Faith at a glance:

Sikhism

Background

• Sikhism is rooted in the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539), who was born at Talwandi in the Punjab at a time when Islam and Hinduism were the dominant religions of the region.  In 1599, when he was about thirty years old, he received a call to preach the Word of God. His message was distinctive, and a community of disciples formed around him, the Sikhs.
• Guru Nanak’s message emphasised the oneness of God and the importance of honesty and integrity in the practice of religion.
• After Guru Nanak there were ten gurus who continued his teaching and built up the community. The fifth guru, Guru Arjan, was killed because of his Sikh faith and after him, the capacity for self-defence became more and more important to the Sikhs. The ninth guru, Tegh Bahadur was also executed for his faith.

• In 1699, the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, instituted the Khalsa Panth, the community of ‘pure’ or dedicated Sikhs able to fight for justice and freedom. After him, the Sikhs recognized the written teaching as the Guru Granth Sahib and had no more gurus

 The Rahit Maryada is the Sikh Code of Conduct revised and published in 1950.The Rahit Maryada defines a Sikh as :

• A believer in Akal Purakh (the one immortal God)
• A disciple of the ten Gurus
• A follower of the Guru Granth Sahib
• And of the Gurbani, the teaching of the Ten Gurus
• One who has taken the Amrit Pahul, the ceremony of dedication
• And who adheres to no other religion

During the Amrit Pahul, A Sikh undertakes to:

1. Believe in the teaching of the ten Gurus and Guru Granth Sahib.
2. Recite five Banis – spiritual hymns and prayers -  every day.
3. Wear the five Ks- uncut hair, sword, comb, shorts and steel bracelet
4. Live upon his or her own honest and sincere earnings.
5. Treat all human beings as equal.
6. Spread the name of God.

The Divine

Sikhism is monotheistic and God is known among Sikhs by a variety of names including Ram, Mohan, Gobind, Hari, Nirankar, although Satnam (meaning "true name") and Waheguru (meaning "Wonderful Lord") are among the most used.

The Mul Mantar is seen as encapsulating the heart of Sikhism. It states:

There is but One God, the Eternal Truth, the Creator, without fear, without enmity, timeless, immanent, beyond birth and death, self-existent: by the grace of the Guru, made known.

The Gurus

The Ten Gurus and their teaching constitute a unity, a single teaching and tradition. The Gurus are:

• Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539)

• Guru Angad Dev (1504-1552)
• Guru Amar Das (1479-1574)
• Guru Ram Das (1534-1581)
• Guru Arjan Dev (1563-1606)
• Guru Hargobind (1595-1644)
• Guru Har Rai (1631-1661)
• Guru Har Krishan (1656-1664)
• Guru Tegh Bahadur (1622-1675)
• Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708)

Since 1708 Sikhs honour the Guru Granth Sahib as the living and authoritative Word of God, and invest temporal authority in the Khalsa Panth, those who are dedicated to pure living, instituted by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.

He is recognised as a true member of the Khalsa,
In whose heart the light of the Perfect One shines.

Scriptures

The Guru Granth Sahib is a title of honour for scriptures which are otherwise known as the Adi Granth and are written in the Gurmurkhi script.  The Dasam Granth is another important book which includes poetic works and also writings of Guru Gobind Singh.