The Basic Principles of Sikhism:Inspirational Stories and real life Incidences.

jasbirsingh

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(i) Unity of God : There is but One God. He is Unborn, Omni-potent, Infinite, Formless, All-knowing and All-pervading.

(ii) Equality : All men are equal. God is our Mother & Father and we are His children. There is none high or low on account of birth, sex, position or riches.

(iii) Faith : One must have perfect faith in the Guru. The word Sikhism literally means the way of the disciple. The disciple must follow the Guru's word.

(iv) Love of God : We can love God only when we cease to love ourselves. We must first destroy the ego {haumai}.

(v) Character-building: If the mind is impure, it cannot deserve union with Divinity. Guru Nanak Sahib says : "Truth is no doubt great, but greater is triumphful living." The development of character is the only foundation on which the edifice of disciple-ship can be raised. Conquer the five deadly sins-lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride, Morality is an important step in the path of discipleship.

(vi) Nam Simran : The practice of the Name is an-essential duty of a Sikh. The Guru seeks the dust of the feet of those who remember the Name and make others remember it. Simaran is the practice of the presence of God. It is God-vision. As we think, so we become. It is by meditation that we attain to the glory and greatness of the Almighty.


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jasbirsingh

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Re: The Basic Principles of Sikhism

«Reply #1 on: December 18, 2008, 02:52:50 AM »

"The Palace of the Lord God is so beautiful. Within it, there are gems, rubies, pearls and flawless diamonds. A fortress of gold surrounds this Source of Nectar. How can I climb up to the Fortress without a ladder? By meditating on the Lord, through the Guru,

First Guru Guru Nanak Sahib
Second Guru Guru Angad Sahib
Third Guru Guru Amardas Sahib
Forth Guru Guru Ramdass Sahib
Fifth Guru Guru Arjan Sahib
Sixth Guru Guru Hargobind Sahib
Seventh Guru Guru Har Rai Sahib
Eighth Guru Guru Harkrishan Sahib
Ninth Guru Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib
Tenth Guru Guru Gobind Singh Sahib

I am blessed and exalted. The Guru is the Ladder, the Guru is the Boat, and the Guru is the Raft to take me to the Lord's Name. The Guru is the Boat to carry me across the world-ocean; the Guru is the Sacred Shrine of Pilgrimage, the Guru is the Holy River. If it pleases Him, I bathe in the Pool of Truth, and become radiant and pure." (Guru Nanak, Sri Rag, pg. 17)

The word 'Guru' in Sanskrit means teacher, honored person, religious person or saint. Sikhism though has a very specific definition of the word 'Guru'. It means the descent of divine guidance to mankind provided through ten Enlightened Masters. This honor of being called a Sikh Guru applies only to the ten Gurus who founded the religion starting with Guru Nanak in 1469 and ending with Guru Gobind Singh in 1708; thereafter it refers to the Sikh Holy Scriptures the Guru Granth Sahib. The divine spirit was passed from one Guru to the next as "The light of a lamp which lights another does not abate. Similarly a spiritual leader and his disciple become equal, Nanak says the truth."


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jasbirsingh

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Re: The Basic Principles of Sikhism

«Reply #2 on: December 18, 2008, 02:54:09 AM »

Sri Harmandir Sahib, also known as Sri Darbar Sahib or Golden Temple, (on account of its scenic beauty and golden coating for English speaking world), is named after Hari(God) the temple of God. The Sikhs all over the world, daily wish to pay visit to Sri Amritsar and to pay obeisance at Sri Harmandir Sahib in their Ardas.

Guru Arjan Sahib, the Fifth Nanak, conceived the idea of creating a central place of worship for the Sikhs and he himself designed the architecture of Sri Harmandir Sahib. Earlier the planning to excavate the holy tank (Amritsar or Amrit Sarovar ) was chalked out by Guru Amardas Sahib, the Third Nanak, but it was executed by Guru Ramdas Sahib under the supervision of Baba Budha ji. The land for the site was acquired by the earlier Guru Sahibs on payment or free of cost from the Zamindars (landlords) of native villages. The plan to establish a town settlement was also made. Therefore, the construction work on the Sarovar(the tank) and the town started simultaneously in 1570. The work on both projects completed in 1577 A.D.

Guru Arjan Sahib got its foundation laid by a muslim saint Hazrat Mian Mir ji of Lahore on 1st of Magh, 1645 Bikrmi Samvat(December,1588). The construction work was directly supervised by Guru Arjan Sahib himself and he was assisted by the prominent Sikh personalities like Baba Budha ji, Bhai Gurdas ji, Bhai Sahlo ji and many other devoted Sikhs.

