1. Sikh Beliefs and Gurus

2. Core beliefs
Monotheist: Believe in one God, known as Waheguru (“Wonderful Lord”)
Waheguru has never walked Earth in a human body. Is omnipresent, however, and prayers can be sad at any time.
Believe that God made and loves all people. Anything that promotes inequality is not of God.

3. Kirat Karni “Dignity of one’s labour”
A person’s word must be legal and ethical
Serving others through charity (seva) is also considered important
A vegetarian meal called a langar is part of every Gurdwara service. Meal is served by volunteers as part of seva

4. Afterlife People are accountable to Waheguru for their actions
Souls are reincarnated, with Waheguru determining the next form of life
Can be released from cycle through devotion to God, and achieve release, called mukti

5. Gurus
There are 10 “gurus” or spiritual guides in Sikhism, men whose statements and actions form the core beliefs of Sikhism.
The Sikh holy text, the Guru Granth Sahib, acts as the final guru or teacher.

6. Guru Nanak 1469-1539 Founded Sikhism
Spiritual revelations recorded as hymns in Guru Granth Sahib (974 hymns)
Promoted equality, including equality of women
Rejected authority of Vedas
Started tradition of Langar meals

7. Guru Angad
Spiritual revelations in Guru Granth Sahib (63 stanzas)
Strengthened the base of Sikhism
Standardized the script used to write the Guru Granth Sahib and the Punjabi language (Gurumukhi)
Opened schools

8. Guru Amar Das 1479-1574 Wrote 869 verses of the Guru Granth Sahib
Preached against the Hindu ‘sati’ system (wherein women used to burn themselves alive at their husband’s funeral pyre) and against the Muslim ‘purdah’ (a veil sometimes worn by Muslim women).

9. Guru Ram Das 1534-1581 638 hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib
Composed a code of marriage unique to Sikhism
Laid the foundation stone for Amritsar
Decried caste system

10. Guru Arjan 1563-1606 Compiled the Guru Granth Sahib in August of 1604
Contributed 2000 verses to Guru Granth Sahib
Built a house for lepers
First martyr of Sikh religion, tortured and executed on the orders of Mughal emperor Jahangir

11. Guru Har Gobind
Started practice of maintaining an army of warrior-saints
Waged war against Jahangir and Shah Jahan

12. Guru Har Rai 1630-1661 Sheltered Dara Shikoh, heir of Shah Jahan
Persecuted for charges of anti- Islamic blasphemy for verses of Guru Granth Sahib

13. Guru Har Krishan
Died at the age of 8 due to smallpox, while healing the sick during an epidemic

14. Guru Tegh Bahadur
Opposed forced conversions of Hindu pandits by Muslims
Was imprisoned, tortured and executed as a result.
Contributed many hymns to Guru Granth Sahib

15. Guru Gobind Singh 1666-1708 Founded the Khalsa (initiated Sikhs).
Foundation of Khalsa celebrated in a festival called Vaisakhi
Passed on Guruship to the Guru Granth Sahib

16. Guru Granth Sahib
The collected wisdom andf teachings of the previous ten gurus
Declared by Guru Gobind Singh to be the final Guru, for all of eternity