine successors. Ø The Sikhs call God as 'Waheguru', meaning that God is great. Their common salutation is "Sat Siri Akal" (God is supreme and is immortal). Ø Guru Granth Sahib is the holy book of the Sikhs. It is believed that the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh bestowed upon the Granth the title of the Guru. Ø The Sikhs worship only one Almighty God in his abstract form. They are not allowed to worship any idols, images or photographs. Ø According to the Sikh belief, God is the eternal truth. He himself is the creator, preserver and destroyer. Ø The Sikhs believe that all existence is controlled by one Lord called by... Free Essays on Sikhism Free Essays on Sikhism Sikhism: The world's fifth largest religion. History, beliefs, and practices, etc. Sikh Origins: No consensus exists on the origins of this religion. Historians and specialists in Eastern religions generally believe that Sikhism is a syncretistic religion, related to the Bhakti movement within Hinduism and the Sufi branch of Islam, to which many independent beliefs and practices were added. Many Sikhs disagree; they believe that their religion is a direct revealed from God - a religion that was not derived from either Hinduism or Islam. Sikhism does contain many unique postulates and principles that are quite different from both Hinduism and Islam. Joseph D. Cunningham (1812-1851), the author of "A History of the Sikhs" (1848), observed: "It has been usual to regard the Sikhs as essentially Hindu... yet in religious faith and worldly aspiration, they are wholly different from other Indians, and they are bound together by an objective unknown elsewhere." Sikh History: The name of the religion means learner. It is often mispronounced 'seek' It should be pronounced 'se-ikh', with the final 'kh' sound like the 'kh' in Mikhail Gorbachev. Its founder was Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, (1469-1538) who was born in the Punjab area of what is now Pakistan. At Sultanpur, he received a vision to preach the way to enlightenment and God. He is responsible for the saying "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim" which has since become one of the pillars of Sikhism. Guru Nanak and Panth (his followers) later built the first Sikh temple at Katarpur. A succession of nine Gurus (regarded as reincarnations of Guru Nanak) led the movement during the period from Guru Nanak's death until 1708. At that time, the functions of the Guru passed to the Pa nth and to the holy text, considered the 11th Guru. Mogul emperors ruled a large area of South Asia from the 16th century until the end of the 18th century. They attempted to convert the Sikhs to Islam, but we... Free Essays on Sikhism The word 'Sikh' in the Punjabi language means 'disciple', Sikhs consider themselves the disciples of God. They follow the writings and teachings of the Ten Sikh Gurus. The disciples believe that the wisdom of the teachings in Sri Guru Granth Sahib (book containing the words of the Gurus throughout the ages) are practical and universal in their appeal and application to all of mankind. I had never heard of this religion before, so that is the main reason why I chose to study this religion. I have found it very interesting and different than the religions I have come across in my lifetime (which has not been a lot). Sikhism was introduced near the closing of the 15th Century. Guru Nanak Dev originated it; he is also considered the first master. Sikism is kind of a mix of two religions with a bit of other beliefs sprinkled in. Its main beliefs come from both Hinduism and Islam. The Sikhs are found generally around northwest India, or Punjab, but can also be found anywhere in the world. Sikhism has a very rare formation. This religion is a mixture of two other religions, known as Hinduism and Islam. This joining together is known as syncretism. The Hindus and Islams began to mix and some thought of joining the two together. Not everyone agreed so they decided to make a new religion with practices from both religions while still keeping Hinduism and Islam separate religions. From the Hindus, the reincarnation of Jesus was put into practice for this newly accepted religion and also they kept â€Å"The True Name† sacred because He can do anything. One true God is used also as a practice, coming from the Islam beliefs. Its originality helps make this religion special in its own unique way. The Sikhs have many of their own beliefs but also the ones that came from Hinduism and Islam. The opening lines in their Holy Book, or Guru Granith Sahib, state â€Å" There is one supreme eternal reality; the truth; immanent in all things; creator of all thin... Free Essays on Sikhism INTRODUCTION TO SIKHISM There are over 20 million followers of Sikhism. Born five centuries ago in the Punjab region of northern India. Between 1469 and 1708, ten Gurus preached a simple message of truth, devotion to God, and universal equality. Often mistaken as a combination of Hinduism and Islam, the Sikh religion can be characterized as a completely independent faith: Sikhism rejects the idea of worshiping idols, the caste system and ritualism. It recognizes the equality between both genders and all religions, prohibits the intake of any intoxicants, and encourages an honest, truthful living. Sikhs have their own holy scripture called the Guru Granth Sahib. Written, composed, and compiled by the Sikh Gurus themselves, the Guru Granth Sahib serves as the ultimate source of spiritual guidance for Sikhs. While the Sikhs hold their Gurus in high reverence, they are not to be worshipped; Sikhs may only worship God. BASICS OF SIKHISM Ø Sikhism is the youngest of the World religions. Its history dates back to 1469. Ø Its founder Guru Nanak Dev was born in a village called Talwandi, now known as Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, in 1469. Ø The Sikhs have ten Gurus. It is believed that they all had the same soul though they had different bodies, and that it was Guru Nanak Dev's spirit which passed on into his nine successors. Ø The Sikhs call God as 'Waheguru', meaning that God is great. Their common salutation is "Sat Siri Akal" (God is supreme and is immortal). Ø Guru Granth Sahib is the holy book of the Sikhs. It is believed that the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh bestowed upon the Granth the title of the Guru. Ø The Sikhs worship only one Almighty God in his abstract form. They are not allowed to worship any idols, images or photographs. Ø According to the Sikh belief, God is the eternal truth. He himself is the creator, preserver and destroyer. Ø The Sikhs believe that all existence is controlled by one Lord called by... Free Essays on Sikhism History Sikhs are followers of Sikhism, an Indian religion that originated in the Punjab in northwest India. In 1995, India had approximately 18.7 million Sikhs, 1.9% of the population. Small communities of Sikhs also exist in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Malaysia, and East Africa. The movement was founded in the Punjab by Guru Nanak (1469-1539), who sought to combine Hindu and Muslim elements in a single religious creed. He taught "the unity of God, brotherhood of man, rejection of caste and the futility of idol worship." He was followed by nine masters, the last of whom was Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708; guru 1675-1708), who involved his followers in an unsuccessful martial struggle against Mogul rule. After Guru Gobind's assassination, the Muslim Mogul rulers persecuted the Sikhs until 1799 when, under Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), they laid claim to a large part of northwest India. After Ranjit's death his Sikh kingdom disintegrated into anarchy. The British moved into the Punjab, and the Sikh Wars followed (1845-46, 1848-49). The Sikhs were defeated, and the British annexed the Punjab. Sikhism did not recover until the 20th century, when the Sikhs were given control of their holy places (gurdwaras). When the Indian subcontinent was partitioned in 1947, the western Punjab became Pakistani territory and the eastern Punjab part of India. The Sikhs were victimized by the ensuing communal rioting, especially in Pakistan's Punjab, and about 2,500,000 moved from Pakistan into India. The holiest place for Sikhs is the Golden Temple at Amritsar (now in the Indian state of Punjab) founded by the fourth guru, Ram Das (guru 1574-81). The fifth guru, Arjun (guru 1581-1606), gave Sikhism its holy book, the Granth Sahib, which contains hymns of Sikh gurus as well as those of Hindu and Muslim saints such as Kabir. Sikhs are readily identifiable by their turbans. They take a vow not to cut their hair as well as not to smoke or dr...