Yesterday, while browsing YT for videos that I can watch/listen to before sleeping, I stumbled upon a You do not have permission to view the full content of this post.
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Log in or register now.. I've seen the symbol of Sikhism countless times when playing Civilization games and have always been wondering what religion that symbol is for, and what the religion is all about. So I clicked the video and I was surprised with how much some of its beliefs align with my own.
I decided to transcribe the video (not all, but most words that were spoken, sadly Cogito doesn't upload his transcripts for his videos. That would've been so much easier for me. xD)
SIKHISM
It is the 5th largest and youngest of the world religions—a religion that preaches about love, peace, and the equality of humankind.
Sikhism originated in the Punjab area of India and Pakistan, 500 years ago. The Punjab, the land of five rivers, is one of the most historically and culturally dense regions on Earth. Today there are about 25 million Sikhs. They make up about 2% of India's population but about 60% of the Punjab's. The Sikh diaspora is spread out across the world with concentrations in the UK, Canada, The US, East Africa, Australia, and Malaysia. Sikhs interestingly enough make up almost 1.5% of Canada's population which is second only to India.
The Core Beliefs of Sikhism:
1. One God
Sikhs believe in a formless, genderless, universal God. Beyond description. This God is all of reality and is within everything. They believe that no idol or image can ever represent this being. This One God could be represented in many different ways. No religion had a monopoly on the truth. This God could be known as Allah, Vishnu, The Tao, Yahweh, or any other name of belief. There is no need to fight over whose god was the true God, as they were all the same One.
"Recognize all mankind, whether Muslim, Hindu, as one. The same God is the Creator and Nourisher of all; Recognize no distinctions among them. The temple and mosque are the same; So are Hindu Worship and Muslim Prayer. Human beings are all one." - Guru Gobind Singh
The lack of gender for this One God means that there is no difference between men and women in Sikhism. Sikhism was among the first major world religions to make the radical suggestion that maybe women are human beings too. Women in Sikhism have fought in battles, led religious services, and even acted as some of the longest-reigning leaders of the entire community.
Sikhism isn't based on doing things to get into some heaven or hell. Hell is just life on Earth, which your soul is constantly reborn into after you die. (Which is pretty dark). Sikhs believe in reincarnation and karma, similar to Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains. BUT. Sikhs believe that karma is modified by God. As in karma might decide what life you're born in to but God make sure that everyone can become a good person in their lifetime if they try.
The goal of Sikh life is to break free from the cycle of rebirth by merging their soul back into God's soul. One does this by realizing that you are already a part of God, you just need to let go of your ego.
When your soul remerges back into God's, this is called 'Mukti', which is similar to Hinduism's 'moksha' and means liberation. When you remerge, your soul is released from the cycle of rebirth and death, and become infinite, timeless, and blissful. This is the closest thing Sikhs have to heaven.
2. Maya
Sikhs believe that God is reality, God is the universe that we exist in. But we forget this because humans are distracted by illusion or 'Maya', which is anything that takes your mind off God. Maya keeps people trapped in the cycle of rebirth and death.
Guru Nanak thought that Maya built a wall between people and God. The wall of Maya is built with 5 Thieves:
Lust
Anger
Greed
Attachment
Pride
It is the duty of all Sikhs to avoid these thieves. The five thieves are caused by 'Haumai', literally meaning ''I - Myself'. Haumai makes people say, "I am this, I am that" -- it separated you from others. Which blocks you from realising your oneness with God. This ego causing people to live only for themselves, to spew negativity, and to crave power and wealth.
Such a person is called 'Manmukh', facing towards desires. Guru Nanak saw the world's problems as the negative effects of ego. Hindu Vs Muslim, Israeli Vs Palestinian, Toilet Paper Vs Bidet, Black Vs White. All of these conflicts are caused by Ego and Maya. The Guru Sahib said, "It is not religion, or race but it is the wealth that divides brothers".
But Guru Nanak taught that there was another direction people could face. By being a spiritual person, practising Compassion, Truth, Contentment, Humility, and Love, and meditating on God, you could instead become 'Gurmukh', facing towards the Guru.
How does one become Gurmukh and egoless? Sikhism offers a path to follow that can help, called The Three Pillars.
3. The Three Pillars
The Three Pillars are:
Naam Japo : Meditation on God and reciting of God's name. This is normally done in the morning and before bed. This isn't supposed to just be some mindless ritual either. Sikhs are supposed to genuinely reflect on the qualities of God as they do this.
