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SIKHISM
Sikhism, the youngest among world
religions, arose over 500 years ago in
(sub-continental) India. Sikhism is the third major branch of
Hinduism and was founded by a man
named Nanak, who was born in
India in 1469. The teachings of Sikhism
are a blend of Hinduism and Islam.
Rather than borrowing from the Hindu and
Islamic scriptures, Sikhs wrote their
own scripture, based upon their
interpretation of certain ideas taught
in Hinduism and Islam. The sacred
scriptures of Sikhism are known as the
Granth Sahib, or “Lord’s Book.”
A unique feature of this work is the
number of languages utilized in its
composition, making it nearly impossible
for even learned Sikhs to study these
scriptures, much less the common person.
Sikhism promotes the basic beliefs about God:
- There is only one God
- God is without form, or gender
- Everyone has direct access to God
- Everyone is equal before God
- A good life is lived as part of a community, by
living honestly and caring for others
- Empty religious rituals and superstitions have no
value
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Sikhism teaches that salvation consists
of knowing God, or in obtaining God, or
in being absorbed into God. However,
they also teach that God is unknowable,
and most certainly is unknowable in a
personal sense. God is One, but his
manifestations are many. God is not a
Person, but rather an abstract principle
of truth or reality.
The ten Sikh gurus are Nanak, Angad,
Amar Das, Ram Das, Arjan, Har Gobind,
Har Rai, Har Kishan, Teg Bahadur and Gobind
Singh. The tenth and last guru, Gobind Singh, ended the guru
system and organized the Sikhs into a military theocracy named
Khalsa (Pure). He started the system of pahul or baptism
into Sikhism with water stirred by a dagger, after which one would
be entitled to use the honorific `Singh'(lion) after his name. After
Guru Gobind Singh's death, the Sikhs were divided into 12 groups.
Collective decisions are taken by the leaders of the groups and
taken as coming from God. Gurvani or `the Guru's word' is the
literary expression of Sikh philosophy.
Today their are over 20 million Sikhs worldwide and it is
ranked as the world's 5th largest religion.
Truth is the highest of all
virtues, but higher still is truthful living.
Sikh Proverb
