The phrase Sikh refers to “disciple” in Punjabi, or those who see themselves as disciples or followers of Akal Purakh, the ten Sikh Gurus, and the sacred scripture, the Adi Granth. Sikhs worship Sri Guru Nanak; Guru Nanak was born in 1469 to a higher caste merchant family in a village which is near modern day Lahore, Pakistan. At this time a lot of India was under the Muslim control including the Punjab. The story behind Guru Nanak is that he went to bathe in the Vein River and during this bath he completely disappeared. All of his family looked for him but he could not be found, but three days later he came out of the water and declared, “ There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim.” This statement plays a huge part in this religion because of the two opposing religions, Hinduism and Islam, surrounding Sikhism. Therefore, the ideology behind Sikhism is that there is one God for all religions and that as a Sikh you must follow the writings and teachings of the ten gurus. My goal for this research paper is to compare and contrast what I observed at the Fullerton Gurdwara to what the book, the lectures, and other educational resources say. In the following paragraphs I will discuss clothing etiquette, prayer, and modern Sikhism as observed in the Fullerton Gurdwara.
To start off, when first coming to a Gurdwara I was told to wear traditional clothing such as a shalwar kameez which consists of a long shirt called a kameez and wide, loose pants called a salwar and you must also bring
Attack on the heart of Sikhism, the militaristic and political values over the lives of the innocent shook the entire Sikh religion to its knees. In June 1984, rising tension between the Damdami Taksal led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwal and Indian Army, lead to an assault on the Golden Temple located in Amritsar, where the nationalist group was headquartered. Lasting ten days, the Operation and overall fighting left the death toll to an estimated of 490. The damage to the Golden Temple complex and Sikh community was catastrophic. Battles in the surrounding areas, in the streets where innocents where kept and the involvement of tanks made for the operation to be very chaotic and horrific. In the months following the operation, Indira Gandhi,
The Sikh people do not practice many examples of outward, external worship i especially those that may be troubling. They do practice one outward tradition, though, the wearing of the Five K's. The symbolism behind the five K's remains the focus of their practice. This tradition remains acceptable because it points the Sikh people to their worship, and reinforces the ethics of their religion. The five K's are consistent reminders of God and their devotion to Him. These five symbols include the Kesh, Kangha, Kara, Kachera and Kirpan. The five K's is a tradition that dates back centuries and remain an important part of the Sikh tradition. The pieces help the people reflect on their religion, and focus on righteous living. They view wearing the five K's as a practice necessary for achieving union with God and displaying their devotion. Sikh people do not have to wear all 5 of the K's. Some may wear all of them, and some may only wear one. Many will try to wear as many as possible, although the practicality of the five K's has varied over time. The Kesh is uncut, or natural hair that is not styled. The Kesh is a style for both men and women. Usually, a turban or another fabric cloth that covers a topknot guards the hair. Sikh people recognize their creation by God, and aim to remain as natural as they were made. They believe one should not interfere with their God given form. This supports their belief that everyone is a creation of God, and acknowledges his creations should remain. The Kangha is a small comb that is worn to keep the hair neat. It is more of a practical piece rather than symbolic. The Kangha is mostly a tool that allows the Sikh people to wear their hair naturally and acknowledge their natural appearance and being. The Kara is an iron or steel bracelet that is worn by the Sikh people. It is worn always on the right wrist. The Kara represents both community and unity. The sense of community the Kara brings, is that of the Sikh people. When wearing the Kara, the people believe they are all unified as a singular community. It is an important aspect of the religion to serve each other and remain a unified body. The Kara represents a constant contact and unity with God, and a tool of
When I am preparing or serving food, I always have my head covered. I do not cover my head just at the Gurdwara, but as well as when I am cooking at home because it is a sign of respect. When I am volunteering for community service for my high school clubs, no one covers their head when we are preparing or serving food. Religion is very different compared to high school clubs because we were born with Sikhism and it sticks to us, unlike joining clubs is only during our high school career. We were grown up with our culture and I am dedicated to Sikhism. I feel like all Sikhs are dedicated to our culture rather than the high clubs that we joined. Most Sikhs including me, would die for our religion and not give up our identity for anything else. I am being honest here, I would not die for a high school club that I am in. Culture is more important to me than a high school club because there will be clubs to join here and there, but culture does not work like that. I would not be hurt if the high school clubs that I am currently in were no longer existing rather than my religion being taken away from
One of the youngest amongst the major world religions, is a monotheistic religion that originated in South Asia (sub-continental India) during the 15th century. Founded by by the first guru Nanuk
5. Sikhs believe in reincarnation and karma. This is one of the few fundamental areas that Sikhs adopted from Hinduism.
My purpose to write this essay on Hinduism and sikhism is because the two religions Sikhism and Hinduism is believed to be very similar if not same and the temples is told be almost identical this is ignorance of some people. The two religion have different gods and they represent their gods differently in the place of worship so my question is “how do hinduism and Sikhism represent gods in their places of worship” Which allows me to talk about that they are similar and different and there's individuality in the religion and aren't the same and representing gods in temple is always very important for every religion not just these two.
