Sikhism

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Introduction:

I choose to do a project about Sikhism because that is one of the religions that I had never studied and would like to know some more about. Sikhism is a religion that was started in northern India. It is a mixture of Hinduism and Islam but differ totally from these religions in some aspects. Sikhism is the fifth largest religion after Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism (not in this order).

About the religion:

Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak (1469). ´´Sikh`` means disciple in the Punjabi language. They believe that there is only One God and that he’s the same for all people of all religions. Sikhs condemn blind rituals such as fasting and idol worship. Sikhs believe that all people of all religions, races and sex are equal in the Lord’s eyes. Sikhism has no priests instead any Sikh is free to read from the Guru Granth Sahib.

Sikhism is one of the younger religions existing today (compared to Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam). Sikhism teaches honesty, compassion, humility, piety, social commitment and most of all tolerance for other religions.
A Sikh believes in one God and the teachings of the ten Gurus, the Holy Scripture. In addition a Sikh must get baptized to become a pure Sikh.

History:
The ten gurus are called Guru Nanak Das, Guru Angad Dev, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan Dev, Guru Hargobind, Guru Har Rai, Guru Harkrishan, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh.
Guru Nanak Das pronounced:
´´To worship an image, to make pilgrimage to a shrine, to remain in the desert and yet have an impure mind is all in vein. To be saved, worship only the TRUTH``.
´´ Keeping no enmity for anyone, God is contained in every Bosom``.
´´ Forgiveness is love at it’s highest peak``.
´´Where there is no forgiveness, there is no God``.
´´Do not wish evil for anyone``.
´´Do not speak harsh about anyone``.
´´Do not obstruct anyone’s work``.
´´If a man speaks ill of you, forgive him``.
´´Practise physical, mental and spiritual endurance``.
´´Help the suffering even at the cost of your own life``.
Against inequalities between religions Guru Nanak Das said:
´´ There is only one Father, and we are all his children. Recognize all human race as one``.
He also said:
´´ Born of women, nourished by women, wedded to women, why do they revile women? How can women be called inferior when they give birth to kings and prophets? ``
He passed away on 7th September 1539.
The second Guru (Guru Angad Dev) was born in 1504 and met Guru Nanak in 1532. Guru Angad Dev invented and introduced the Gurmukhi script to all Sikhs.
The third Guru (Guru Amar Das) was born in 1479. He met Guru Angad in 1541.
The fourth Guru (Guru Ram Das) was born in 1534. He became the Guru in 1574. He also started to build the famous Golden Temple in the Holy City (Amritsar).
The fifth Guru (Guru Arjan Dev) was born in 1563. At the time that the gurus lived the women were treated badly by both Hindus and Muslims. The Sikhs started to treat the women with equal respect as for men.

What Sikhs believe in:

The Sikhs believe; that there is only one God, he can’t take human form, the goal of human is to merge with God, if you can overcome the five cardinal vices (lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride) you will receive salvation. They also exercise daily devotion to God and reject all blind rituals. A Sikh is also told to live a normal life in the world but keep his mind pure. Their holy book is the Guru Granth Sahib and they reject all differences between castes, creed, race and sex. They have to share with others and help needy through charity.
MOOL MANTAR:
Ik Onkar There is only one god
Sat nam His name is truth
Karta Purkh He is the creator
Nir Bhau He is without fear
Nir Vair He is without hate
Akall Moorat He is beyond time (immortal)
Ajooni He is beyond birth and death
Saibhang He is self-existent
Gur Parsaad He is realised by the guru’s grace

Ceremonies and festivals:

Nam Karan: this is the naming of a child.
Amrit Sanskar: is the baptism of a grownup.
Wedding Ceremony:
Funeral Ceremony: is a ceremony without grief as they say that this is God’s will.
Akhand Path: is the non-stop reading from cover to cover of Guru Granth Sahib which lasts for about 48hours.
Gurpurbs: are important anniversaries that are associated with the lives of the Gurus.
Baisakhi: is one of the special days when Sikhs get baptized on.
Diwali: is the Indian festival of lights. On diwali 1619 the golden temple was decorated with lights to welcome home Guru Hargobind from imprisonment.
Maghi: is the day when the 40 immortals are celebrated.
Hola mohalla: is a festival where thousands of people have mock battles and displays of swordship.
And last but not least sangrand: is the celebrating of the beginning of a new month.

Sikhism and Hinduism
Similarities:

*Believes in reincarnation, karma and Maya.