Kirat Karni : Working hard and making an honest living. Guru Nanak said, "Only he who earns his living by the sweat of his brow and shares his earnings with others has discovered the path of righteousness".
Wand Chhakna : Sharing the fruits of your labour with others, providing free food, and donating to the community. The Sikh tradition of a communal meal at that Gurdwaras is a part of Wand Chhakna. The langar or community free kitchen inside a Sikh gurdwara, is their equivalent of a mosque or church, is open to all who visit. Regardless of caste, faith, sexuality or gender. These serve vegetarian food to all, not because Sikhs have to be vegetarian, but simply because that means all people of all diets can partake.
Guru Nanak claimed that an enlightened person is 'those who view everyone equally, like the air touching the king and beggar alike'.
Another vital part of Sikhism that isn't one of the Three Pillars, is Seva - selfless service. Through service to their community, Sikhs can become humble and overcome their ego. Seva can include cleaning up the gurdwara, preparing food or cleaning dishes in the langar, or it can include volunteering, building things for your community.
Through remembering God's name, honest work, and sharing, along with selfless service, and avoiding the Five Thieves, a person can rid themselves of egoism and be released from the cycle of rebirth and death.
4. The Khalsa
The Khalsa gave the Sikhs a new unified identity. Tied together as one family, with one name, without caste, with the goal of defending the weak and promoting justice. The Khalsa were also given new rules to follow which includes the wearing of the panj kakaar or the 5 K's.
Kes - uncut hair to represent discipline
Kargha - a small comb in the hair
Kirpan - a sword to uphold justice and protect the wake. (Nowadays it's usually a small sword). It is not an offensive weapon and the Sikh Code of Conduct claims it can only be used to 'destroy tyrants and oppressors. It must not be used for anything else'.
Kachhahira - a kind of loose-fitting boxer shorts, to represent sexual restraint
Kara - a steel bracelet, it's circular shape represents the infinity of God
Interestingly, the turban is not one of the Five K's. Instead, it is worn to cover the Sikh's long uncut hair. Turbans have become essential to Sikh identity and hold very special significance to them. If you see someone wearing a turban, chances are, that vast majority of the time, that person will be a Sikh, not a Muslim.
5. Guru Granth Sahib
The Holy Book of the Sikhs. It contains the teachings of the Gurus and acts as a spiritual guide for Sikhs around the world. It is probably one of the only Holy Books that contains not only the writings of the religion's founders, written by themselves, rather than after their death. But also the writings of people from other faiths. The writings of Muslims and Hindus can be found throughout along with references to Judaism, Buddhism, and Christianity.
6. Gurdwaras
Sikhs gather ar gurdwaras, a word meaning 'doorway to the Guru'. A gurdwara is only a gurdwara because it has a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib in it.
Men and women of all castes and social standing gather there to join in prayer, singing, and eating. This is where you'll find the langar. Anyone can visit a Gurdwara and partake in the service and meal. You only need to follow basic etiquette. Cover your head, remove your shoes, wash your hands as you enter, and don't bring any ******* or drugs inside.
The most important Gurdwara in the world is the Hari Mandir or Golden Temple, located in Amritsar, India. In 1604CE, Guru Arjan completed work on the Golden Temple and had the Guru Granth Sahib installed inside it.
As a gesture of religious tolerance, Guru Arjan invited a Muslim, Mian Mir, to lay the foundation stone of the Golden Temple. The temple has four doors opening on all four sides, to show the openness to all cultures and peoples. But on the inside, only one door leads to the inner sanctum, indicating that all paths and beliefs eventually lead to the One God.
The Golden Temple is the most visited place in the world with around 6 million visitors each year. The Langar at the Golden Temple serves a free meal to about 100,000 people each day, making it the world's largest free serving kitchen. All run and staffed by volunteers. And the waiting list to volunteer in the Golden Temple has hundreds of thousands of names on it.
I am a nominal Catholic. I haven't uttered a prayer nor attended a mass for more than 5 years now.
Same with the Sikhism, I believe that there's a Creator, a higher being, something or someone that has created everything; From the mosquitoes, that I honestly don't think there are any pros in still existing, to the dark matter or dark energy, and anything that hasn't been scientifically explained yet. That no matter what every other religion calls their God or Deity, they're all one and the same, and there's no reason to wage war or have debates on who's right or who're the only ones that are going to be saved and will have access to heaven.
Just be kind and respect one another's religious beliefs. Stop trying to persuade other people to follow the same beliefs that you have.
