Part of a series on |
Sikh practices and discipline |
---|
|
Sikh beliefs |
---|
|
The Three pillars of Sikhism (Gurmukhi: ਸਿੱਖ ਧਰਮ ਦੇ ਤਿੰਨ ਥੰਮ੍ਹਾਂ), also called three duties, [1] were formalised by Guru Nanak Dev Ji as: [2]
Sikhism, also known as Sikhi, is an Indian religion and philosophy 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.
The following outline is provides an overview of Sikhism, or Sikhi.
Vaṇḍ Chakō is one of the three main pillars of the teachings of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikhism. The other two pillars are Naam Japo and Kirat Karo. It means to share what you have and to consume it together as a community. This could be wealth, food. etc. The term is also used to mean to share ones wealth with others in the community, to give to charity, to distribute in Langar and to generally help others in the community who need help. A Sikh is expected to contribute a portion of their wealth or income to people in need or to a worthy cause.
Kirat Karō is one of the three pillars of Sikhism, the others being Naam Japo and Vaṇḍ chakkō. The term means to earn an honest, pure and dedicated living by exercising one's God-given skills, abilities, talents and hard labour for the benefit and improvement of the individual, their family and society at large. This means to work with determination and focus by the sweat of one's brow and not to be lazy and to waste one's life to time. Meanwhile, Simran and dedication to the work of God, not personal gain, should be one's main motivation.
Japji Sahib (Punjabi: ਜਪੁਜੀ ਸਾਹਿਬ, pronunciation: ) is the Sikh thesis, that appears at the beginning of the Guru Granth Sahib – the scripture of the Sikhs. Jap is the original name of the prayer and to show respect, it is called Jap-ji Sahib. It was composed by Guru Angad, and is mostly the writings of Guru Nanak. It begins with Mool Mantra and then follow 38 paudis (stanzas) and completed with a final Salok by Guru Angad at the end of this composition. The 38 stanzas are in different poetic meters.
Sukhmani Sahib, known under the title of Gauri Sukhmani in the scripture, is usually translated to mean Prayer of Peace is a set of 192 padas present in the holy Guru Granth Sahib, the main scripture and living Guru of Sikhism from Ang 262 to Ang 296. This Gurbani text was written by the 5th Guru, Guru Arjan (1563–1606) at Amritsar in around 1602. Guru Arjan first recited the bani at Gurdwara Barth Sahib in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab, India.
In Sikhism, Nām Japō (Punjabi: ਨਾਮ ਜਪੋ, pronunciation: ), also known as Naam Japna or Naam Simran, is the remembrance of God or the Akal Purkh, the supreme formless power that is timeless and deathless, through the meditation or contemplation of the various Names of God, especially the chanting of the word "Waheguru" representing the formless being, the creator of all the forms, and the being omnipresent in all forms.
Dasvandh is the one tenth part of one's income that one should donate, both financially and directly in the form of seva, according to Sikh principles.
Sevā is the concept of selfless service that is performed without any expectation of reward for performing it. It is predominant in Hinduism and Sikhism. Such services can be performed to benefit other human beings or society. Sevā means "service". A more recent interpretation of the word is "dedication to others". In Hinduism, it is also known as karma yoga, as described in the Bhagavata Gita. In Sikhism Seva is an act of service to Waheguru, to whom Sikhs call as Waheguru and that it is a way to become closer to Waheguru.The principles of Seva underpin many Sikh values - such is the importance given to Seva in Sikhism. The Guru emphasizes this concept numerous times in the Guru Granth Sahib. The holy scripture focuses on the state of mind when practicing Seva, the spiritual benefits of doing Seva, and how one should perform it.
In Sikhism, God is conceived as the Oneness that permeates the entirety of creation and beyond. It abides within all of creation as symbolized by the symbol Ik Onkar. The One is indescribable yet knowable and perceivable to anyone who surrenders their egoism and meditates upon that Oneness. The Sikh gurus have described God in numerous ways in their hymns included in the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhism, but the oneness of formless God is consistently emphasized throughout.
Baba Dayal (17 May 1783 – 30 January 1855), also spelt as Baba Dyal, was a non-Khalsa, Sahajdhari Sikh reformer whose main mission was to bring Sikhs back to the Adi Granth and Simran. He was the founder of the Nirankari sect of Sikhism.
Islam is an Abrahamic religion founded in the Arabian Peninsula, while Sikhism is an Indian religion founded in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. Islam means 'submission to god'. The word Sikh is derived from a word meaning 'disciple', or one who learns.
Rehat refers to the rules and traditions which govern the unique Sikh lifestyle and determines correct Sikh orthodoxy and orthopraxy. The Sikh Rehit Maryada is a code of conduct and conventions for Sikhism. The final version of the Rehat Maryada was controversially approved by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Amritsar in 1945. The Rehat Maryada was created to provide guidance to Sikhs on practical and functional aspects of daily life, including the operations of Sikh Gurdwaras, and religious practices to foster cohesion throughout the community. Rehitnāma is a Punjabi term that refers to a genre of Sikh religious literature which expounds upon specifying an approved way of life for a Sikh.
Sikh practices are guidelines laid out by the Gurus for the practice of the "Sikh way of life". The Gurus emphasise that a Sikh should lead a disciplined life engaged in Naam Simran, meditation on God's name, Kirat Karo, living an honest life of a house-holder, and Vand Chaako, sharing what one has with the community. This translates into hard work, honest living, love of fellow humans and through them service of the God, the primal power. This way of life is said to have been stripped of complications, myths, jargon, rituals and exploitation of man by man in the name of religion. No benefits are gained by where and to which family the person is born to – All have to undertake the rigours of Simran (meditation) and Sevā to progress spiritually. The Guru Granth Sahib asks the Sikh to "Practice truth, contentment and kindness.
The Sikhs engage in various rites and services. Sikh rites include activities they consider essential to the group practice of Sikhism or the expression of egalitarianism, such as kirtan or taking karah parshad. Many rites in Sikhism involve prayer (ardas) or reciting scripture (paath). Some Sikh rites are meant to be practiced in a gurdwara congregation, while others are practiced at home or in other contexts.
In Sikh discipline, a Sikh is required by the Sikh Gurus to live a disciplined life by doing pure and righteous deeds and actions. The following are the list of activities that a Sikh should engages in:
Nirankari is a sect of Sikhism. It was a reform movement founded by Baba Dyal Das in northwest Punjab in 1851. He sought to restore the practices and beliefs of Sikhs back to what he believed were prevalent when Guru Nanak was alive. This movement emerged in the aftermath of the end of Sikh Empire and the Sikh history after Ranjit Singh's death.
The following list consists of concepts that are derived from both Sikh and Indian tradition. The main purpose of this list is to disambiguate multiple spellings, to make note of spellings no longer in use for these concepts, to define the concept in one or two lines, to make it easy for one to find and pin down specific concepts, and to provide a guide to unique concepts of Sikhism all in one place.
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, also called Kartarpur Sahib, is a gurdwara in Kartarpur, located in Shakargarh, Narowal District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is built on the historic site where the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, settled and assembled the Sikh community after his missionary travels and lived for 18 years until his death in 1539. It is one of the holiest sites in Sikhism, alongside the Golden Temple in Amritsar and Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib.
Gurū Nānak, also known as Bābā Nānak, was an Indian spritual teacher, mystic and poet, who is regarded as the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus.