It is the duty of every Sikh to practice Naam Simran (meditation on God’s name) daily and engage in Seva (selfless service) whenever there is a possibility- in Gurdwara; in community centre; old people’s homes; care centres; major world disasters, etc. Guru Nanak formalised these three aspects of Sikhism: Naam Japna – to engage in a daily practice of meditation and Nitnem by reciting and chanting of God’s Name. Kirat Karni – to live honestly and earn by ones physical and mental effort while accepting God’s gifts and blessings.
A Sikh has to live as a householder carrying out his or her duties and responsibilities to the fullest. Vand Chakna – to share their wealth within the community and outside by giving Dasvand and practising charity (Daan), to “share and consume together.” The Sikh Gurus tell us that our mind and spirit are constantly being attacked by the Five Evils (or Five Thieves); Kam (Lust), Krodh (Rage), Lobh (Greed), Moh (Attachment) and Ahankar (Ego). A Sikh needs to constantly attack and overcome these five vices.
The Sikh Gurus taught the Sikhs to develop and harness the Five Virtues which lead the soul closer to God and away from evil. These are Sat (Truth), Daya (Compassion), Santokh (Contentment), Nimrata (Humility) and Pyare (Love).
Message for the World
For the Gurus promoted all human beings as one and the same, and they are all above discrimination. The Gurus showed real love for all of humanity. Muslims were equally dear to them as Hindus, or any others. It is well known that Bhai Mardana a Muslim, spent his whole adult life with Guru Nanak, accompanying Guru with his Rabab as a musician and the Guru’s closest companion everywhere that the Guru went.
The foundation of Harimandir Sahib in Amritsar – the premier Sikh shrine, was laid by a Muslim saint Hazrat Mian Mir. Guru Arjun Dev incorporated in Guru Granth Sahib – the Sikh Holy Book, hymns of God-oriented saints – both Hindus as well as Muslims. Hymns of any saint that found a place in this Holy Book, are honoured like those of the Gurus, and every Sikh bows equally in reverence to all of them.
The Sikh faith is the faith of preaching; of dialogue; and not of conversions. It is a truly interfaith approach to universal brotherhood of humanity undertaken when the word ‘interfaith’ did not exist.
Principles
One Source
One God: Sikhi is a monotheistic and a revealed religion. In Sikhi, God—termed Vahiguru—is shapeless, timeless, and sightless (i.e., unable to be seen with the physical eye): nira?kar, akaal, and alakh. The beginning of the first composition of Sikh scripture is the figure “1”—signifying the universality of God
Equality
1. People of all religions and races are welcome in Sikh Gurdwaras
2. Women have equal status with men in religious services and ceremonies
Human Life Precious Above Other Life
1. The human life is supreme and it is through this life that we can achieve oneness with God’s will.
2. Finding God in this life and living by his commands helps us to attain God’s mercy.
These can be summed up in the Mool Mantar:
1. One Universal Creator God
2. The Supreme Unchangeable Truth
3. The Creative Being
4. Without Fear
5. Without Hate
6. Timeless whose spirit is throughout the universe
7. Beyond the cycle of death and rebirth
8. Self-existent
9. By the grace of the guru
10. God is made known to humanity.
11. Chant and meditate on His name
12. True in the beginning, true now, and says Nanak, will be true forever
The Five Ks
The 5 Ks date from the creation of the Khalsa Panth by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.
The Guru introduced them for several reasons:
Adopting these common symbols would identify members of the Khalsa Because all members of the Khalsa wear the 5 Ks the members of the community are more strongly bound together Each K has a particular significance
Five Articles of Faith
Sikhs have five articles of faith natively known as Kakaars or Five K’s. The articles include Kesh (uncut hair), Kanga (comb), Kara (Bracelet), Kirpan (sword) and Kachehra (a special type of shorts). A baptized Sikh is to wear all five articles of faith. These articles are not merely symbols, they not only represent or identify a Sikh but also have deep meanings. Guru Gobind Singh Ji created a lifestyle to keep a Sikh focused life. Guru’s lifestyle does not let one dwindle or get side tracked.
Kesh
Hair is not just a symbol, it is the gift from God. Guru Nanak Dev Ji started the practice of keeping the hair unshorn. The keeping of hair in its natural state is regarded as living in harmony with the will of God. It is also a symbol of Khalsa brotherhood and the Sikh faith. Hair is an integral part of the human body created by God and Sikhism call for its preservation. Sikhs live the way God made humans and never cut their hair. Guru Gobind Singh Ji instructed Sikh to wear Turban in order to protect their hair. Turban has many purposes and one is to keep a Sikh focused in his beliefs.
