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Basic Sikh teachings


Sikhism : Basic Sikh teachings

The essence of being a Sikh is that one lives one’s life according to the teachings of the Sikh Gurus, devotes time to meditating on God and the scriptures (Aad Guru Granth Sahib) and performs deeds to help and benefit other people.

Sikhs believe that there is a Single, All-Powerful God, who created the universe and everything within it The God is common to all humanity.

Sikhism emphasizes social and gender equality, and stresses the importance of behaving altruistically.

· Equality: Everyone is equal in God’s eyes; whatever their caste, creed or gender. God is accessible without priests: Everyone can be directly in touch with God. There is no need for clergy in Sikhism.

· Accept other faiths: Sikhs do not believe that any religion has monopoly on the
Truth. They do not regard Sikhism as the only way to God.

·Live in the world: A Sikh should live a responsible life as part of the community. Withdrawing from the world or becoming an ascetic are not recommended in Sikhism

·Discard Ritualism: Empty rituals are meaningless and should be discarded.

·Devotion can take the form of action as well as the prayer: Personal devotion includes Naam simran (meditation on and awareness of God) and Sewa (community service).

·A good world is just and fair to all: Social justice is to be supported in equality for all. The use of force as a last resort is justified to support it.

·Death is not the end: Death is seen as the transition to a life where the joy of being in the presence of God can be fully realized.

Who is a Sikh?



The Sikh code of conduct defines a Sikh like this:

Any human being who faithfully believes in
· One Immortal Being,
· Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak Dev to Guru Gobind Singh,
· The Aad siri Guru Granth Sahib,
· The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus,
· The baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru
· And, who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh.

  
  
  
  
  

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