Sikhism

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Sikhism
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Who is a Sikh?

• A Sikh is any person whose faith consists of
  belief in One God, the ten Sikh Gurus, the Guru
  Granth Sahib and other scriptures and teachings
  of the Sikh Gurus. Additionally, he or she must
  believe in the necessity and importance of
  Amrit, the Sikh baptism.

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The Founder of Sikhism

• The founder of Sikhism is Guru Nanak.
• The founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak
  was born on April 15, 1469 in the Western Punjab
  village of Talwandi
• Feeling his end was near, the Hindus said we
  will cremate you, the Muslims said we will bury
  you. Guru Nanak said "You place flowers on
  either side, Hindus on my right, Muslims on my
  left. Those whose flowers remain fresh tomorrow
  will have their way." Then on September 22, 1539
  in the early hours of the morning Guru Nanak
  died. When the followers lifted the sheet they
  found nothing except the flowers which were all
  fresh. The Hindus took theirs and cremated them,
  while the Muslims took their flowers and buried
  them.

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History

• Sikhism was founded in the early fifteenth
  century by a teacher called Guru Nanak. He was
  firmly believed that all people were born equal
  and should have equal opportunities. Guru means
  "spiritual leader" .There are over 20 million
  Sikhs worldwide
• After Guru Nanak there were nine other gurus
• Guru Nanak 1469-1539
• Guru Angad 1539-1552
• Guru Amar 1552-1574
• Guru Ram 1574-1581
• Guru Arjan 1581-1606
• Guru Har Gobind 1606-1644
• Guru Har Rai 1644-1675
• Guru Gobind Singh 1575-1708

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Sikh Symbols

• Khanda
• The Khanda is the symbol of the Sikhs. The
  symbol derives its name from the double-edged
  sword (also called a Khanda)

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Sikh Symbols

• Nishan Sahib
• Nishan Sahib is the name given to the flag
  which is seen flying outside every Sikh Gurdwara
  (Temple). It is a triangular piece of ochre or
  saffron coloured cloth with the Khanda emblem in
  the middle.

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Sikh Symbols

• Ik Onkar
• "There is Only One God". The first two words
  in the Guru Granth Sahib They appear at the
  beginning of the Mul Mantra written by Guru Nanak
  describing the qualities of God in the Japji.

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Gurus
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Nitnem

• Nitnem is a panjabi name of Daily Prayers Nit
  meaning daily and nem means routine. A Practicing
  Sikh is known to recite five of the following
  prayers in the morning.Japji SahibJaap
  SahibTav Prasad SavaiyeChaupai Patdhahi
  10Anand Sahib

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Gurudwara

• A Sikh shrine is called a Gurdwara,
  meaning the doorway to the house of God.
• The first Gurdwara was built by Guru Nanak
  Dev at Kartarpur.

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Women in Sikhism

• In the Sikh religion women are worthy of
  praise and are equal to men, Guru Nanak Dev
  encouraged the participation of women as equals
  in worship, in society,and on the battlefield.

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The Guru Granth Sahib

• The Sikh holy book is also known as the Adi
  Granth and is treated with the upmost respect by
  Sikhs. Sikhism rejects idol worship so the book
  is not worshiped as an idol but rather emphasis
  is placed on the book for the writings within it

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Christening

• The Sikh naming or christening ceremony is
  well established and it takes place in a
  Gurudwara. The family offers donations, Karah
  Parshad (a holy pudding) and a Rumala, which is a
  covering for Guru Granth Sahib, made of high
  quality silk, cotton or embroidered cloth.
  Prayers are offered asking for a special blessing
  of good health, long life and the Sikh way of
  life, Gursikhi for the child.
• Guru Granth Sahib is opened at random. The
  first letter of the first word of the hymn on the
  page is selected as the first letter of the
  child's name. The given name is common for either
  sex. The word Kaur meaning 'princess' is added
  after a girl's name and the name Singh meaning
  'lion' after a boy's. For example, if the first
  letter is "P", the male child may be given a name
  like Partap Singh or Pritam Singh or any other
  such name beginning with the letter "P". If the
  newly born is a girl the name would like, Partap
  Kaur.

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Initiation Ceremony

• The initiation ceremony into full membership
  of Sikhism is known as the amrit ceremony and,
  amrit can be taken at any age.  Amrit is a
  mixture of sugar and water (nectar), prepared in
  a steel bowl and stirred with a Khanda, a
  two-edged sword.  The amrit is placed on the
  tongue and sprinkled on the eyes and hair.  About
  a third of all Sikhs go through the amrit
  ceremony after which time they have to observe
  the Sikh code of conduct  They then learn
  Gurmukhi, the script in which the Adi Granth is
  written, in order to read the scriptures,
  sometimes as part of public worship. 

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The five Ks

• These are clothing practices followed by
  stricter Sikhs
• 1. Kesa (long hair, which is never cut)
• 2. Kangah (comb)
• 3. Kacha (short pants)
• 4. Kara (metal bracelet)
• 5. Kirpan (a ceremonial dagger)

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Worship

• Is there a priest or preacher who says the
  ceremony?
• Nobody becomes a priest or preacher a member
  of the Sikh community is appointed to be the
  Granthi they read and expound the scriptures and
  take care of the day to day running of the
  Gurdwara all are equal and there is no ordained
  priesthood

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• Do they have a Sabbath day? Do they celebrate
  their religion on a certain day?
• The Sikhs do not have a Sabbath or holy day,
  so they meet whenever it is convenient.
• How long does the service take place for?
• The Diwan lasts several hours, and members of
  the congregation may come and go during that
  time. The atmosphere may seem quite informal

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• Why is the Service held?
• The Service is held for three reasons
• To read and meditate upon the Granth
• To join in songs of praise
• To express and strengthen the unity and equality
  of the congregation

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Pilgrimage

• Gurupurabs
• Gurupurabs are anniversaries associated with
  the lives of the Sikh Gurus. The Sikhs celebrate
  10 Gurpurabs in a year. At each of these
  festivals, one of the ten gurus of the Khalsa
  Pantha is honoured. Of these the important ones
  are the birthdays of Guru Nanak and Guru Govind
  Singh and the martyrdom days of Guru Arjun Dev
  and Guru Teg Bahadur.

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• Bandi-Chhorh Divas
• The Sikh celebration of the return of the
  sixth Nanak from imprisonment in the Gwalior Fort
  coincides with Diwali a Hindu festival.
• The Sikhs celebrate this day as Bandi Chhorh
  Divaswhich means "the day of release of
  prisoners", because the sixth Nanak agreed to his
  release on the condition that the other fifty-two
  prisoners would also be released. Sikhs on this
  day, which normally falls in October-November,
  hold one day celebrations in the Gurdwaras.

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The End