Las Vegas Sikhs Challenge Misconceptions

This is a thread that reports on a series of initiatives aimed at interfaith engagement and understanding in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America. Our respected forum member Tejwant Singh Malik has been a consistent participant in this endeavor. The thread is a chronicle of interfaith participation using news releases, videos, interfaith gatherings and interfaith langar, in an unique and inclusive endeavor.

You can hear the interview of Tejwant Singh ji if you go to audio feed at this link: http://www.knpr.org/son/archive/detail2.cfm?SegmentID=9127&ProgramID=2564

Enjoy !!!

Las Vegas Sikhs Challenge Misconceptions
AIR DATE: August 8, 2012



The fatal shooting at the Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin echoes loudly with members of the Sikh community in Las Vegas.

“This is not what America is,” says Dr. Upinder Singh, who was at the Las Vegas Sikh Temple when he learned of the shootings. “For every Mr. Page there are millions of other people who support and share the values that Sikhism also stands for.”

Singh believes that recent events have called attention to the fact that the Sikh religion is not widely understood, ironically because their philosophy is one of acceptance.

“If you are a good Christian, be a good Christian, you will meet God. If you are a Hindu, be a good Hindu, you will meet God. My way is not the only way to be with the almighty God. So we never bothered to let anybody know who we are,” says Singh. “We have minded our own business.”

Misunderstandings about the Sikh religion are not new. Because Sikh men have full beards and wear their uncut hair in turbans, many Americans confuse them with Muslims. Sikhs in the United States say that they have had to fight anti-Muslim prejudice since 9/11.

Teji Malik is also a Sikh who lives in Las Vegas and is a member of the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada. He says that he was once singled out by a local talk show host in the wake of 9/11.

“I own a gas station and one instance happened on 9/11. We were distributing ribbons to everybody who came, American flag ribbons, as we are all Americans first,” says Malik. “I don’t want to name the radio station but one of the hosts visited my gas station to buy something … and he went back to his radio (station) and he said there’s a man with a white turban at this address. I don’t listen to talk radio and my customers came to me to tell me ‘Hey. There’s someone talking about you and giving your address.’ So I had to call the radio station and say ‘Hey. Please don’t do that.’

It was apparently Malik’s turban that inspired the alarmist reaction from the talk show host. Upinder Singh says he doesn’t understand why some people are challenged by the presence of the turban, since other religious faiths including Christianity and Judaism require head coverings.

"Turban is a spirtual crown for the Sikh faith. It’s not a hat, it’s not a cap, it’s a spiritual crown," says Upinder Sing. "What it tells us is there’s a higher power above you, and it is there with you every single day, 24/7.”

The Las Vegas Sikh temple is holding an all-faiths service Wednesday at 7 p.m.

http://www.knpr.org/son/archive/detail2.cfm?SegmentID=9127&ProgramID=2564

Las Vegas Sikh Community Reacts to Deadly Shooting
Posted: Aug 06, 2012 6:58 PM EDT

http://www.8newsnow.com/story/19209...eacts-to-deadly-shooting?clienttype=printable

By Patranya Bhoolsuwan
By Kevin Johnson

LAS VEGAS -- It has been an emotional few days for the Las Vegas Sikh community. Members say they have become a target for violence since 9/11. They claim people often confuse them with Muslims and that has members of the community fearing for their safety.

The daily prayers at the Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh are meant to bring peace to worshippers, but some now feel fear.

"This was the best, the safest place on earth, but not anymore," said Amar Chadha, a Sikh temple member.

The shooting rampage at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin on Sunday left seven people dead, including the gunman.

"We face discrimination every step, every moment of our lives," Chadha said.

He is a Sikh, originally from India. He said the discrimination comes from ignorance because people often confuse his religion with Islam, a faith that has been associated with violence toward Americans.

The temple, which normally keeps the gates open during the day, will now lock them and add security cameras around the facility. Temple leaders said they didn't want to do this, but they want to give their members a peace of mind.

"It's very upsetting. It's very sad," Chadha said.

One family who attends the temple faced its own tragedy last year.

"He's not coming back," said Satpal Kur, the mother-in-law of murder victim Amanpreet Singh Mander who was robbed and killed outside of a Wells Fargo ATM last year.