Unlike erecting the structure on the higher level(a tradition in Hindu Temple architecture), Guru Arjan Sahib got it built on the lower level and unlike Hindu Temples having only one gate for the entrance and exit, Guru Sahib got it open from four sides. Thus he created a symbol of new faith, Sikhism. Guru Sahib made it accessible to every person without any distinction of Caste, creed, sex and religion.


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jasbirsingh

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Re: The Basic Principles of Sikhism

«Reply #3 on: December 18, 2008, 02:55:26 AM »

The building work completed in 1601 A.D. on Bhadoon Sudi 1st, 1661 Bikrmi Samvat (August/September,1604). Guru Arjan Sahib installed newly created Guru Granth Sahib, in Sri Harmandir Sahib and appointed Baba Budha ji as its first Granthi i.e. the reader of Guru Granth Sahib. After this event it attained the status of ‘Ath Sath Tirath’. Now the Sikh Nation had their own Tirath, a pilgrimage center

Sri Harmandir Sahib, is built on a 67ft. square platform in the centre of the Sarovar(tank). The temple itself is 40.5ft. square. It has a door each on the East, West, North and South. The Darshani Deori (an arch) stands at the shore end of the causeway. The door frame of the arch is about 10ft in height and 8ft 6inches in breath. The door panes are decorated with artistic style. It opens on to the causeway or bridge that leads to the main building of Sri Harmandir Sahib. It is 202 feet in length and 21 feet in width.

The bridge is connected with the 13 feet wide ‘Pardakshna’ (circumambulatory path). It runs round the main shrine and it leads to the ‘Har ki Paure’ (steps of God). On the first floor of ‘Har ki Paure’, there is continuous reading of Guru Granth Sahib.

The main structure of Sri Harmandir Sahib, functionally as well as technically is a three-storied one. The front, which faces the bridge, is decorated with repeated cusped arches and the roof of the first floor is at the height of the 26 feet and 9 inches.


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jasbirsingh

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Re: The Basic Principles of Sikhism

«Reply #4 on: December 18, 2008, 02:57:08 AM »

Main Principles

Main Principles. The word 'Sikh' means a disciple. So Sikhism is essentially the path of discipleship. The true sikh remains unattached to worldly things just as the lotus keeps its blossom over and above the surface of water. The Sikh must do his duty to his family and to the community. The main thing is leading a pure and moral life, full of noble deeds and kind words. A Sikh does not regard fasting, austerities, pilgrimages, alms-giving and penance as important things.

Bhagti: Those who know the importance of Bhagti feel like Guru Nanak Sahib that forgetting God is just like death and brooding upon His Name is life and joy. Without the nectar of God's name, the polgrim dies his misery. But Bhagti is possible after certain conditions are fulfilled:

i) Faith in God.
ii) Following Truth.
iii) Unattachment and desirelessness.
iv) Control over throught, word and deed.
v) Association with holy men(Satsang)
vi) Humanity and submission to Hukam.


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jasbirsingh

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Re: The Basic Principles of Sikhism

«Reply #5 on: December 18, 2008, 02:59:41 AM »

Salvation/Mukti: The Guru says, "The man of God rejects salvation. He wants only love of God and nothing else. The joys of heaven are nothing as compared to the merging in the Divine Spirit. The ultimate goal of man is union with God. Man does not become God, only the spark merges in the fire. This is called self-identification." A man may have done many noble deeds but if he has not undertaken meditation on God, he cannot have any hope of Mukti. Guru Nanak Sahib says in Asa-di-Var: "That is true knowledge when the thruth is in the heart, when the dirt of falsehood vanishes and life is pure and clean. That is true living when one fixes one's love on truth and finds joy in the hearing of the Name."

Need of Guru: Almost all the great religions of the world emphasis the need of a preceptor or Guru or holy man for the attainment of salvation. The Vedas enumerate the qualities of a religious guide. Even Guru Nanak Sahib empha-sises that bliss can be obtained only through the grace of the Guru. Sikhism does not recognise either chosen prophets or chosen people. Guru Nanak Sahib did not insist on a physical Guru (Dehdari}. His own Guru was God Himself. What is important is not the person but the word-"The word is the Guru. The Guru is the word. If the devotee follows what the word says, surely the Guru will save him." That is why Guru Gobind Singh Sahib installed Sri Granth Sahib as Guru for all time. We do not need any man as Guru because the word is now with us. Guru Arjan Sahib says, "Without a Guru, liberation cannot be won. The Guru is my boat, which will ferry me across the rough ocean of existance." The Guru destroys illusions and attachment to worldly objects.