Religion plays a crucial role in the daily lives of millions of people. This is even more evident in India. Hinduism and Sikhism are two very prominent religions in this nation (Pinkham, 1967). These two religions are closely linked but also have many distinct practices. Issues of the position of women in society, attitudes towards the caste system, and methods of worship are critical aspects of both religions. Among the many distinct practices that are shared between the religions of Hinduism and Sikhism is the status of women. In Hinduism, women can attain a certain status in that they can either become a nun or
Those who are raised within one religious tradition may find it difficult to understand the traditions of another religion. It is not until one is educated in the basics of the other major world religions, that it is possible to see the many similarities between them. Just as there are many similarities between the countries culturally, the major religions share more things than they are different. In viewing Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism with an open mind, it is easy to see the differences, similarities and ideals that make these religions as widespread as they are.
In this essay I am going compare and contrast the rituals/ practices parts of sikhism and judaism. As we discussed in class, Sikhism is Monotheistic religion that was found in Punjab Pakistan in 1469 AD by Guru Nanak Dv Ji. The worship place for this religion is the Gurdwara. In my site visit to the Gurdwara I learned that this place open 24 hour and anyone may enter it no matter their faith, caste or skin color. I also learned that There are daily prayers and the three pillars of sikhism are to remember god at all time, to live your life honestly/with integrity and to share what you have with those less fortunate. In addition, Every day Sikhs worship the one God at their homes, even with or without a Gurdwara service. As we learned in class that in sikhism statues and pictures are not allowed. Furthermore, there is no prophets in Sikhism, only direct relation with god without mediator. The three jewels in Sikhism are Naam Japna,Kirat Karni and Vand chakna (Living Religions page . Additionally, Skishis do not drink intoxicating drinks and most of them are vegetarian. Also, sikhs wear the 5 KS which are Kangha,Kara,Kachera,Kirpan and Kesh. According to the book Living Religion in Skisham , Men should wear turbans and
rebellion and there pretty much was a war. One of the most interesting events that the Sikh extremists did was the attack on the Romanian ambassador. The Sikhs are extremely violent in all their means and a lot of it is also retaliation. But the founder of the religion was a gentle soul. This shows just how easy it is for religion to turn violent. The younger activists had taken over pretty much and now the older Sikh leaders were just there. That is how the religion got so messed up. That 's why they were all about violence and none of the original Sikh views. They did not even achieve any political views. The Sikh terrorist are mainly in India. So even if the government is not the best doesn 't mean people can do whatever that want.
Sikhs believe that you reap what you sew. If you do something bad then eventually that bad deed will catch up to you and you will pay for it. Such ideas are expressed through karma, much like the Hindu belief in karma, Sikhs belief in many lives after death as a result of the karma in the life you just lived. Sikhs disagree with Hinduism when it comes to karma in that they do not believe that people are defenseless beings. In Sikhism the cycle of life and death is regarded as the ultimate punishment and can only be overcome if they conduct themselves in line with the teachings of the Gurus by being Guru-oriented as opposed to being self-oriented (Kalsi,225). In Hinduism there are many gods that are worshiped and many pictures of these gods which is not accepted in Sikhism. The Gurus in Sikhism are considered to be disciples of god but not god himself therefore is not to be worshiped. They were not to be considered divine but enlightened teachers (“History of Sikhism”,
Gura Nanak born in the mid 15th century unlike Mahavira came to a belief in a single God. In addition, he developed the idea that the separation of Muslim and Hinduism into two religions was wrong. As a result of this experience, Nanak like Mahavira sought to spread his teachings by becoming homeless and wandering from place to place. Nanak’s creation was Sikhism, which is a melding of both Hindu and Muslim practices. One practice adopted from Islam, which is in opposition to Jainism is the practice of eating meat. According to Molloy, Nanak believed animals were created for the use of humans. Another emphasis particular to Sikhism is attention toward helping the poor. Nanak
There are many similarities between Sikhism and Islam. They are both monotheistic and they both reject idol worship. Because of these and many other similarities people tend to believe that Sikhism as a branch of Islam, although it is an independent religion. The beard and turbans they wear, as part of their religious belief, is often mistakenly associated with Osama Bin laden and terrorist attacks. Therefore, after September 11th, Sikhs have been mistakenly attacked by Muslim haters.
My choice to compare two religions with so many similarities as Islam and Sikhism is mainly based on the fine, but very distinct differences and the interesting fact that they geographically meet in the Punjab Region between India and Pakistan.
<br>"Maharaja Ranjit Singh ruled his kingdom exactly according to the Sikh way of life and Sikhism considers everyone as friends and talks about the welfare of all irrespective of caste and creed."