While police said robbery was likely the motive, fellow Sikhs think he may have been targeted because he looked different.

"He was a very lovely boy," Kur said.

Mander's young sons no longer wear turbans because they fear becoming targets.

"Hatred is taught, goodness, one is born with," said Teji Malik, Interfaith Council.

Malik, a Sikh and a board member of the Interfaith Council said a special service is planned for Wednesday to help people better understand the Sikh religion.

"It's about peace and helping each other," he said.

The interfaith service will take place Wednesday, July 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the Baba Deep Singh temple off of Lone Mountain Road and Torrey Pines Drive. People of all faiths are invited to attend.

Hundreds Gather for Sikh Service in Las Vegas
Posted: Aug 09
By Joe Bartels
By Chris Benka

http://www.8newsnow.com/story/19232...h-temple-service-las-vegas-wisconsin-shooting

LAS VEGAS - The Las Vegas Sikh temple opened its doors Wednesday night to people of all faiths to share a night of prayers for the six people killed in a Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin Sunday.

The Wednesday night service at the Sikh temple in northwest Las Vegas was packed with visitors. They took off their shoes and wore head coverings, which are traditions in the Sikh religion.

Rebecca Overton-Hooker is a practicing Christian who attended the service. She says the terrible events that unfolded in Wisconsin illustrate why people need to come together, regardless of their faith.

"These are peace loving people who are blended in the community, own businesses. They educate their children. They raise their families. They are who we want in our community," she said. "These people in Wisconsin were done a terrible wrong by a psycho, and they need to know the community supports their desire to be a peaceful, loving, family-oriented people."

"This was the opportunity for us to share it," said Teji Malik who practices the Sikh religion. "That's why you won't see any anger here, but just a peaceful way of showing let's begin to love each other."

Other prominent members of the community also showed up to lend their support to Sikh religion members.

"That's part of the reason why we have this outreach and these relationships," said Metro Police Sheriff Doug Gillespie. "When a crime does occur, and the community does feel that it is racially motivated, that they have an avenue to reach out to."

As many as 500 people took part in the traditional service. Temple goers say it was encouraging to see, because they usually see around 50 people on a Wednesday night.

"People have lots of misconceptions because of a lack of education about it, so we just want to educate people," Malik said.

Sikh members say they are often confused with other religious groups and wanted to show people the differences.

The FBI, meanwhile, revealed the shooter in that Wisconsin massacre – Wade Michael Page - killed himself after the shooting spree. A police officer was also wounded in that incident.

Las Vegans reflect on discrimination, resilience at interfaith vigils for Sikh victims

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/aug/10/interfaith-vigil-honoring-sikh-victims-emphasizes-/

By Andrea Domanick (contact)
Friday, Aug. 10, 2012 | 2 a.m.

As storm clouds encroach on the eastern valley, a handful of residents lingering outside the Guru Nanak Gurdwara take shelter inside the humble Sikh temple. Beneath its low ceilings, several dozen people, mostly Sikh worshippers, make small talk as they wait for Thursday evening’s 6:30 p.m. prayer service to begin.

Like the night before at a Gurdwara in northwest Las Vegas, Guru Nanak Gurdwara is holding an interfaith community vigil to honor the six victims of Sunday’s shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

The crowd is far smaller and less diverse than the 400 or so residents and city officials who came out on Wednesday, but the spirit of solidarity and resilience is just as strong, less about strength in numbers than about intimacy.

Inside, the scene is a far cry from the solemn, sacrosanct space that might come to mind when imagining a house of worship, and instead more like the living room of a large family: In the langar, or dining hall, outside the main prayer room, worshippers sip Diet Cokes and fan themselves; a young girl giggles on her cellphone while adjusting her emerald headscarf. On the wall behind her, framed portraits of long-bearded sikhs gaze, perhaps skeptically, over a folding table crammed with trays of steaming basmati rice, rich curries and bags of Lays potato chips.

The atmosphere may have been lighthearted, but as attendees file into the diwan, or main prayer room, they are reminded of why they’re gathered this evening.

