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The Religion of Sikhism

Decent Essays

Sikhism is the youngest of the world’s five great monotheistic religions. In 1801, the Sikh state was founded in Northern India by Maharaja Ranjit Singh based on the teachings of Guru Nanak, who is also the founder. The teachings of Sikhism are summed up by Guru Nanak in these words: “Realization of truth is higher than all else. Higher still is truthful living” (Teece). Sikhs have a variety of teachings in their culture and religion, but the ones I found emphasized the principles of equality of all humans and rejection of discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, and gender. Like other religious founders, Guru Nanak was fascinated by God and religion and starting at a young age he did not participate in religious rituals and often meditated alone. As a young man, he took many missionary trips because of his desire to explore and gain knowledge. There is one primary source of scripture for the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib or the Adi Granth. The two texts are used interchangeably, and the Guru Granth Sahib can be called the first volume. However, the two books have different compilations. The first, Adi Granth, was created by Guru Arjan in 1604 and the Guru Granth Sahib was later compiled by Guru Gobind Singh. Who and what is a Sikh? The word 'Sikh' in the Punjabi language means 'disciple'. Sikhs are the disciples of God who follow the writings and teachings of the Ten Sikh Gurus. The wisdom of these teachings in Guru Granth Sahib is practical and universal in their

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