Sikhism Flashcards
Sikhism
on boarder of east and west (bridging)
modern world religion
History
territory = punjab - pakistan and india
Early socio-religious context
- not create something new, but blending religions (sant Hinduism - bhakt, sufi islam - mystical)
History - Guru Nanak
spiritually sensitive internally. Did not agree with all parts of hinduism
- viasha
-accountant
- 30 years - sought something new
- after ritual bathing in river, disappeared in a forest and had a vision of god. after 3 days abstinence, reapeared and announced ‘there is no hindu god and no muslim god. god is neither hindu nor muslim and the path I follow is gods’
- Nanak’s companion was mardana, a hindu minstrel. together they sang and recited in public or places of hindu or muslim pilgrimage, Clothing embraced both religious traditions
- nanak gained leaners/disciples –> sikhs
History - the 10 gurus
not incarnations of eachother
1. Guru nanak
2. Guru Angad
- physical fitness and sport
3. Guru Amar Das
- initiated langar (communal kitchen)
- anyone can come and have meals
- strengthens brotherhood
- REJECTION of castes
- equality between men and women
- sacred place at temples
4. Guru Ram Das
- establishes/founds city of Amritsar
5. Guru Arjan
- compiler of the Adi Granth
- builder of the golden temple at Amritsar
- Hari Mandir, the golden temple (symbolized by the lotus flower)
- first turning point in sikhism: a time of marked increase in political strife between muslims and sikhs - a switch from the peaceful spreading of the faith to an assertion of a right to defend the faith
- killed while in muslim custody
6. Guru Hargobind
- first to wear 2 swords, indicating meeri-peeri, equal responsibility to both the social and spiritual sides of life
- freed 52 inncocent princes who were in prison with him: Sikh variant of Diwali
- introduces sikh flag (khanda - truth from error)
- meeri-peeri (social and spiritual balance, the akal takht - balance of spiritual focus of temple to guide sikhs in temporal matters)
7. Guru Har Rai
- devotional
- collected plants for medicine
- harmony
8. Guru Har Krishnan (son of Har Rai)
- model of sikh children
- young
- people were cured by his shadow
- died in collera
9. Guru Tegh Bahadur
- non-violent protest against movement forcing hindus to become muslims. Killed by muslims
- protects religious rights
10. Guru Gobind Singh (son of Tegh Bahadur)
“saint-soldier”
- recognize the human race as one”
- guided by counselors as he became Guru at 9
- feathers
- lead sikh forces against muslim
- birth of the khalsa
Flag
middle knife - truth from error
two bottom knives - protect helpless
circle - eternity of god
Birth of the Khalsa
khalsa - pure ones
- firm in commitment, true believers (5 beloved ones - willing to die for their faith)
- amrit - sugar water (on forehead) –> going to be devoted - baptism
- from this point on, we are going to have an identity that is different than their hindu background
- ditching casts –> once become baptized, last name becomes singh (“lion”), women kaur (“princess”)
- celebration = vaisakhi (birth of khalsa)
- hope of “khalistan” - land of the pure one’s
Belief - key idea of the guru
- 10 human gurus
- guru granth sahib: “holy book” scriptures grew from 5 and 10 + gurus
- Guru Panth: anyone has right to read scriptures, community leads
- Sarguru (also Naheguru): wonderful or amazing grace; satnam = true reality
- notion of god named Naheguru and satnam
belief - theology: Sat guru = god
- sikh scriptures begine with Ek oankar or Ik oncar “there is one god)
1. the creator
2. the ultimate guru - monotheistic
- eternal (time)
- infinite
- omnipresent
3. transcendent and ineffable (not personal god)
4. may be experienced through bhakti
5. administers grace - the yearning or craving to know god
Belief - salvation
- faith development
- the pilgrimage takes place in one’s heart and will
- repeat sacred scripture in sincerity and love - character developement
- replace non-virtues with virtues
a. lust - self control
b. anger - forgiveness
c. greed - contentment
d. undue attachment - love of god
e. pride - service to others - works development
- truth is higher than anything but still higher is true conduct
- true religion = social responsibility
- temples are sangrats (worship to god and social assistance to humans)
- god is beyond personhood, but has personal qualities
Belief - birth and rebirth
reincarnation
- death and rebirth
- soul presented before god when die and god decides depending on karma
- cam reach union if god deems it to remove from rebirth
cremate dead
Belief - equality of all
- gender
- women in sikhism equal to men
- given significant role (place of honor)
- read prayers, baptism
- married people of higher standing than single
- identity within herself - universal membershi[
- anyone can be baptized and become sikh
- everyone is invited (4 entrance ways to temple)`
ProHinduism
karma (but not as fatalistic)
reincarnation
hindu writers in guru granth
universalism
Bhakti - honour god by deep emotive, trust in meaning
cremation of dead (but do not need to spread in river)
Anti hindusm
No casts (debate)
a. casts exist, but casts are equal (all occupants are mutually adaptive and should be equally esteemed)
b. castes should not exist at all (all casts markers should be removed in favor of fusion into the one spiritual body (khalsa)
no excessive ritual (separates you from god)
no priests (god has created everyone and no special person)
no polytheism
no passivity
no vegetarianism
no asceticism
no images
no maya
no incarnate god
no lesser place of women
no exclusivity re scripture
Pro islam
monotheism
muslim writers in guru granth
turbans
equality of all persons
authoritative scriptures (gods word)
sufi mysticism
Anti islam
no merit in pilgrimages - moral actions, not ritual actions are what are important to god
no formal worship is required - homes also centres of faith
no missionary imperitive
no fasting (one day a month must fast)
