Sikhism: The Largest Religion In The World

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 Sikhs are devotees to Sikhism, Sikhism is the youngest of the world’s religion with 25 million followers. Sikhism is only five hundred years old. The founder of Sikhism is Guru Nank, he was born in 1469. Guru Nank spoke a message of “Ek Ong Kar”: we are all one, created by the One Creator of all Creation. Guru Nank was the first of the ten Gurus in Sikhism. Throughout my research I have discovered what each Guru represents to the Sikh community and where Sikhism originated from. The appearance of Sikh devotees is a very important part of the Punjabi Sikh culture. Sikhs are very misunderstood in America and when people see images of Sikhs they are often mistaken for Muslims or terrorists, which often times leads to hate crimes. I’ll be focusing on the history of the Sikhism, Sikhs appearance, ethnocentrism, and cultural relativism. In the end I would like my audience to have an understanding of the Sikh religion, ethnocentrism, and cultural relativism.

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion, as is the norm for religion in the United States with Christianity, which began with the teachings of Guru Nanak in North India during the 1400s. The word Sikh is a Punjabi word that means “learner” in English. Guru Nanak learned from the one “true teacher,” who is God, and also referred to as the Guru in Sikhism. Guru also has special meaning in Sikhism, the light that dispels all darkness, as opposed to other uses of Guru in India. Sikhism emerged from a region that was engaged in conflict between the Muslims and the Hindus, to which Guru Nanak was born. Guru Nanak did not choose sides in this conflict, but rather specified, “There is no Hindu or Muslim, so whose path shall I follow? I shall follow the path of God.” With that mindset and a personal experience with God, Guru Nanak began a religious movement that has lasted to this day. Important contributions to the movement come from his nine succeeding Gurus too (Bowker, 2006;

The first path consists of Samma ditthi, the right understanding of the Four Noble Truths. The second path is Sammas sankappa, the right thinking and following of the right path in life. The third path is called Samma vaca and this is the right speech meaning no lying, criticism, condemning, gossiping, or the use of harsh language. Samma kammanta is the fourth path which says the right conduct by following the Five Precepts. Samma ajiva which states the right livelihood to support yourself without harming others. Samma vayama is the right effect to promote good thoughts and conquer evil thoughts. Samma sati is the right mindfulness that one becomes aware of your body, mind and feelings. The eighth path would be Samma Samadhi which states the right concentration that one can meditate to achieve a higher state of consciousness.

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.

In Chapter ten the history of Hinduism is discussed in America and India. Instead of illustrating the religious doctrines of Hinduism. The author lists statistics about the livelihoods of Asian Indians. For example, there are eighteen different official languages in India. As the author emphasizes that doctrines have nothing to do with Hinduism, but the actions that individuals commit. The orthodoxy is a set of responsibilities that Hindus must carry out. If they wish to be reincarnated into a higher caste. In addition, the origin of Hinduism is mentioned within the chapter. That Hinduism is the only major religion that does not have a founder and has no beginning as there is not a specific known date of when it originated. Moreover, Hinduism is the oldest major religion and is the only polytheistic faith among the five popular creeds.

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

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”,

Religion is a fundamental element of human society. It is what binds a country, society or group of individuals together. However, in some instances it destroys unity amoungst these. Religion is a belief in a superhuman entity(s) which control(s) the universe. Every religion has its differences but most strive for a just life and the right morals. The three major groups are the primal regions which consist of African, Aboriginal and Native American religions, Asian which consist of South Eastern Asian religions and Abrahamic religions which consist of Middle Eastern religions. The foci of this essay are the differences between the Abrahamic religion, Christianity, and the Asian region Buddhism as well as making reference to the Islamic

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

On September 11, 2001, 19 militants linked with al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks on different locations in the United States. More than 3,000 people were unrighteously killed. This tragedy affected Americans everywhere, but one specific religion was attacked twice; first by terrorists, then by their fellow Americans. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that thrives for justice, equality, and honest conduct and livelihood. They make up the world’s fifth largest religion, but are greatly misunderstood as Muslim because their appearance embraces unshorn hair, a beard, and turban for those who are Amritdhari or Keshdhari. Since 9/11, thousands of incidents of hate crimes, racial bullying, and racial profiling against

Sikhism transformed after the eighteenth century. The entitlement of war had made a big impact on power within regions in India. The Early nineteenth century, Sikhs dominated most of the territory in Punjab due to their ruler, Ranjit Singh. The nineteenth century was a time for Sikhs to understand their identity again. A few years later, imperialism appeared in India from British companies. The British controlled Punjab in 1840s. Corruption and oppression raised because British looked at Sikh as enemies. The British colony started creating policies to suppress Sikhs and started instigating tension with other dominant religions in India. In 1947, the partition of India and Pakistan began from India Independence Act. The Sikhs were promised self