A Big Misconception Of Sikhism

[Abneet]

Can someone tell me why so many religious people even teachers of other faiths see Sikhi as Islamic and Hindu views mixed together formed into Sikhi. I already know how to contradict these points but why do many people see Sikhi not as a separate religion with its own understanding of God and way to merge with God. Some say we have same views as Sufism or we are just a reformed Hindu religion. It is absurd I find some of these things in modern history/religion books. Why people are making such false assumptions....

I'd like to hear sangat's views and experiences.

 

[aristotle]

Abneet Ji,
One reason can be that these people are ignorant about Sikhism, but that is no excuse, if you are speaking on a dias about a religion it is your responsibility to atleast have some basic idea about the faith before making any such statements. Reading a single article in a magazine or hearing it from your peers does not constitute research. Just the other day, I was reading an article by a Jewish lady on her blog, and I was impressed by the facts and religious quotes she had included about Sikhi, seeming she had done atleast some research into the Sikh theology. If she could, why cant these religious people/scholars? There is no excuse for ignorance.

Secondly, there has been a slew of propaganda by certain organisations and their setups to spread disinformation about Sikhi. Reading their magazines and lectures, one comes to believe that Sikhism is just a reform movement in Hinduism &/or Islam, and that it serves no purpose now. They clearly intend to phagocytose minority religions like Sikhism and take it under the umbrella of their own religion by relegating it to the status of just a splinter group.

Thirdly, even some Sikh pracharaks make such statements in the name of religious tolerance and common brotherhood, not knowing how it hurts the public perception of their own religion. A very famous Sikh pracharak, now deceased, was in the habit of including a bounty of Hindu elements in his discourses, so much so that sometime it seemed he was doing a Katha of Vedanta and not Sikhi. He was also caught saying that he did this to placate people of hindu faith, who formed a large part of his audience. Even if including elements of other religions in their Katha, pracharaks should evenly balance it betweeen different faiths, not just concentrate on a particular Non-Sikh faith.

 

[Gyani Jarnail Singh]

Abineet ji..read my posts in the Mediation/karmee aveh kappra threads..on why GURMATT is brand new GYAAN but we cant get rid of the baggage we carry forward..why Blame others..we too a re guilty of same..

 

[Gyani Jarnail Singh]

JANEAU is the BEDROCK or foundation of Hinduism..Guru nanak ji KNOCKED that OFF right away at age 5 or 6...plainly REFUSING to wear it despite the opposition of the family and entire village society etc. Thus Guru nanak ji pulled away the Foundation and the building has collapsed...BUT SIKHS still keep DIGGING INTO the RUINS....picking up abroken brick..a lump of stone..piece of broken door..and saying..AHHH..this looks valuable !!! Lets keep that...( To me these Sikhs look like the rescuers at the site of a collapsed building..except the rescuers are doing good by looking for surviviors..BUT SIKHS crowding around the collapsed building based on JANEAU, vedas, Puransa Kitabs etc are "SCAVENGERS" wasting their time...Then we CANNOT blame others who arrive at the scene and JUMP to wrong Conclusions..its OUR FAULT !!!
Guru Ji took us AWAY form thsoe collapsed buildings to build Brand New DHARMSAALS..ghar ghar ander dharamsaal...but NO..we went abck tot he collapsed dump..and began looking for scraps to scavenege...

 

[Harry Haller]

Can someone tell me why so many religious people even teachers of other faiths see Sikhi as Islamic and Hindu views mixed together formed into Sikhi.

because Sikhism is the best kept secret in the world

 

[Sherdil]

When Guru Nanak stated that there is no Hindu nor Muslim, he wanted people to focus on what they had in common, rather than what separated them. The divine created people, and then people divided themselves into castes and religions.

The Truth is objective. It stands alone, and appears in the different faiths. But it is interpreted subjectively by these different people. What Guru ji wanted people to do was look at the Truth objectively, for it is there that commonality will be found and harmony achieved.

For this reason, the Gurus drew from Bhakti Hinduism and Sufi Islam and recorded the writings of their poets into our Guru Granth Sahib. It was their love of The One Divine Entity that united them, rather than their customs, languages, or rituals.

What separates Sikhi from Hinduism and Islam is that we have our own scripture, which does not require knowledge of the Vedas, Puranas, Shastras, or Quran. This solidifies our identity as a separate philosophy, which believes in the brotherhood/sisterhood of all mankind.

 

[Gyani Jarnail Singh]

Sherdil Ji..the BHAGATS that we Sikhs REVERE..are not that "welcome" in mainstream Hinduism...becasue what they teach/preach is UNPALATABLE to what practicing Hindus love to do..castes,fats, rituals, pilgrimages, etc etc etc...and simialrly what Sheikh farid Ji and other "mulsims" preacha nd teach is NOT acceptable to Muslims today..in fact to MOST Sunni Muslim, Sheikh farid jis is apostate...worthy of DEATH PENALITY....at best sertian Muslims like the shiahs or sufis would give the minimum respect to Sheikh farid Ji but NEVER Matha Tek to him as GURU that SIKHS DO...so I would NOT call the Bhagat Hindu or Muslim..they are MORE SIKH in every way...than they are Hindu or Muslim...