“My heart broke. I felt tremendous pain,” says Barbera Battson, a member of the interfaith Center for Spiritual Living of Greater Las Vegas, of her reaction to Sunday’s massacre. “Sikhs are such kind, gentle people and to think that somebody would just go do that — it hurts my heart.”

Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that emphasizes universal equality. Founded in the 15th century in the Punjab region of what is now India and Pakistan, it is the world’s fifth-largest organized religion, with about 27 million observers worldwide.

Observant Sikhs do not cut their hair, with men often covering their heads with a turban and growing out their beards; however, those who choose not to follow this tradition are still welcome in the Sikh community. Close to 800,000 people identify as Sikh in the United States, with about 2,000 Sikh worshippers across the valley.

As with the previous night’s vigil, interfaith community members offered words of strength and condolences to those impacted by the shooting. Speakers particularly emphasized unity and acceptance of others, not simply tolerance, to combat hatred.

"Tolerance means your arms are crossed. You tolerate a dog barking in your neighbor's backyard," said Teji Malik, a Sikh who serves on the board of the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada. "Acceptance means being open to embrace other people."

Though the vast majority of those who wear turbans in the U.S. are Sikh, their head coverings and long beards have caused many to be the inadvertent victims of anti-Islamic or anti-Arab sentiment in the wake of 9/11.

According to the New York-based Sikh Coalition, a non-profit civil rights group founded after the Sept. 11 attacks, there have been over 700 hate crimes against Sikhs in the U.S. since 9/11; the Coalition has also handled thousands of complaints from Sikhs about racial profiling and workplace discrimination.

The conflation of the two faiths did not go unmentioned at Thursday's vigil. Dr. Aslam Abdullah, director of the Islamic Society of Nevada, reflected on the suggestion that the Milwaukee gunman was ignorant of the Sikh faith and had intended to kill Muslims. He stressed that ignorance must not be used as an excuse for the gunman's actions.

"You don't have to know a Sikh in order to respect life. You don't have to know a Muslim in order to say no to violence. You don't have to know a Christian or a Jew in order to say that life is sacred," he said. "That man was not ignorant of Sikhism but filled with hatred. Hatred does not come from ignorance, but a sense of superiority that one develops of one's culture, one's race, one's religion over others."

Dr. Bashir Chowdhry, chairman of the Islamic Society of Southern Nevada’s board of trustees, echoed that sentiment.

“There is no place for such senseless killing in civilized society. We as the Muslim community stand by you, and we join you in the fight to claim our rights,” he said.

For Chowdhry, those words hit close to home. In February, the nearly completed $1.5 million Islamic funeral home he and his family helped establish for the Las Vegas community was burned to the ground in a suspected hate crime.

Malik's 17-year-old son Trimaan says he too has experienced discrimination in the past. He cites middle school as a difficult period for him, as classmates teased him about his turban and called him “a terrorist.”

"I would tell myself, I would tell my parents, 'It doesn't affect me, it doesn't affect me,' but at some point in time, it will affect you. You'll feel, ok, this isn't cool," he says.

Today, however, he's looking forward to entering his senior year at Advanced Technologies Academy, where he says his friends and classmates see past superficial differences. But it's not just about others, he says, explaining that it's also up to him to rise above the hate, which he attributes to a lack of knowledge about his faith. These days, instead of getting angry, he'll laugh off an off-color remark, or, if he's feeling cheeky, think of a witty comeback.

Though he's still coming to terms with Sunday's shooting, he says it's important to use that same mentality of resilience and optimism to move forward.

“It’s sad and upsetting, but hopefully all of this can bring a different light on other issues, like gun control and our religion. But on the other hand, in order to get the public aware of our religion at the cost of other lives — that’s never something good.”

Like his son, Malik remains optimistic in the wake of tragedy. He says the outpouring of support from city officials, religious leaders, the media and average citizens from across the valley at this week’s Gurdwara vigils has been “truly heartwarming.”

“It shows togetherness in all of us. Especially in Las Vegas, where hardly anyone has roots here,” he says. “In Milwaukee, where people are born and bred going back generations, it’s a different story. But here we’re all thrown together from different roots -- we’re all outsiders in a sense. So I think coming together the way we have here has more significance than in other places.”

