Exploration of this article will help you to know the nature of Sikhism. You will be exposed to monotheistic concept of God and the circle of life in Sikhism. The article examines the duties of a Sikh and vices in this religion.
Sikhism was foundedin the 16th century in the Punjab district of what is now India and Pakistan. It was founded by Guru Nanak and is based on his teachings and those of the nine Sikh gurus who followed him.
The most important thing in Sikhism is the internal religious state of the individual.
Sikhs focus their lives around their relationship with God, and being a part of the Sikh community. The Sikh ideal combines action and belief. To live a good life a person should do good deeds as well as meditating on God.
God and the cycle of life
Sikhs believe that human beings spend their time in a cycle of birth, life, and rebirth. They share this belief with followers of other Indian religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
The quality of each particular life depends on the law of Karma. Karma sets the quality of a life according to how well or badly a person behaved in their previous life. The only way out of this cycle, which all faiths regard as painful, is to achieve a total knowledge of and union with God.
Sikh spirituality is centred round this need to understand and experience God, and eventually become one with God. To do this a person must switch the focus of their attention from themselves to God. They get this state, which is called mukti(liberation), through the grace of God. That means it’s something God does to human beings, and not something that human beings can earn. However, God shows people through holy books, and by the examples of saints, the best ways to get close to him.
Truth is the highest of all virtues, but higher still is truthful living. Sikhs believe that God can’t be understood properly by human beings, but he can be experienced through love, worship, and contemplation. Sikhs look for God both inside themselves and in the world around them. They do this to help themselves achieve liberation and union with God.
When a Sikh wants to see God, they look both at the created world and into their own heart and soul. Their aim is to see the divine order that God has given to everything, and through it to understand the nature of God. Most human beings can’t see the true reality of God because they are blinded by their own self-centred pride (Sikhs call it haumain) and concern for physical things.
Sikhs believe that God is inside every person, no matter how wicked they appear, and so everyone is capable of change.
Just as fragrance is in the flower, and reflection is in the mirror, in just the same way, God is within you.
Sikhs believe that God’s message can be found in several ways outside ourselves.
Sikhs don’t think it pleases God if people pay no attention to others and simply devote themselves slavishly to religion.
Sikhism doesn’t ask people to turn away from ordinary life to get closer to God. In fact it demands that they use ordinary life as a way to get closer to God.
A Sikh serves God by serving (seva) other people every day. By devoting their lives to service they get rid of their own ego and pride.
Many Sikhs carry out chores in the Gurdwara as their service to the community. These range from working in the kitchen to cleaning the floor. The Langar, or free food kitchen, is a community act of service. Sikhs also regard caring for the poor or sick as an important duty of service.
The three duties that a Sikh must carry out can be summed up in three words; Pray, Work, Give.
Sikhs try to avoid the five vices that make people self-centered, and build barriers against God in their lives.
If a person can overcome these vices they are on the road to liberation.
The most important thing in Sikhism is the internal religious state of the individual. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion. Sikhism stresses the importance of doing good actions rather than merely carrying out rituals. Sikhs believe that the way to lead a good life is to: keep God in heart and mind at all times, live honestly and work hard, treat everyone equally, be generous to the less fortunate and serve others. The Sikh place of worship is called a Gurdwara. The Sikh scripture is the Guru Granth Sahib, a book that Sikhs consider a living Guru
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