It has been too quiet these past 2 weeks in the forum. No robust debates going on. Almost ready to call it a day, a short one at that, and while making my rounds as admin, I was stopped short by this article. It is tabbed in my browser under the blog of respected forum member Kaur -1 at New Article: Authenticity of the True Path Kaurkhalsaraj's Blog
I haven't been able to ignore these days the persistent concerns on Sikh forums with Who is Tankhaeya -- which to me seems to be a total provocation and an abandonment of Guru Nanak's teachings. This question of who is tankhaeya seems an obsession with what everyone else is doing wrong; or whether Person X or Group Z can correctly decide that paap is clinging to everyone else but themselves. My understanding is that we should be focused on the inner quality of our own spirituality. I thought that Sikhism is in large part a teaching of authentic compassion rather than of stringent judgment.
Here is the article. I don't know if I agree even a little bit with what I have read in it. And I wonder what forum members think of the article? Is the content consistent with your understanding of what is authentically Sikh about Sikhi, or authentically Sikhi about Sikhism, or authentically Sikh about Sikhs and Sikhism? I just don't know. After forum members have a chance to react, maybe I will post some debatable questions or underscore some debatable assumptions in this article.
But please! Express yourselves before I go on endlessly. Sat Nam!
By: Bijla Singh
Sikhi is a way of life based on pure and pious living. It is a dynamic and practical religion. It has certain principles and a certain discipline to follow. More important than belief in the principles of the Sikh faith is the actual practice of the teachings of the Gurus. There are set rules and ways for the ideal life in Sikhi which determine Sikh belief and practices. These belief, principles and practices collectively are called Sikh Rehat Maryada (code of conduct). It is a manual and code of discipline for the followers of the Sikh faith for social, moral, religious, spiritual and general living.
Rehat Maryada was started by Guru Nanak Sahib. During the two centuries of the Gurus, Sikh belief and practices evolved slowly and matured until it was finalized by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. In 1699, the mission started by Guru Nanak Sahib was completed and Sikhs were completely transformed into a separate nation. It is absolutely imperative for every Sikh to follow the Rehat Maryada. If a Sikh breaches the cardinal instructions of no hair cutting, no adultery, no use of intoxicants and no eating of Kutha meat, he is called Patit and the transgressor must go through the initiation process again. If a Sikh violates the code of conduct other than the four cardinal transgressions, he becomes Tankhaeya and has to appear before the Panj Pyaras for undergoing Tankhah. It is very essential to point out that no individual or individual organization has the authority to change or alter the Sikh Rehat Maryada as per personal needs and whims. Any need for change must be done by the collective decision of the Khalsa Panth and the change must be based on holy Guru Granth Sahib and authentic Sikh scriptures and sources.
During British rule in India, it became necessary for Sikhs to write a true version of the Rehat Maryada in order to make it uniform and consistent as Sikh adversaries and particularly those who were propagating the myth that the Sikh religion was part of Hinduism, were creating confusions among the Sikhs. They did this to lure Sikhs to follow the same Brahmanical rites and rituals which had been rejected in Sikhism by Guru Nanak Sahib Ji, i.e. right from the beginning. Therefore, in 1945 Rehat Maryada was published which has become the only Maryada accepted by Akal Takhat. Ignorant of the Sikh motive behind this move, Sikh doctrine and history, Muslims have questioned the veracity of the Rehat Maryada. They state:
Due to the absence of clear guidance and edicts concerning what is permissible and impermissible in Sikhism's Holy Scripture, the Sikh world was forced to render and formulate a customised 'code of conduct' providing guidelines for all Sikhs to follow.
The statement is far from the truth. There is not a single line written in Rehat Maryada that cannot be referenced to Sikh scriptures and authentic historical sources. Also, it is in accordance with the Sikh dictums and Sikh religious practices, already being followed by Sikhs from the days of the Sikh Gurus. We will by Guru’s Kirpa (grace) show in this article that Rehat Maryada is not an invention of the Sikhs but a document based on authentic Sikh scriptures and sources.
