12 Sunday September 2, 2007 ■ CatholicNews

RELIGION

the darkness” and is a model of a simple baptism ceremony.

SIKHISM IS RELATIVELY new
among the major religions of Asia.
It was founded just over 500 years
ago in the Punjab district which
today lies in both India and
Pakistan. Sikhism was founded by
Guru Nanak (1469-1539) as a
response to the political
suppression, social divisions,
religious conflicts and superstitious
practices in North India. He
taught respect for all religions and
advocated the equality of all people.
Guru Nanak was the first of
the 10 “gurus” (spiritual teachers)
whose followers are known as
Sikhs. The word “sikh” is derived
from the Sanskrit word “shishya”
which means a disciple, learner,
seeker of truth. “Gu” means
darkness and “ru” means light. The
guru is therefore “light that dispels
wisdom and spiritual perfection.
Sikhism is the understanding
and practice of the teachings of
the gurus.
A Sikh, according to Guru
Nanak, is one who obeys the
commands of the guru and
is guided from darkness to
enlightenment, from rebirth
(“samsara”) to spiritual realization
and release (“moksha”). His goal is
to uplift his soul from the shackles
of materialism (“maya”) and live
a virtuous life that is attuned
to the will of God, which would
lead him to the ultimate state of
eternal bliss and union with God.
Being a monotheistic religion,
Sikhism preaches the existence of
one supreme reality, uncreated and
eternal. God is seen as the creator
and source of all things.
Sikhism is not an evangelical
religion so Sikhs do not proselytize.
Sikhism believes that every person
has the right to choose the path he
deems best to commune with God.
It believes that if one is a Christian,
then one should be a good
Christian; if a Muslim, one should
be a good Muslim, etc. However,
if anyone wants to convert to
Sikhism, he or she is welcome to
do so through a process involving
In Sikhism the importance of
good actions is emphasized over
the carrying out of rituals. A Sikh
does good deeds not to appease
God but to lighten his burdens; bad
deeds, on the other hand, are seen
as saddling life with unnecessary
burdens. Sikhs do not recognize
the caste system nor worship idols.
Theirs is a religion of practical
living, of rendering service to
humanity, and of accepting the
rights of everyone. Sikhism
teaches that salvation can be
achieved by anyone who earns
an honest living and leads a life
in harmony with the teachings of
the gurus, which implies a life in
harmony with Truth (“Satnam”),
the metaphor for God.
Sikhs believe that to lead a
good life one has to keep God in
heart and mind at all times, live
honestly and work hard, treat Sikhs wait
everyone equally, be generous to for their
the less fortunate, and serve others. food at the
Sikhs strive to practise free kitchen,
meditation (“simran”), service which is
(“seva”) and congregation an integral
(“sangat”) and lead a healthy, part of the
holy, honest and humble life which Sikh temple.
would lead them ultimately to the The kitchen
spiritual union of their soul (“atma”) promotes
and God (“Parmatma”). ■ generosity,
equality,
service and
humility.

holy book as a sign of reverence.

The Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh holy book) is read at a religous
service at the temple. The holy book is usually placed on a raised
dais covered with a canopy as a sign of respect.
THE SIKH SCRIPTURE is a
1,430-page book called the Guru
Granth Sahib which contains the
writings of the Sikh gurus, Hindu
saints and Muslim holy men. The
Sikh scripture is unique in that
the Sikh gurus themselves were
responsible for its compilation.
Its subject is Truth – how to live
a truthful life.
The tenth and last human Sikh
guru, Guru Gobind Singh (1675-
1708), decreed that after his death
the spiritual guide of the Sikhs would
be the teachings contained in that
book. Thus the book not only has
the status of a guru, but is revered as
the permanent guru. When Sikhs
could not find answers to specific
issues in the Guru Granth Sahib,
they should decide as a community,
such decisions to be based on the
principles in the book, he instructed.
In the temple, the Guru Granth
Sahib is usually placed on a raised
dais covered with a canopy. Its
contents are set to music and are
sung regularly at Sikh religious
services.
Sikhs also seek advice and
instructons pertaining to their
faith and life from the the
Sikh central authority based in
Amritsar, Punjab. ■
Guru Nanak (1469-1539) is the
founder of the Sikh religion.
The most famous teachings
attributed to Guru Nanak are
that there is only one God, and
that all human beings can have
direct access to God without
need of rituals or priests. His
most radical social teachings
denounced the caste system and
taught that everyone is equal,
regardless of caste or gender.
All male Sikhs have the name
“Singh” as their last name
while all female Sikhs have
“Kaur” as their last name.
Singh means lion; and
Kaur means princess.
This naming system was
introduced by Guru Gobind
Singh to reflect Sikhismʼs
teaching that everyone is
equal in the eyes of God,
regardless of their social
status. Singh and Kaur
replaced the caste names
originally used. ■
THE SIKH TEMPLE is known as a
“gurdwara” (which means doorway
to the guru). It is devoid of images
and statues as Sikhs worship God
in his true abstract form. The Guru
Granth Sahib (the Sikh Holy
Book) is placed at a prominent
position in the gurdwara.
There are daily religious
services at the gurdwara but the
majority of Sikhs attend the
Sunday service, which lasts
several hours. Devotees have to
remove their footwear and cover
their heads at the temple. (Tobacco
and intoxicants are not allowed
in the temple.) On entering the
congregation hall, Sikhs kneel
and bow with heads touching the
floor as a sign of respect to the
Guru Granth Sahib. They then sit
on the floor, men at one side of
the hall, women at the other.
There are no specially trained
priests to perform religious
services and any Sikh who can read
the Punjabi script, male or female,
can perform the religious service.
But for convenience, a granthi (a
reader of the Guru Granth Sahib)
is usually employed. The granthi
sits behind the Guru Granth Sahib
and waves a chaur (a whisk made
from long animal hair) over the
The service includes hymn singing,
scripture reading and a sermon.
At the end of the service,
a sweet pudding, which has
been blessed by the prayers and
reading from the Guru Granth
Sahib, is distributed to all.
The congregation then proceeds
to the free kitchen for a vegetarian
meal prepared and provided by
volunteers. They sit in rows and
eat the same food from the same
type of utensils to emphasize
equality of all persons regardless
of their social standing. The food
is served to Sikhs and non-Sikhs
alike. The free kitchen is an
integral part of the Sikh temple
and promotes good values such
as generosity (exemplified in the
giving and sharing of food and
other necessities); equality (by
sitting together for the meal);
selfless service and humility
(through service in the kitchen).
Every gurdwara has an elected
committee that manages the
temple. Funding for the gurdwara
comes from membership fees and
donations from the congregation
and well-wishers.
Besides being a place of
worship, the Sikh temple is also a
place for social interaction and
scholarship. It is also a community
centre offering food and shelter
to the poor and needy. Major
ceremonies like marriage and
funerals also take place there. ■