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jasbirsingh

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Re: The Basic Principles of Sikhism

«Reply #6 on: December 18, 2008, 03:00:40 AM »

Guru Ramdas Sahib says, "The Guru is the Sikh and the Sikh who practices the Guru's word is equal to the Guru." Guru Gobind Singh Sahib says, "I live and have my being in the Khalsa." The Guru lives in the form of the Panth. He resides in the Sangat. All the Gurus are identical with Nanak. Guru Gobind Singh Sahib passed on the corporal succession to the Panth, which is regarded as the embodiment of the Guru. The Panth represents the Guru and it is progressing, With the passage of time, the Panth is evolving. It is a dynamic and corporate personality with authority to make decisions (Gurmatas) binding on the Sikhs. In this way, there is a two-fold concept of Guru-dom, one permanent, the other progressive. The Word is the embodiment of eternal and changless truth, while the Panth is the progressive, collective personality of the Guru in Sikhs.

Guru Granth Sahib is the living embodiment of the Ten Gurus. It is the living flame of the Name, which lights the lamp of the disciple. There is no place for a living Guru in the Sikh religion, bacause Gurbani is Guru and Guru is Gurbani. After all, what the Guru does is to guide the disciple by means of words, in the same way Guru Granth Sahib guides the Sikh through its song-message. When a Sikh is in doubt about any principle of Sikhism, he refers the matter to the Panth for decision.


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jasbirsingh

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Re: The Basic Principles of Sikhism

«Reply #7 on: December 18, 2008, 03:04:09 AM »

Sword in Sikhism

Very many people question the need of Kirpan or the sword in the atomic age. Others require an explanation for the wearing of the sword. How can sword he reconciled with spirituality ? Even before Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, his grand father Guru Hargobind had donned the sword as a twin-symbol of temporal and spiritual power(Miri & Piri). He had maintained an army and taken part in military operations against the Mughal forces.

Guru Gobind Singh Sahib justified the use of the sword as a duty and as a means of protecting the weak and the oppressed. With human brutes, non-violence is meaningless. Guru Gobind Singh Sahib says:

When the affairs are past other remedies,
It is justifiable to unsheath the sword.

Tyrants are like mad dogs and wolves. They should be opposed in the interests of the good of humanity as a whole. The sword is neither to be used for conquest nor for wrecking vengeance. The sword is meant only for self-defence or for the good of the people. In cases of injustice and intolerance, the refusal to use the sword may do more harm than good. The Sikh's sword is not an instrument of offence but a symbol of independence, self-respect and power. Guru Gobind Singh Sahib called it Durga or Bhagwati and praises it thus :

Sword that smites in a flash,
That scatters the armies of the wicked
In the great battle-field,
0 symbol of the brave.
Your arm is irresistible, your brightness shines forth
The splendour of the black dazzles like the sun.
Sword, you are the scourge of saints,
You are the scourge of the wicked ;
Scatterer of sinners, I take refuge with you.
Hail to the Creator. Saviour and sustainer,
Hail to you : Sword supreme !


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jasbirsingh

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Re: The Basic Principles of Sikhism

«Reply #8 on: December 18, 2008, 03:05:11 AM »

Duties of the Khalsa

In one of his poems, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib defines the Khalsa :

"He who repeats night and day the name of Him,
Who has full love and confidence in God,
Who bestows not a thought on anv but one God,
Whose enduring light is inextinguishable,
Who puts no faith in fasting and worshipping cemeteries and monasteries,
Who only recognises the one God and makes no fetish, Of pilgrimages,
alms, charities and austerities:

He is recognised as a true member of theKhalsa,
In whose heart the light of the Perfect One shines."


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jasbirsingh

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Re: The Basic Principles of Sikhism

«Reply #9 on: December 18, 2008, 03:06:26 AM »

Guru Gobind Singh Sahib laid down the following duties for the Khalsa :

I. The Khalsa is to worship one God and read Nitname (Five Banis) and daily meditate on the Name.

II. He is to keep the symbols (Panj Kakar) and to lead his life according to the Guru's teaching. Gurmantra is Waheguru and the Basic creed is Mool-manlra.

III. He has no caste after joining the brother-hood ; he has to repudiate non-Sikh rites and ceremonies, and follow only Sikh practices.