I think the same with heaven and reincarnation, 'Hell is just life on Earth, which your soul is constantly reborn into after you die.'
____________________________________________________
You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.
I decided to transcribe the video (not all, but most words that were spoken, sadly Cogito doesn't upload his transcripts for his videos. That would've been so much easier for me. xD)
SIKHISM
It is the 5th largest and youngest of the world religions—a religion that preaches about love, peace, and the equality of humankind.
Sikhism originated in the Punjab area of India and Pakistan, 500 years ago. The Punjab, the land of five rivers, is one of the most historically and culturally dense regions on Earth. Today there are about 25 million Sikhs. They make up about 2% of India's population but about 60% of the Punjab's. The Sikh diaspora is spread out across the world with concentrations in the UK, Canada, The US, East Africa, Australia, and Malaysia. Sikhs interestingly enough make up almost 1.5% of Canada's population which is second only to India.
The Core Beliefs of Sikhism:
1. One God
Sikhs believe in a formless, genderless, universal God. Beyond description. This God is all of reality and is within everything. They believe that no idol or image can ever represent this being. This One God could be represented in many different ways. No religion had a monopoly on the truth. This God could be known as Allah, Vishnu, The Tao, Yahweh, or any other name of belief. There is no need to fight over whose god was the true God, as they were all the same One.
"Recognize all mankind, whether Muslim, Hindu, as one. The same God is the Creator and Nourisher of all; Recognize no distinctions among them. The temple and mosque are the same; So are Hindu Worship and Muslim Prayer. Human beings are all one." - Guru Gobind Singh
The lack of gender for this One God means that there is no difference between men and women in Sikhism. Sikhism was among the first major world religions to make the radical suggestion that maybe women are human beings too. Women in Sikhism have fought in battles, led religious services, and even acted as some of the longest-reigning leaders of the entire community.
Sikhism isn't based on doing things to get into some heaven or hell. Hell is just life on Earth, which your soul is constantly reborn into after you die. (Which is pretty dark). Sikhs believe in reincarnation and karma, similar to Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains. BUT. Sikhs believe that karma is modified by God. As in karma might decide what life you're born in to but God make sure that everyone can become a good person in their lifetime if they try.
The goal of Sikh life is to break free from the cycle of rebirth by merging their soul back into God's soul. One does this by realizing that you are already a part of God, you just need to let go of your ego.
When your soul remerges back into God's, this is called 'Mukti', which is similar to Hinduism's 'moksha' and means liberation. When you remerge, your soul is released from the cycle of rebirth and death, and become infinite, timeless, and blissful. This is the closest thing Sikhs have to heaven.
2. Maya
Sikhs believe that God is reality, God is the universe that we exist in. But we forget this because humans are distracted by illusion or 'Maya', which is anything that takes your mind off God. Maya keeps people trapped in the cycle of rebirth and death.
Guru Nanak thought that Maya built a wall between people and God. The wall of Maya is built with 5 Thieves:
Lust
Anger
Greed
Attachment
Pride
It is the duty of all Sikhs to avoid these thieves. The five thieves are caused by 'Haumai', literally meaning ''I - Myself'. Haumai makes people say, "I am this, I am that" -- it separated you from others. Which blocks you from realising your oneness with God. This ego causing people to live only for themselves, to spew negativity, and to crave power and wealth.
Such a person is called 'Manmukh', facing towards desires. Guru Nanak saw the world's problems as the negative effects of ego. Hindu Vs Muslim, Israeli Vs Palestinian, Toilet Paper Vs Bidet, Black Vs White. All of these conflicts are caused by Ego and Maya. The Guru Sahib said, "It is not religion, or race but it is the wealth that divides brothers".
But Guru Nanak taught that there was another direction people could face. By being a spiritual person, practising Compassion, Truth, Contentment, Humility, and Love, and meditating on God, you could instead become 'Gurmukh', facing towards the Guru.
How does one become Gurmukh and egoless? Sikhism offers a path to follow that can help, called The Three Pillars.
3. The Three Pillars
The Three Pillars are:
Naam Japo : Meditation on God and reciting of God's name. This is normally done in the morning and before bed. This isn't supposed to just be some mindless ritual either. Sikhs are supposed to genuinely reflect on the qualities of God as they do this.
Kirat Karni : Working hard and making an honest living. Guru Nanak said, "Only he who earns his living by the sweat of his brow and shares his earnings with others has discovered the path of righteousness".