Malik was particularly moved at Wednesday’s vigil, when the Gurdwara was so packed, hundreds of supporters remained outside in the heat just to listen in, and was moved again to see several non-Sikhs return for Thursday’s service. He says such acts of solidarity have only reaffirmed strength within and beyond the local Sikh community to move past last weekend’s act of hatred.

“We don’t live in fear. Our religion is created to fight for injustice,” he says. “I have nothing but a sense of gratitude that the Las Vegas community was so interested in knowing about us. We are about acceptance, and our arms remain open.”

Interfaith 101412 Pt3 - YouTube

You can see Tejwant Singh seated center on the dais.

Background: These are remarks from email messages to me that explain how the Interfaith gathering works, and the extent to which members of other faiths and their clergy have deepened their connections to the Sikh community in Las Vegas over the past months.

The messages help you understand how important is the work the council is doing. Comments are taken from longer emails in which Tejwant Singh talks about his interactions with other clergy and local government officials.

..... I would like to share one more thing that I am in the Mayors' Interfaith Councils of both Henderson and Las Vegas which deals with teen prostitution, drug and alcohol addiction, homelessness which includes many vets. Both Mayors are good friends of mine now because whenever and where ever we meet, I am pulled out of the queue to talk to them, thanks to the Bana. As a matter of fact I have personal number of the Mayor of Henderson and the direct number of Mayor Goodman's secretary.

The meetings are held monthly. I could only go to 2 last year and was appalled to see the Bible thumpers flaunting their Bibles for all cures, an excellent introduction for me to budge in which I did during the first one through Gurmat ideas of Oneness in all. And during the second one which I was able to attend about 4 months later in between my pilgrims, most of them came to me and talked to me about it how the meeting had turned into doing good in a real sense. Many who are not religious to the extremes thanked me which they said, they wanted to do for a long time but I was not there. As I have got my foot in the door, I would like to make a real difference and help the needy. Talking about this, I arranged an Interfaith Langar a week before the Thanksgiving at our Gurdwara. About 400 people showed up from all walks, spoke and were served Langar. Karen, who is also on the board and work for Peace Society asked me if I knew Dianne from The Christian Works, whom I do, and she does feed the homeless and the needy. Karen wanted to arrange some kind of understanding for the Gurdwara's participation in this. I told her to invite Dianne to the Gurdwara one day, try our food, as it is all vegetarian and if this works for her, I will arrange 100 lunch boxes every Sunday for her. Karen was taken aback with my answer. She asked me how I could do that. How would I make other members of the Gurdwara agree as I am not even in its committee? In my thoughts I told her silently, it is not me, but my Guru who does all for me.

To make long story short, Dianne came the following Sunday, had Langar, loved it and we have been supplying 100 Lunch boxes on every Sunday ever since.They come and pick it up. We are planning to add 50 more as more people get used to our food. Bhenji, I feel so blessed from all aspects of life. Making a grain of difference is a good start.

.....
During my breaks from the hospitals, Oak Creek, Wisconsin shooting took place. As being on the board of Interfaith Council, I was able to arrange a gathering of about 500 people from all walks of life including the Police Chief Guillespe, Congresswoman Shelly Berkeley and all the city council on Wednesday, the third day after the horrific event in the main Gurdwara, Baba Deep Singh ji and the next day to the smaller one Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Henderson.

.....
One of the Clark County Commissioners-Chris Giunchigliani had heard my KNPR interview and said at Baba Deep Singh Gurdwara when she spoke,

I have learnt something new today while listening to Teji Malik at KNPR. As a Christian, I was taught to have tolerance, but from today on wards I want to change that into acceptance". It was a heart warming moments for all of us.

Click to expand...

..... I was also invited to the breakfast prayer with the 5 Mayors: Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Mesquite, Boulder City and Henderson in which I was invited to give Sikh Prayer convocation, the first in Nevada's history.

Click to expand...

Picture gallery and videos

Streaming video for Photo 1 http://www.8newsnow.com/story/19209...eacts-to-deadly-shooting?clienttype=printable

Streaming video for Photo 2 http://www.8newsnow.com/story/19232...h-temple-service-las-vegas-wisconsin-shooting

This thread is open to comments from forum members. We also look forward to more commentary from Tejwant Singh Malik.