IV. He is not to commit 'any of the four misdeeds (Kurahat) namely, the shaving or cutting of hair, eating Halal meat, adultery and the use of tobacco or any other intoxi-cant.

V. He is not to commit any of the social offences (Tankhah), such as giving dowry, using liquors and intoxicants, raising monuments over graves and associating with apostates.

VI He must contribulc one-tenth {daswand) of his income for religious purposes.

VII He is to serve the sangat in all ways

VIII He must practice arms and be ready defend the weak.


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jasbirsingh

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Re: The Basic Principles of Sikhism

«Reply #10 on: December 18, 2008, 03:07:51 AM »

The Khalsa was a saint-soldier wedded to the two-fold ideal of Bhagti and Shakti. He was to combine self-respect with humility.Guru Gobind Singh Sahib though a creator of the Khalsa regarded himself as their servent . He says, " To serve them pleases me the most; no other service is so dear to my soul." Like a loving father, he was prepared to forgive the sudden lapses of the Khalsa as in the case of the "Forty Immortals", whom he claimed as his own in the nick of time. The Khalsa was given a position equal to that of the Guru. The Guru consists of two parts : the body and the Name. The Guru nominated the Khalsa, as his body and Guru Granth Sahib as the embodiment the Name. That is why we use the title of Guru-Khalsa. The Guru acknowledged his debt to the Khalsa in one of his verses.

"It is through them that I have gained experience ; with their help I have subdued my enemies. Through their favour, I am exalted, otherwise there are millions of ordinary humble men like me."

Meaning of Symbols: Symbols or outward signs are a mode of discipline. A person who enters the Panth (Khalsa Community) will gladly embrace all its tenets and symbols. Symbols test the disciple's firmness and strengh of faith. They indicate the type of character the wearer should have. He must be proud of being a Sikh, even though it may cost him his life. Secondly this common appearance and uniform ensures easy recognition One can easily spot a Khalsa in a crowd. Each symbol has its own use and psychological significance.


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jasbirsingh

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Re: The Basic Principles of Sikhism

«Reply #11 on: December 18, 2008, 03:09:41 AM »

The significance of Symbols-Panj Kakar- is given below :

I. Underwear {Kachha) ensures agility and briskness. It is a mark of perpetual readi-ness. It also stands for chastity.

II. Wrist-band {Kara} is a sign of restraint and bondage. It indicates that one is a devotee of the Guru. A look at the wrist-band will bring shame to a Sikh when he does any misdeed.

III. Sword (Kirpan) is an emblem of power and courage. It is to be used primarily as an instrument of defence.

IV. Unshorn Hair {Kes) is an embtem of the saints and Rishis of the past.

V. Comb {Kanga} is necessary to keep the hair clean and in shape. The hair make a Khalsa look exactly like Guru Gobind Singh Sahib and enable him to behave exactly like the Guru. Guru Gobind Singh Sahib says, "The Khalsa is my special form ;I live in the embodiment of the Khalsa. The Khalsa is a part and parcel of my body ; the Khalsa is my very soul."


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khwahish

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Re: The Basic Principles of Sikhism

«Reply #12 on: December 18, 2008, 04:27:14 AM »

Jasbir Bro, I salute you..

Aapne jo likha hai:THE BASIC PRINCIPLLES OF SIKHISM..aaj Sikhism Ko Lekar bahut si misconceptions hoti hai logon ke dil mein..yahan par aapne yeh clear bataya hai ki, SIKHISM kya hai..aur iske principles kya hai..

Thankyou for giving so much of time to this particular thread ,Kyonki Poetries to har koi likh leta hai par yeh asal padhai hai...

Waheguruji Ka Khalsa
Waheguruji Ki Fateh


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jasbirsingh

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Re: The Basic Principles of Sikhism

«Reply #13 on: December 18, 2008, 11:38:14 AM »

Quote from: khwaish on December 18, 2008, 04:27:14 AM

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA
WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH

SIKHISM meh sab sey pehley yehi sikhaya gaya hai ki Fateh ka Jawaab Fateh sey doh.

and thanks a lot KHWAISH ki aap koh yeh thread pasand aaya. Aap neh sahi kaha ki bahut sey mis-conception they Sikhism koh leh key. Tabhi thodi koshish ki , ki kuch SIKHISM key barey meh bataya jaye.

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA
WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH


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honeyrose

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Re: The Basic Principles of Sikhism

«Reply #14 on: December 21, 2008, 07:43:14 AM »

Thanks jasbir ji for sharing wonderfull post..

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA
WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH


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