Wand Chhakna : Sharing the fruits of your labour with others, providing free food, and donating to the community. The Sikh tradition of a communal meal at that Gurdwaras is a part of Wand Chhakna. The langar or community free kitchen inside a Sikh gurdwara, is their equivalent of a mosque or church, is open to all who visit. Regardless of caste, faith, sexuality or gender. These serve vegetarian food to all, not because Sikhs have to be vegetarian, but simply because that means all people of all diets can partake.
Guru Nanak claimed that an enlightened person is 'those who view everyone equally, like the air touching the king and beggar alike'.
Another vital part of Sikhism that isn't one of the Three Pillars, is Seva - selfless service. Through service to their community, Sikhs can become humble and overcome their ego. Seva can include cleaning up the gurdwara, preparing food or cleaning dishes in the langar, or it can include volunteering, building things for your community.
Through remembering God's name, honest work, and sharing, along with selfless service, and avoiding the Five Thieves, a person can rid themselves of egoism and be released from the cycle of rebirth and death.
4. The Khalsa
The Khalsa gave the Sikhs a new unified identity. Tied together as one family, with one name, without caste, with the goal of defending the weak and promoting justice. The Khalsa were also given new rules to follow which includes the wearing of the panj kakaar or the 5 K's.
Kes - uncut hair to represent discipline
Kargha - a small comb in the hair
Kirpan - a sword to uphold justice and protect the wake. (Nowadays it's usually a small sword). It is not an offensive weapon and the Sikh Code of Conduct claims it can only be used to 'destroy tyrants and oppressors. It must not be used for anything else'.
Kachhahira - a kind of loose-fitting boxer shorts, to represent sexual restraint
Kara - a steel bracelet, it's circular shape represents the infinity of God
Interestingly, the turban is not one of the Five K's. Instead, it is worn to cover the Sikh's long uncut hair. Turbans have become essential to Sikh identity and hold very special significance to them. If you see someone wearing a turban, chances are, that vast majority of the time, that person will be a Sikh, not a Muslim.
5. Guru Granth Sahib
The Holy Book of the Sikhs. It contains the teachings of the Gurus and acts as a spiritual guide for Sikhs around the world. It is probably one of the only Holy Books that contains not only the writings of the religion's founders, written by themselves, rather than after their death. But also the writings of people from other faiths. The writings of Muslims and Hindus can be found throughout along with references to Judaism, Buddhism, and Christianity.
6. Gurdwaras
Sikhs gather ar gurdwaras, a word meaning 'doorway to the Guru'. A gurdwara is only a gurdwara because it has a copy of the Guru Granth Sahib in it.
Men and women of all castes and social standing gather there to join in prayer, singing, and eating. This is where you'll find the langar. Anyone can visit a Gurdwara and partake in the service and meal. You only need to follow basic etiquette. Cover your head, remove your shoes, wash your hands as you enter, and don't bring any ******* or drugs inside.
The most important Gurdwara in the world is the Hari Mandir or Golden Temple, located in Amritsar, India. In 1604CE, Guru Arjan completed work on the Golden Temple and had the Guru Granth Sahib installed inside it.
As a gesture of religious tolerance, Guru Arjan invited a Muslim, Mian Mir, to lay the foundation stone of the Golden Temple. The temple has four doors opening on all four sides, to show the openness to all cultures and peoples. But on the inside, only one door leads to the inner sanctum, indicating that all paths and beliefs eventually lead to the One God.
The Golden Temple is the most visited place in the world with around 6 million visitors each year. The Langar at the Golden Temple serves a free meal to about 100,000 people each day, making it the world's largest free serving kitchen. All run and staffed by volunteers. And the waiting list to volunteer in the Golden Temple has hundreds of thousands of names on it.
I am a nominal Catholic. I haven't uttered a prayer nor attended a mass for more than 5 years now.
Same with the Sikhism, I believe that there's a Creator, a higher being, something or someone that has created everything; From the mosquitoes, that I honestly don't think there are any pros in still existing, to the dark matter or dark energy, and anything that hasn't been scientifically explained yet. That no matter what every other religion calls their God or Deity, they're all one and the same, and there's no reason to wage war or have debates on who's right or who're the only ones that are going to be saved and will have access to heaven.
Just be kind and respect one another's religious beliefs. Stop trying to persuade other people to follow the same beliefs that you have.
I think the same with heaven and reincarnation, 'Hell is just life on Earth, which your soul is constantly reborn into after you die.'
____________________________________________________
You do not have permission to view the full content of this post. Log in or register now.
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