Very proud of these people..esp our very own Tejwant Singh ji...this is the way forward.

Hmm reference the video, I am a little bit dissapointed that Tejwant Singh Ji when answering about evolution, did not emphasize that Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji does not go against science... the fact that Sikhi does not go against science and revealed things that scientists only today are realizing, is what brought me to Sikhi and affirmed in my mind and heart that it is divine knowledge!!! He kind of avoided the question other than to say we do not believe in the story of Genesis.

The 8.4 million incarnations itself kind of speaks for evolution... evolution of the soul. Within that, there must also be evolution of species as well, as the whole of creation is constantly evolving.

But I absolutely loved how he emphasized about Sikhi not being a religion but a philosophy and way of living... that is always how I have viewed it... its spirituality not dogma... its about love not fear. Looking fwd to hearing more from him as well!

Following is the whole text of the topic Why Religion? talked by the different faiths.

ੴ


Good Evening.

Ik Ong Kaar. There is One Source of ALL. I am a Sikh which means a learner, a seeker.

Why Religion? This question is asked more often now than ever before. According to The Pew Research, “The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow.”

This is the fact which should make us ponder on the workings of our respective religions.

A thought comes to mind that all religious people claim to be God Fearing which made me question, then how is it possible for this fear of God to breed goodness and love in the followers?

So, Are We God Fearing or God Loving?

Let’s try to find the answer.

Fear is darkness; Love is light. Fear breeds submission; Love breeds liberty. Fear makes us cringe; Love makes us open our arms. Fear breeds rebellion; Love creates harmony. Fear is shackles; Love is freedom. Fear is tolerance; Love is acceptance.

A Sikh is a fearless lover. Guru Nanak’s teachings lift the veil of darkness created by fear.
“Thus, fear created darkness began to evaporate and bright rays of love shone themselves”, said a Sikh poet, about Guru Nanak.

This fearless love has made Sikhi the 5th largest with 25 million Sikhs worldwide without any proselytizing, which is forbidden and abhorred.

Become the best you can in whatever religion you choose, is the Sikhi motto.

Now a bit of history; Our 5th Guru was tortured to death by Jahangir; Shah Jahan’s father because he refused to convert to Islam and our 9th Guru offered his life, so the Pundits from Kashmir could worship the god they wanted to despite rejecting their ways for himself. He was beheaded by Aurungzeb, the son of Shah Jahan, the one who built the famous Taj Mahal. These atrocities did not take place in some distant lost history. The 5th Guru took his last breath on May 30th 1606 and the 9th on Nov.11th, 1675.

But, this is what the true lovers of humankind do.
So, if someone tells you to be God Fearing, please recite them the verse from my 10th Guru: Jin Prem kioh, tin hee Prabh Payeio.
“Only Love can create Oneness in all”.

Sikhi is not a religion. It has no deity to worship. A Sikh is a truth seeker. It does not believe in the Supernatural being or in the absolute truth. The fact is that the Truth is ever changing. New planets are formed and many dissipatee all the times. Once, our land mass was just one piece before parting itself into different continents. These are some of the examples of the absence of the absolute truth.

Sikhi has no clergy. If Sikhi were one more religion, then the Guru Granth would not have poetry of thirty-one sages from Hinduism and Islam along with our six Gurus’. Many of the Hindu sages were not even allowed in their own temples because of their low castes. If it were another religion, then the Golden Temple - the most sacred shrine of Sikhi - would not have four doors open to invite all humankind in, nor would a Muslim had laid its foundation stone. If Sikhi were a religion then, we would not have the concept of breaking bread with everyone in the way of Langar. 80,000 free meals are served daily at this sanctum sanctorum of Sikhi.

Sikhi is a pragmatic way of life sans dogmas. A philosophy where The Spiritual and The Temporal are like Ying & Yang. One complements the other. It took 300 years for the Sikh Philosophy to evolve unlike the religions which stopped in time with their respective Creators.