Falsehood will come to an end, O Nanak, and Truth will prevail in the end. (Ang 953)
____________
end of article
I haven't been able to ignore these days the persistent concerns on Sikh forums with Who is Tankhaeya -- which to me seems to be a total provocation and an abandonment of Guru Nanak's teachings. This question of who is tankhaeya seems an obsession with what everyone else is doing wrong; or whether Person X or Group Z can correctly decide that paap is clinging to everyone else but themselves. My understanding is that we should be focused on the inner quality of our own spirituality. I thought that Sikhism is in large part a teaching of authentic compassion rather than of stringent judgment.
Here is the article. I don't know if I agree even a little bit with what I have read in it. And I wonder what forum members think of the article? Is the content consistent with your understanding of what is authentically Sikh about Sikhi, or authentically Sikhi about Sikhism, or authentically Sikh about Sikhs and Sikhism? I just don't know. After forum members have a chance to react, maybe I will post some debatable questions or underscore some debatable assumptions in this article.
But please! Express yourselves before I go on endlessly. Sat Nam!
Authenticity of the True Path
Sikhi is a way of life based on pure and pious living. It is a dynamic and practical religion. It has certain principles and a certain discipline to follow. More important than belief in the principles of the Sikh faith is the actual practice of the teachings of the Gurus. There are set rules and ways for the ideal life in Sikhi which determine Sikh belief and practices. These belief, principles and practices collectively are called Sikh Rehat Maryada (code of conduct). It is a manual and code of discipline for the followers of the Sikh faith for social, moral, religious, spiritual and general living.
Rehat Maryada was started by Guru Nanak Sahib. During the two centuries of the Gurus, Sikh belief and practices evolved slowly and matured until it was finalized by Guru Gobind Singh Ji. In 1699, the mission started by Guru Nanak Sahib was completed and Sikhs were completely transformed into a separate nation. It is absolutely imperative for every Sikh to follow the Rehat Maryada. If a Sikh breaches the cardinal instructions of no hair cutting, no adultery, no use of intoxicants and no eating of Kutha meat, he is called Patit and the transgressor must go through the initiation process again. If a Sikh violates the code of conduct other than the four cardinal transgressions, he becomes Tankhaeya and has to appear before the Panj Pyaras for undergoing Tankhah. It is very essential to point out that no individual or individual organization has the authority to change or alter the Sikh Rehat Maryada as per personal needs and whims. Any need for change must be done by the collective decision of the Khalsa Panth and the change must be based on holy Guru Granth Sahib and authentic Sikh scriptures and sources.
During British rule in India, it became necessary for Sikhs to write a true version of the Rehat Maryada in order to make it uniform and consistent as Sikh adversaries and particularly those who were propagating the myth that the Sikh religion was part of Hinduism, were creating confusions among the Sikhs. They did this to lure Sikhs to follow the same Brahmanical rites and rituals which had been rejected in Sikhism by Guru Nanak Sahib Ji, i.e. right from the beginning. Therefore, in 1945 Rehat Maryada was published which has become the only Maryada accepted by Akal Takhat. Ignorant of the Sikh motive behind this move, Sikh doctrine and history, Muslims have questioned the veracity of the Rehat Maryada. They state:
Due to the absence of clear guidance and edicts concerning what is permissible and impermissible in Sikhism's Holy Scripture, the Sikh world was forced to render and formulate a customised 'code of conduct' providing guidelines for all Sikhs to follow.
The statement is far from the truth. There is not a single line written in Rehat Maryada that cannot be referenced to Sikh scriptures and authentic historical sources. Also, it is in accordance with the Sikh dictums and Sikh religious practices, already being followed by Sikhs from the days of the Sikh Gurus. We will by Guru’s Kirpa (grace) show in this article that Rehat Maryada is not an invention of the Sikhs but a document based on authentic Sikh scriptures and sources.
Falsehood will come to an end, O Nanak, and Truth will prevail in the end. (Ang 953)
____________
end of article
