Sikhism
http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Sikhism
Sikhism,Sikhi, in Panjabi,
is one of the major world religions, primarily developed in 16th and 17th
century India.
"Sikhi" comes from the word "Sikh", and the word
"Sikh" comes from the Sanskrit root "śiṣya” which means "disciple" or "learner". Guru Nanak
was the founder of Sikhi. He was born in 1469 in the village
of Nankana Sahib, near Lahore in present-day Pakistan. The faith system is based
on the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev and ten successive Sikh Gurus (the last one
being the sacred text Guru Granth Sahib) and is the fifth-largest organized
religion in the world. This system of religious philosophy and expression has
been traditionally known as the Gurmat (literally the counsel of the gurus) or
the Sikh Dharma.
The principal belief of
Sikhism is faith in waheguru — represented using the sacred symbol of ik ŝaṅkĝr, the Universal God. Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation
through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message of God. A key
distinctive feature of Sikhism is a non-anthropomorphic concept of God, to the
extent that one can interpret God as the Universe itself.
The followers of Sikhism are
ordained to follow the teachings of the ten Sikh Gurus, or enlightened leaders,
as well as the holy scripture entitled the Gurū Granth Sĝhib, which, along with
the writings of six of the ten Sikh Gurus, includes selected works of many
devotees from diverse socio-economic and religious backgrounds. The text was
decreed by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru, as the final guru of the Khalsa
Panth.
Sikhism's traditions and
teachings are distinctively associated with the history, society and culture of
the Punjab. Adherents of Sikhism are known as
Sikhs (students or disciples) and number over 23 million across the world. Most
Sikhs live in Punjab in India
and, until India's
partition, millions of Sikhs lived in what is now Pakistani Punjab.
Sikhism is also called Sikhi
or Gurmat or Sikh Matt or Aad-Matt.
Belief in one God
The belief in one pantheistic
God. The opening sentence of the Sikh scriptures is only two words long, and
reflects the base belief of all who adhere to the teachings of the religion: Ek
Onkar "Ek" is One and "Onkar" is God - "There is only
one God."
The Teachings of the Sikh
Gurus
The teachings of the Ten Sikh
Gurus (as well as other selected Muslim and Hindu saints and scholars) are
enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib. These teachings propagate the following
values:
- to see God in everyone;
understand and practice equality among all races irrespective of caste,
religion, colour, status, age, gender, etc;
- to remember God at all
times; to always engage in Simran or "remembrance of God", the primal
being; virtuous, merciful, bountiful, fearless and Creator of everything; be
always aware of His persona and behave accordingly;
- to value and respect
positive ideals like truth, compassion, contentment, humility, love, etc; (a
reflection of God-like features)
- to suppression of inner
evils lust, anger/rage, greed, material attachment, ego, etc; (a reflection of
anti-God features)
- to aspire and engage in
useful, productive, honest and peaceful life of a householder; to work
diligently while holding the image of God within you; (Kirit Karni)
- to engage in selfless
service (Sewa) and help build a loving community life; to be a contributor to
society whenever possible; (Wand kay shakna)
- to be ready to protect and
stand for the rights of the weak among us; to fight for justice and fairness
for all;
to always accept the Will of God, (Hukam) and
stay focused and in "Positive Spirits" (Chardikala), etc.
The Sikhs must believe in the
following values:
Equality: All humans are
equal before God.
God's spirit: All creatures
have God's spirits and must be properly respected.
Personal right: Every person
has a right to life but this right is restricted.
Actions count: Salvation is
obtained by one's actions, including good deeds, remembrance of God, etc.
Living a family life: Must
live as a family unit to provide and nurture children.
Sharing: It is encouraged to
share and give to charity 10 percent of one's net earnings.
Accept God's will: Develop
your personality so that you recognize happy events and miserable events as
one.
The four fruits of life:
Truth, contentment, contemplation and Naam, (in the name of God).
Amritsar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amritsar