A Sikh does not dwell in whatever ills come in his/her way. Acceptance of whatever bad happens is called Hukam- something beyond our power. Hukam is about not giving up but moving forward no matter what dire straits we may find ourselves in. One can say that Hukam is the lemon from which, a Sikh is taught to make the tastiest lemonade.

When Sikhi was introduced by Guru Nanak; He addressed the believers without criticizing their religions. He advocated the Sikh Philosophy by bringing reason and practical aspects of life in order to negate the influence of ritualism. His message is simple and clear. Breed goodness within to share with the world.

Many Hindu and Muslim scholars stress that Sikhs are a part of their religions. To prove these claims to be unfounded, our 5th Guru states beautifully,

“Neither do I observe fasting (Hindu Ritual), nor do I observe Ramadan (Muslim fasting month); I just serve The One.”

Sikhi does not believe in any kind of pilgrimages either.

The 5th Guru continues: “I do not go to Hajj nor do I go to the Hindu pilgrimages. I only offer my pure heart to The Formless.”

“I have no qualms with either the Pandit or the Mullah, I do not need either because I have the ONE within me.” Says Bhagat Kabir, a low caste Hindu.

In order to practice this way of life, We are very fortunate to have The Guru Granth, our only Guru, our Tool Box, our GPS which guides us and offers us the tools to excel and help anyone in need. This is the DNA of Sikhi.

“Be like the lotus, says the Guru: exist in a cesspool, if you must, yet remain unblemished ... and serve others by your fragrance”!

This selfless service is called Seva.

Sikhi also rejects the notion that Religions have the monopoly on morality. For a Sikh, everyone is capable of being moral. It is all about doing the right thing.

Let me offer a few examples:

45% of the Indian armed forces are made of Sikhs. Sikhs are responsible for the 67% of the charity fund in India. The 60k Gurdwaras serve 5.9 million meals daily. And here comes the whopper, Sikhs are only 2% of the Indian Population of 1.2 Billion.

There is one more thing worth sharing. Two Sikhs from Yuba City, California, donated $100k to the wounded Police officer, Brian Murphy of the Oak Creek Police Department in Wisconsin, where the awful tragedy happened a few months ago in which 6 Sikhs were murdered.

"They just wanted to do it in private," The Police Chief Rob Landon of Yuba City said of the Sikh donors. "But I just thought the gesture was so worthy that we needed to honor them and thank them for their gesture."
Sikh charities were the first ones to offer hot meals during the earthquake in Haiti. Sikhs from all around the world took part in this Seva. We are still building schools and digging wells for potable water in the interior of the country. This work will continue as long as it is needed. The same is true when the Tsunamis hit Indonesia and other countries. Many Sikhs are also involved in Oxfam and Christian Aid.

In the US, Sikhi is a 100-year-old community. Our history is littered with surviving holocausts, fighting Japanese fascists and German Nazis. One more thing worth mentioning is that the Sikh Regiment of the UN is the only one which has been able to keep relative peace while stationed at the Israeli-Lebanese border for the longest time in the history of the UN.

As a Sikh, I am taught to fight for equality and justice for all. Our only goal is to see THE ONE in all. Now, the question arises, how can we attain this goal of Oneness?
Let me end by sharing what the Guru Granth says:

“Of all religions, this is the best: Not one of rituals. Not one of words. But, one of Deeds -Serving the truly needy”.

Thanks for the honour.
Teji Singh Malik.

Akasha said:

Hmm reference the video, I am a little bit dissapointed that Tejwant Singh Ji when answering about evolution, did not emphasize that Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji does not go against science... the fact that Sikhi does not go against science and revealed things that scientists only today are realizing, is what brought me to Sikhi and affirmed in my mind and heart that it is divine knowledge!!! He kind of avoided the question other than to say we do not believe in the story of Genesis.

The 8.4 million incarnations itself kind of speaks for evolution... evolution of the soul. Within that, there must also be evolution of species as well, as the whole of creation is constantly evolving.

But I absolutely loved how he emphasized about Sikhi not being a religion but a philosophy and way of living... that is always how I have viewed it... its spirituality not dogma... its about love not fear. Looking fwd to hearing more from him as well!

Click to expand...