Kanga
The comb is necessary to keep the hair clean and tidy. A Sikh must comb his hair twice a day and tie his turban neatly. The Gurus wore turbans and instructed the Sikhs to wear turbans for the protection of hair, promotion of social identity and cohesion. It has thus become an essential part of the Sikh dress.
Kara
The bracelet symbolizes restrain from evil deeds. It is worn on the right wrist and reminds the Sikh of the vows taken by him. Sikh as a servant of the Guru, should not do anything which may bring shame or disgrace. When he looks at the Kara, he is made to think twice before doing anything evil with his hands.
Kirpan
The sword is the emblem of courage and self-defense. It symbolizes dignity, self-reliance, capacity and readiness to always defend the weak and the oppressed. It helps sustain one’s martial spirit and the determination to sacrifice oneself in order to defend truth, fight against oppression and fight to preserve Sikh moral values. The rule is never to do injustice and never let anyone perform injustice. A Sikh is a devotee first and to protect his devotion, a Sikh is a warrior as well. A real Sikh will never let weapons take the precedence over his spiritual values and devotion. A real Sikh will always help the one in need and fight for him/her regardless of the person’s caste, color or religion. When all other means of self-protection fail, the Sikh can use his sword to protect himself and others. A Sikh is never to use his sword to attack anyone.
Kachehra
Kachehra, under shorts, symbolizes to live a faithful life. It reminds the Sikh of the need for self-restrain over passions, lust and desires. Apart from its moral significance, it ensures briskness during action and freedom of movement at all times. During today’s dark world filled with lust, if a Sikh ever gets carried away in the moment of lust, the Kachehra refrains one from making wrong moves and reminds him of his duties. The Five K’s are not supposed to foster exclusiveness or superiority. They are meant to keep the Sikhs united in the pursuit of ideal life. The articles of faith enable Sikhs to keep their vows made at the time of baptism. Wearing the symbols of faith keeps one close to being a Sikh and being a Sikh brings one closer to God.
Each and every one of Gurus’ teachings have a purpose and meaning because it was told to them by God Himself. God has created a religion, a path, a faith, which brings one closer to God and helps one to Unite with Him. In order to meet God, one has to live an honest life and meditate on God. Sikh Gurus themselves lived an honest life and showed everyone how it can be done while living a family life. If one is not a Sikh, it is harder to live truly. One Sikh writes his experience about his turban as follows: “My turban has saved me so many times that I cannot even begin to explain. Like most, I am also filled with greed. I even thought about cheating my way to make money. But everytime I think about it, I think about my turban.
A thought comes in my mind that how will my Guru feel if I do such a thing. I am a Sikh and a Sikh must walk on the path of humility and respect and live happily with whatever God has given me. If I have not had a turban on my head, I probably would have become a master-mind at stealing money. My turban saves me.” The Sikh symbols keeps a Sikh focused. It saves a Sikh from bad company and keeps a Sikh close to God. Guru created a lifestyle which helps one to be close to God and less likely to detour. Nowadays, rare are Sikhs that walk in the path shown by the Guru. Rare are the ones that do not cut their hair and live an honest life like a Sikh is suppose to. To the ones that follow the path shown by God, Guru Nanak says, he is willing to sacrifice himself for them.
Core values
There is one God
1. One God:- of all the Universe – The fundamental belief of Sikhism is that God exists, not merely as an idea or concept, but as a Real Entity, indescribable yet knowable and perceivable to anyone who is prepare to dedicate the time and energy to become perceptive to His persona. The Gurus never spoke about proofs of the existence of God: For them He is too real and obvious to need any logical proof.
Equal rights for the Woman
2. Gender equality:- From about 1499, woman has always been regarded as equal with man and has all the rights and privileges enjoyed by a man. She is considered to have the same soul as man and has equal right to grow spiritually. The Sikh woman is allowed to lead religious congregations, to take part in Akhand Path (the continuous recitation of the Holy Scriptures), to perform Kirtan, to work as Granthi (priest) or a preacher and to participate freely in all religious, cultural, social, political and secular activities.
Equality of all Mankind
3. Race equality:- The Sikh Gurus have emphasised the concept of the equality of mankind in the sacred verses found in the Sikh holy scripture, Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Nanak says in Japji Sahib: “Accept all humans as your equals, and let them be your only sect” (Japji 28).
And Guru Gobind Singh in his compositions tells the world: “manas ki jat sabhe eke paihcanbo – recognise all of mankind as a single caste of humanity”. Therefore, Sikhs believe that all human beings are equal. “We are all sons and daughters of Waheguru, the Almighty Lord” is the message promoted by the Sikh Gurus.
