Sikhism Research Paper

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

Divali(Diwali)-The festival of light is celebrated by Hindu’s as well but for different reasons. Sikh’s celebrate it because it is the anniversary of the release from the imprisonment of the sixth guru Har Gobind. Its an important symbol of freedom.

The main focus of Buddhism is that the faith centers on correct understanding of human nature and ultimate reality, The Buddha was also called the Enlightened One, he taught that the way to eliminate suffering begins with understanding the true nature of the world. He rejected speculation about such matters as God, the nature of the universe, and the afyterlife, urging his folloers to focus instead on the Four Noble Truths by which they can free themselves from suffering. “We do not believe that this world is created and ruled by God.” The disbelief in God does not make Buddhism an atheistic religion. The Buddha rejected the concept of the atman, or soul. In

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

The question of origin- In order for us to completely understand Hinduism, we must first understand that this a philosophical system of beliefs. To give a definite origin of Hinduism would be very hard to address because there are no known origins. There are no beginning points or a name of a founder. Hinduism can be traced all the way back to around 1500 B.C in what we now call India and has a lot of different beliefs, philosophies and views that contradict each other. All Hindus believe in one God, a supreme being known as Brahma. Brahma is an entity believed to live in every single facet of reality and existence throughout the whole universe. Brahma is both impersonal and unknowable and is often believed to exist in three separate forms: Brahma, the Creator, Vishnu, the Preserver, and Shiva, the Destroyer.

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

            Sikhism was founded over 500 years ago, and now has over 20 million members around the world; it is the fifth largest world religion.  Founded by Guru Nanak he believed in a single creator of the world and that there is only one God (Sikhs.org, 2011).  Followers of this religion believe that there are different ways to follow God’s will and that

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.

What is religion? There is much debate to the exact definition of religion but according to the book Introduction to World Religions, “It is commonly used to refer to those beliefs, behaviors, and social institutions that have something to do with speculations on any, and all of the following: the origin, end and significance of the universe; what happens after death; the existence and wishes of powerful, non-human beings such as spirits, ancestors, angels, demons, and gods; and the manner in which all of this shapes human behavior”(Partridge,10). Sikhism first came about hundreds and hundreds of years ago in a community where religious beliefs were split between Hinduism and Islam.

Both Jainism and Sikhism have arisen as alternatives to Hinduism within India. As Molloy highlights, they both share a belief in karma with Hinduism, but both reject the polytheistic and ritualistic elements of Hinduism. Despite these similarities, Jainism and Sikhism are different in their emphasis. The founder of Jainism was named Mahavira. He was the twenty fourth, in a succession of saints, called tirthankaras. Mahavira was born into an aristocratic family, and much of his life is shrouded in legend, but all version of his life story agree, that at the age of 30 he embraced the wandering life of an aesthetic holy man. His is said to have endured much pain, and sacrifice at his own hands, and at the hands of others. During this

Sufism, or tasawwuf as it's called in Arabic, can be describe as a Islamic belief and practice in which followers try to have direct and personal experiences with Allah. It is not fully known where Sufism originated from, but there is two ways people perceive the religion began. The traditional view states that it began in the beginnings of the first centuries following the life of the Prophet Mohammad. However, the other view claims that Sufism existed from the very start of human creation. Which in turn makes any human founder of Sufism impossible.

With the ever increasing diversity in America it is imperative that nurses have a general understanding of differences within cultures. The Islamic culture is one that is increasing rapidly. To date there is an estimated 8 million Muslims in the USA. Being culturally aware of the differences will better prepare the nurse when meeting the patient for the first time and developing the initial relationship and respect. When the patient has full trust and knows the nurse respect his or her culture they will be more at ease during their stay. Understanding the Islamic culture difference including privacy, communication, dietary and end of life care are important.

The man who founded this religion was Zoroaster. He was an old Persian prophet that was born in Northeast Iran or Southwest Afghanistan. He was born into a culture with a polytheistic religion. Many polytheistic religions included sacrificing animals and using intoxicants within rituals. This religion was quite similar to the early forms of Hinduism of the Indus Valley.

The religion of Sikhism originated in Punjab India. It is considered a fairly young religion as it was only formed in and around the 15th century and it contains elements of both Hindu and Muslim. (Euro Tongil, 2015) The religion was formed around 1500 by Guru Nanak and his teachings. He never intended to form a new religion he just disagreed with Muslim and Hindu rituals and holy books. His teachings were mildly different to the teaching of Hinduism and Muslim. Nine gurus came after Guru Nanak to successfully turn Sikhism into the religion it is today. After the fifth guru was killed as he was seen as a threat to authority the sixth guru militarised the community. They began to live in peace again after many fights to preserve their faith. (Bbc.co.uk, 2015) Sikhism is monotheistic religion which they believe in only one God and this god is the god for all religions. The place in which they practice their religion is called the Gurdwara and their holy text is named the Granth Sahib which is also considered to be a Guru and the source of authority in the religion of Sikhism. (Ucc-ie.blackboard.com, 2015) The term Gurdwara in English means Gateway to the Guru. They believe not only should you practice your religion in your own time you also need to attend the Gurdwara. People in the