Differences:
*Sikhs universalises one God while Hindus turn many Gods into ´´One``.
*The Sikhs don’t believe that reading the Vedas or the shastras will lead to salvation and perfection.
*Sikhs don’t have any ´´priestly class``.
*They reject the Ashrama Dharma theory of dividing a man’s life into four stages.
*They think that there is no such thing as incarnation of God and many Gods and Goddesses. They believe that there is only One God.
*Worship of idols and images are forbidden.
*Hindus believe that a man that has received salvation does not live for the community but Sikhs believe that a man that has received salvation lives to save others.
*They also reject all believe that a language is holy.



Sikhism and Judaism, Christianity

Similarities:

They all believe in; submission to the will of God, khalsa brotherhood and sacrament, brotherhood of men, fatherhood of God, salvation by grace and Jewish emphasis on ‘the name’.

Differences:

*Christians believe that only the chosen people can get salvation while Sikhs believe that anyone from any religion can get salvation.
*Christians say that Jesus is God’s son but Sikhs say that all humans are God’s children.
*Christians and Jews get baptized as infants but Sikhs get baptized when they are old enough to understand what they have to do and their responsibilities.
*Christians have Sunday as praying day, Jews have Friday as praying day while Sikhs pray everyday.
*Christians and Jews believe that you go to heaven when you have lived a good life; Sikhs believe that you are reborn (reincarnation). Christians and Jews believe that you go to hell when you have lived a bad life, Sikhs believe that your soul merges with God.
*These two religions have priests while in Sikhism there are none. Instead anyone from any sex can read from Guru Granth Sahib.

Sikhism and Islam
Similarities:

Fatherhood of God, the bismilla and the Mul Mantra, will of God in the Quran is similar to the Hukam in the Guru Granth Sahib, that God created the world, encouragement for helping needy and poor, condemnation of idol worship and asceticism and concept of Holy War.

Differences:

*Muslims think that the Quran is the greatest book of all while Sikhs think that all religious books are equally valuable and important.
*In the Quran there are threats and warnings to make people obey but in the Guru Granth Sahib it says that the book is like a fruit and the more you eat of it the better it gets.
*The Muslims are taught to hate people from other religions while Sikhs are taught that all are equal.
*The Quran says to fear God while the Guru Granth Sahib says to love God.
*The Muslims think that Dog can only be mentioned in the Quran or in religious traditions. The Sikhs believe that God has many names and that his merits are uncountable.
*Only Muslims are welcome to Mecca while all people of all religions are welcome to The Golden Temple.
*In the Quran it says that a man is superior to the woman and that (if a woman is disobedient) hit her. In the Guru Granth Sahib it says that women are equal to men and that they deserve the same treatments.
*The Muslim men don’t want other men to look at their women, that is why women are forced to wear a veil but Sikhs think that the beauty God gave you, he gave you it to show the world and not to hide it behind a piece of cloth.
*Muslims believe that fasting during Ramadan and going to Mecca once during your life will give you salvation. Sikhs believe that none of these will help but to worship the Lord’s name.
*Muslims are only allowed to eat halal meat from animals that have been killed during a prayer. Sikhs are forbidden to eat any meat from animals that have died through this way or by slow death.
*All Muslim men must get circumcised in order to be called a Muslim. Sikhs think this is not right because, in that sense, what do the women do?

The Golden Temple:
The Golden Temple or Darbar Sahib is the most sacred place for Sikhs. It is a symbol of strength and magnificence of the Sikhs of the world. The history of this magnificent temple starts with Guru Amar Das who took the first steps to building a shrine that was surrounded by the holy city, Amritsar. He started building this temple around the small pool (later to become the sarowar) that had drawn him to this place. About the time Guru Amar Das died, the Sikhs were ready to finish it and start services there. The Golden Temple is designed to have four doors symbolising that all four castes (Kshatriyas, Brahmins, Sutras and the Vaisyas) are all welcome to this sacred place. The people started to decorate the temple with the gilding, marble, mirrors and the inlay work during the 19th century with maharajah Ranjit Singh as the leader. The holy book was installed here in 1604, three years after it had been completed. It is put in the middle of the temple to symbolise that the Guru Granth Sahib is the heart of Sikhism. Many Sikhs often dream of visiting The Golden Temple.


Conclusion:

There were some things that I disagree to e.g. like what they say about the many gods that Hindus have, the way they kind of the way they make all the Hindus guilty for what happened for 200 years ago. I choose to do a
There are also some things that I think make sense such as the way they criticizes the caste system with the argument ´´all humans are equal in God’s eyes and are all his children``.
I read a lot of facts that I never knew about e.g. that most Sikhs live in India, USA, Br...