Focus on & Remember God
4. Remember God:- This part of the three pillars of Sikhism; the remembrance of God by repeating and focussing the mind on His name and His blessings. The names given to God primarily refer to the attributes of the Almighty and His various qualities. The guideline in the Sikh scriptures demands that the Sikh engages in Naam Simran as part of his or her everyday routine.
Work hard in life
5. Honest work:- To work and earn by the “sweat of the brow”, to live a family way of life, and practice truthfulness and honesty in all dealings is a fundamental part of Sikhi. The term mean to carry out good deeds and earn a honest, pure and upright livelihood by exercising ones God given skills, abilities, talents and hard labour for the benefit and improvement of the individual, their family and society at large.
6. Share with others:- to share ones wealth with others in the community, to give to charity, to distribute in Langar (free Kitchen) and to generally help others in the community who need help. A Sikh is expected to contribute at least 10% of their wealth/income called Dasvandh to the needy people of the world or to a worthy cause.
Help others
7. Do Sewa:- is a word used to refer to “selfless service”, performed without any thought of reward or personal benefit. All Sikhs are encouraged by their Guru, Guru Granth Sahib to perform selfless voluntary service for the community. This is not only good for community relations but also is good for the moral uplifting of the person. Sikhs should engage in in free service in Gurdwaras washing dishes, cleaning the floors, serving food; in community centres; in hospitals, etc
Protect the rights of others
8. Respect for rights of others:- In this regard, the ninth Nanak, Guru Tegh Bahadur provides a very valuable lesson for the Sikhs and for the other concerned peoples of the world relating to the security and protection of all human beings within our society. It is very common for communities to protect their own members. The evidence for this, is well documented in the history of mankind.
In protecting or seeking to spread their own religious beliefs or their own traditions or culture, they sometime decimate or destroy the beliefs and ways of others; when one becomes self-centred on ones “own people” or ones “own religion”, or ones “own community”; this can become the beginning of serious problems and many major conflicts have started in this way. The Guru showed the world how one should care for their neighbour and protect their rights; He stood by the Kashmiri Hindus to protect their way of life.
Be ever ready to sacrifice for others
9. Right to defend:- Guru Gobind Singh has very clearly set the mission for the Sikhs to tread the unique path of Akal Purakh ki Fauj – the ‘Army of Lord’ to protect and serve all the peoples of the World – only then can it be rightly called “Akal Purakh ki Fauj”. When the Khalsa starts serving the needs of a few, or starts being concerned only with itself, it will fail in its duties as set out by the tenth Guru.
Be fearless
10. Fear none but God:- It is known that fear is an emotional response to threats and danger. Although fear is different from anxiety, which typically occurs without any external threat, the two bring much pain and misery to the person who is suffering from these two emotions. Fear is related to the specific behaviours of escape and avoidance, while anxiety is the result of threats that are perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable.
The Guru Granth Sahib offers guidance on how one should become fearless in their life. The trials and tribulation of modern life means that both these ailments are on the increase in the world; many suffer from anxiety and fear due to losing one’s identity and/or security; from constant and sustained financial, health and emotional pressures; from humiliation, oppression, victimization, feelings of inferiority, persecution of one’s group, and other kinds of discrimination, etc. These external agents are relentless and become such a strain that many suffer constantly in pain.
Care for all humanity
11. Sewa and support for the weak:- Sikhism is founded on the principles of Sarbat da bhalla – working towards the “common good of all”. For Sikhs, this means reaching out to serve and uplift all of humanity as an expression or devotion to the Creator. Many other Sikh institutes, such as Guru-ka-Langar, Kirtan, Paath, etc., depend on the performance of Seva by many in the congregation. So the principles of Seva underpin many Sikh values – such is the importance given to Seva in Sikhism.
Seva or Karseva also shortened to ‘Sewa’ is a word used to refer to “selfless service” or “free-voluntary service”, performed without any thought of reward or personal benefit. Doing ‘Seva’ is a central Sikh tenet; all Sikhs are encouraged by their Guru (Guru Granth Sahib) to perform Seva or Selfless Service within the community. Not only is this good for community relations but it is also good and moral uplifting of the person performing the voluntary service.
Live to the highest spiritual level
12. Live to the highest spiritual level:- O Lord, give me this boon. May I never ever shirk from doing good deeds. Never may I fear when I go to fight the enemy. With surety, victory will be mine Be bold and positive in your life; do not shirk away from doing good despite obstacles; pursue good missions to the end.
Be gentle, act with humility
13. Don’t use force:- Kabeer, to use force is tyranny, even if you call it legal. When your account is called for in the Court of the Lord, what will your condition be then? ॥187॥
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