Akasha ji,

Guru Fateh.

The reason I did not elaborate more about evolution is because first, we are given one minute to respond. Secondly, I had already talked about Evolution in the last year's forum. Following are the links for the two topics which took place in 2011.

1.http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-...orum-2011-religious-principles-spiritual.html
2.http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/inter...ution-sikhi-perspective-tejwant-singh-ji.html

Regards

Tejwant Singh

Tejwant Singh Ji,

Thank you so much for the links! I loved reading them!

Amazing Quote:

“It all began from one light. This beauty that we are surrounded by is part of that starting point and so are we. Hence, who shall we call bad, when none exists without the One, who is in all of us?"

Actually I believe that all that really exists IS the ONE. Everything we know is the dream of the creator....a constantly evolving dream through creative principle. I believe Waheguru as the creator is subjectively and consciously experiencing that creation through many different eyes (us). When I came to think of it that way, all that really exists IS that light!

I so wish that more people would know about Sikhism. I am just so glad I found it on my own!


Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Pg 736:

ਬਾਜੀਗਰਿ ਜੈਸੇ ਬਾਜੀ ਪਾਈ ॥ बाजीगरि जैसे बाजी पाई ॥ Bājīgar jaise bājī pā▫ī.
The director stages the play,
ਨਾਨਾ ਰੂਪ ਭੇਖ ਦਿਖਲਾਈ ॥ नाना रूप भेख दिखलाई ॥ Nānā rūp bẖekẖ ḏikẖlā▫ī.
playing the many characters in different costumes;
ਸਾਂਗੁ ਉਤਾਰਿ ਥੰਮ੍ਹ੍ਹਿਓ ਪਾਸਾਰਾ ॥ सांगु उतारि थम्हिओ पासारा ॥ Sāʼng uṯār thamiĥa▫o pāsārā.
but when the play ends, he takes off the costumes,
ਤਬ ਏਕੋ ਏਕੰਕਾਰਾ ॥੧॥ तब एको एकंकारा ॥१॥ Ŧab eko ekankārā. ||1||
and then he is one, and only one. ||1||
ਕਵਨ ਰੂਪ ਦ੍ਰਿਸਟਿਓ ਬਿਨਸਾਇਓ ॥ कवन रूप द्रिसटिओ बिनसाइओ ॥ Kavan rūp ḏaristi▫o binsā▫i▫o.
How many forms and images appeared and disappeared?
ਕਤਹਿ ਗਇਓ ਉਹੁ ਕਤ ਤੇ ਆਇਓ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ कतहि गइओ उहु कत ते आइओ ॥१॥ रहाउ ॥ Kaṯėh ga▫i▫o uho kaṯ ṯe ā▫i▫o. ||1|| rahā▫o.
Where have they gone? Where did they come from? ||1||Pause||

Tejwant Singh said:

Akasha ji,

Guru Fateh.

The reason I did not elaborate more about evolution is because first, we are given one minute to respond. Secondly, I had already talked about Evolution in the last year's forum. Following are the links for the two topics which took place in 2011.

1.http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-...orum-2011-religious-principles-spiritual.html
2.http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/inter...ution-sikhi-perspective-tejwant-singh-ji.html

Regards

Tejwant Singh

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Sikhi is not a religion

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Veer Ji I understand the sentiment but why would something that is not a religion say it was the best" of all religions".

Scarlet Pimpernel said:

Veer Ji I understand the sentiment but why would something that is not a religion say it was the best" of all religions".

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I think he was trying to say the best religion is no religion at all... because religion is man made....dogma and ritual. How can we ever know if those rituals or dogma are what the creator wants us to do? We cant and further to that the only way to the divine is to find it within yourself. Not in the concept of an invisible sky daddy separate from creation. Sikhi surpasses that because its pure spirituality. And Sikhi has you see that divine light in everyone and everything.

Thats how I interpreted it.... apologies Tejwant Ji if I interpreted wrong.

Akashi Ji

Everyone speaks of this Sikhi it must be a wonderous thing but ,'m yet to meet it ,is it separate from us,what I think is peculiar to any Religion is not precepts but people,if Religion is a person thing then we must search our person.