| Sikhism | |
|---|---|
| ਸਿੱਖੀ | |
.jpg) Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, India, the holiest site of Sikhism | |
| Classification | Indian religion |
| Scripture | |
| Theology | |
| Governance | Panj Takht |
| Region | Predominant religion in Punjab, India (58%), and widespread worldwide as minorities (Sikh diaspora) |
| Language | Punjabi Sant Bhasha[4] Khalsa bole[5] |
| Headquarters | Akal Takht, Amritsar, Punjab, India |
| Founder | Guru Nanak |
| Origin | 15th–16th century CE Punjab region, Indian subcontinent |
| Separations | Ravidassia |
| Number of followers | 25–30 million (referred to individually as "Sikhs" or collectively as the "Sikh Panth")[6] |
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| Sikhism |
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Sikhism (/ˈsiːkɪzəm/ SEEK-iz-əm),[7] also known as Sikhi (Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖੀ Sikkhī, [ˈsɪk.kʰiː] , from Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ, romanized: Sikh, lit. 'disciple'), is an Indian religion and philosophy[8] that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religions and among the largest in the world with about 25–30 million adherents (known as Sikhs).
Sikhism developed from the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak (1469–1539), the faith's first guru, and the nine Sikh gurus who succeeded him. The tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), named the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the central religious scripture in Sikhism, as his successor. This brought the line of human gurus to a close. Sikhs regard the Guru Granth Sahib as the 11th and eternally living guru.
The core beliefs and practices of Sikhism, articulated in the Guru Granth Sahib and other Sikh scriptures, include faith and meditation in the name of the one creator (Ik Onkar), the divine unity and equality of all humankind, engaging in selfless service to others (sevā), striving for justice for the benefit and prosperity of all (sarbat da bhala), and honest conduct and livelihood. Following this standard, Sikhism rejects claims that any particular religious tradition has a monopoly on absolute truth. As a consequence, Sikhs do not actively proselytize, although voluntary converts are generally accepted. Sikhism emphasizes meditation and remembrance as a means to feel God's presence (simran), which can be expressed musically through kirtan or internally through naam japna (lit. 'meditation on God's name'). Baptised Sikhs are obliged to wear the five Ks, which are five articles of faith which physically distinguish Sikhs from non-Sikhs. Among these include the kesh (uncut hair). Most religious Sikh men thus do not cut their hair but rather wear a turban.[i]
The definition of a Sikh, according to the Rehat Maryada, the Sikh code of conduct, is any human being who faithfully believes in the following:[9]
- One Immortal Being,
- Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Sahib to Guru Gobind Singh Sahib,
- The Guru Granth Sahib,
- The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and,
- The baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru, and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh.
The religion developed and evolved in times of religious persecution, gaining converts from both Hinduism and Islam. The Mughal emperors of India tortured and executed two of the Sikh gurus—Guru Arjan (1563–1605) and Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621–1675)—after they refused to convert to Islam. The persecution of the Sikhs triggered the founding of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 as an order to protect the freedom of conscience and religion, with members expressing the qualities of a sant-sipāhī ("saint-soldier").
- ^ Nesbitt, Eleanor (2016). Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780191062773.
From the rest of this introduction to the Guru Granth Sahib, and from Guru Nank's compositions, it is a monotheistic, rather than a monist, view of God which emerges.
- ^ Takhar, Opinderjit Kaur (2016). Sikh Identity: An Exploration of Groups Among Sikhs. Routledge. ISBN 9781351900102.
Since the Sikh concept of the divine is panentheistic, the divine is always greater than the created universe, its systems such as karma and samsara, and all phenomena within it. In Sikhism, due to the sovereignty of God, the doctrines of Nadar and Hukam override all systems, both concepts reinforcing panentheism. Hence one becomes a jivanmukt only in accordance with the Hukam.
- ^ Singh, Pashaura; Mandair, Arvind-Pal Singh (2023). The Sikh world. London New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780429848384.
In looking at the teachings of the Gurus as a whole, it seems that Lourdunathan overstates the degree to which Sikh scripture is anti-monistic. Guru Nanak famously referred to the world as a "palace of smoke" (GGS: 138) and made countless references to the idea of maya (Illusion). While the Gurus did not teach a radical nondualism, it is perhaps more accurate to suggest that some aspects of Sikh thought constitute a qualified nondualism (in which Creator and Creation are part of the same whole) (GGS: 125) or panentheism (in which the Creator pervades the natural world) (GGS: 24), while many others are monotheistic, including passages in Japji Sahib, where God is described as the King of Kings (GGS: 6). These different interpretations lend themselves to varying understandings of the relationship between the natural world and divinity.
- ^ Mann, Gurinder Singh (2001). The Making of Sikh scripture. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 5. ISBN 9780195130249.
- ^ The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford Handbooks. Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech. OUP Oxford. 2014. p. 380. ISBN 9780191004117.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Sikhism". Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ "Sikhism, n." Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ Singh, Pashaura; Fenech, Louis E., eds. (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. pp. 299–301. ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8.
- ^ Rehat Maryada Archived 1 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine
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