Sikh God is within, God is without

Worldview  God is within the heart.  The world and everything in it is good.

The Absolute  The divine is within one’s heart. Although transcendent and beyond time and space one can have a direct encounter with the divine by looking within.

Guru Nanak  Born in 1469 AD, in the village of Talwandi, now called "Nankana Sahib", near Lahore, Pakistan.

Principles  There is only one God.  God cannot take human form.  The goal is to break the cycle of birth and death merge with God.  Over come the five vices to receive salvation.  One daily remembers God.  Reject all forms of blind rituals and idol worship.  Normal family life is encouraged.  The Sikh Holy Book is the perpetual Guru.  There is no distinction of caste, creed, race or gender.  Women and men are equal.  Honest labor and work.  Sharing with others is very important.  Free community kitchen in which all are welcomed.

Overcome The Five Vices  Kam (Lust)  Karodh (Anger)  Lobh (Greed)  Moh (Worldly attachment)  Hankar (Pride) Qualities Required  Santokh (Contentment)  Dan (Charity)  Daya (Kindness)  Parsanta (Happiness)  Nimarta (Humility)

Five Stages on the Journey to God  1. Dharam Khand (realisation of spiritual duty)  2. Gian Khand (Divine Knowledge)  3. Saram Khand (wisdom and effort)  4. Karam Khand (Divine grace).  5. Sach Khand (Truth).

The World and Humans  The world and humans are not opposed to God.  The world can be experienced as good or evil.

The Problem and Solution  One can turn to god at anytime but in salvation one must give one’s whole life to God in one’s heart. This is done through baptism or Amrit.

Community and Ethics  Sikhs have a positive attitude towards creation which they believed was created good. They can eat vegetables and meat but will not use tobacco.  They admit people no matter what caste they are.

Sikh Gurus  Nanak  Angad  Amar Das  Ram Das  Arjan  Har Gobind  Har Rai  Har Kishan  Tegh Bahdur  Gobind Rai

Sacred Text  The sacred text for Sikhs is called the Adi Granth.  The tenth and last guru Gobind Singh declared that Sikhs were only to honor the Adi Granth as their guru.  It is considered the highest authority for Sikhs and it plays a central role in the devotional and ritual lives of Sikhs.

The Golden Temple  The Golden temple is located in Amritsar

Centers of Worship  The Gurdwaras are the symbolic homes of the guru, the Adi Granth.  This particular worship center is located in Singapore.

The Khalsas  The Khalsa baptism ceremony involves drinking of Amrit  The initiate is instructed: Never to remove hair from the body Never to use alcohol, tobacco or other intoxicants Never to eat meat slaughtered in the Muslim way Never to commit adultery

Nishan Sahib  Nishan Sahib is the name given to the flag which is seen flying outside every Sikh Gurdwara (Temple).  The use of the Nishan Sahib was first introduced by Guru Hargobind.

Sources     04.jpg 04.jpg   Baptism -