 

[Sherdil]

Sherdil Ji..the BHAGATS that we Sikhs REVERE..are not that "welcome" in mainstream Hinduism...becasue what they teach/preach is UNPALATABLE to what practicing Hindus love to do..castes,fats, rituals, pilgrimages, etc etc etc...and simialrly what Sheikh farid Ji and other "mulsims" preacha nd teach is NOT acceptable to Muslims today..in fact to MOST Sunni Muslim, Sheikh farid jis is apostate...worthy of DEATH PENALITY....at best sertian Muslims like the shiahs or sufis would give the minimum respect to Sheikh farid Ji but NEVER Matha Tek to him as GURU that SIKHS DO...so I would NOT call the Bhagat Hindu or Muslim..they are MORE SIKH in every way...than they are Hindu or Muslim...

Gyani ji you are correct,

This is why the Bhakti movement died out and Sufi Islam is on the decline. The orthodoxy cannot see beyond their narrow-mindedness. They are stuck in rituals, pilgrimages, and fasts. If they opened their eyes to the Truth, they would see that these things are meaningless. They are blind mice arguing over the features of an elephant. Some grab the tail and say it is a rope. Some grab the trunk and say it is a snake. Others grab the tusks and say it is a spear, but no one takes a step back to analyze the whole picture.

 

[Abneet]

Sherdil Ji..the BHAGATS that we Sikhs REVERE..are not that "welcome" in mainstream Hinduism...becasue what they teach/preach is UNPALATABLE to what practicing Hindus love to do..castes,fats, rituals, pilgrimages, etc etc etc...and simialrly what Sheikh farid Ji and other "mulsims" preacha nd teach is NOT acceptable to Muslims today..in fact to MOST Sunni Muslim, Sheikh farid jis is apostate...worthy of DEATH PENALITY....at best sertian Muslims like the shiahs or sufis would give the minimum respect to Sheikh farid Ji but NEVER Matha Tek to him as GURU that SIKHS DO...so I would NOT call the Bhagat Hindu or Muslim..they are MORE SIKH in every way...than they are Hindu or Muslim...

Exactly i see the bhagats in Guru Granth Sahib as Sikhs in terms of being truth-seekers and students of the Divine Truth. They were more of Sikhs than their own religion like you said. Bhagat Ravi Das was against caste...he would of been shunned for that too but he stood up for the Truth. Too bad Ravidassias broke away from Sikhism. Now what is controversial is that some say that Guru Nanak criticized rituals and fasts etc.. of other religions but said you can still merge with the One if you meditate,work,share being a Hindu or Muslim.

 

[Harry Haller]

Now what is controversial is that some say that Guru Nanak criticized rituals and fasts etc.. of other religions but said you can still merge with the One if you meditate,work,share being a Hindu or Muslim.

as long as you live by the truth, which would have made you a Muslim or a Hindu living a Sikh way of life

 

[Abneet]

as long as you live by the truth, which would have made you a Muslim or a Hindu living a Sikh way of life

Then should we call them Muslim-Sikhs or Hindu-Sikh? They practice the Truth but carry their other beliefs while living a Sikhi way of life that doesn't not go in line with Gurmat teachings. It gets a little confusing even to myself as I see bhagats in GGS sticking with their religion but living truthfully.

 

[Harry Haller]

Then should we call them Muslim-Sikhs or Hindu-Sikh? They practice the Truth but carry their other beliefs while living a Sikhi way of life that doesn't not go in line with Gurmat teachings. It gets a little confusing even to myself as I see bhagats in GGS sticking with their religion but living truthfully.

I think anyone of any religion, even atheist, who constantly lives by the truth for a period of time, will find themselves questioning anything that is not true, no, we should not call them Muslim-Sikhs, or Hindu-Sikhs, they are Muslims and Hindus, the truth is not exclusive to Sikhism, there are many many non-Sikhs who do not even realise they are Sikhs, just as there are many Sikhs who do not realise they are non-Sikhs!

 

[Abneet]

I think anyone of any religion, even atheist, who constantly lives by the truth for a period of time, will find themselves questioning anything that is not true, no, we should not call them Muslim-Sikhs, or Hindu-Sikhs, they are Muslims and Hindus, the truth is not exclusive to Sikhism, there are many many non-Sikhs who do not even realise they are Sikhs, just as there are many Sikhs who do not realise they are non-Sikhs!

True. Guru Granth Sahib is universal for the whole mankind regardless of religion. I see just like you, that they are people of other religion actually following in line with gurmat and they need to notice what Sikhi is like you said Sikhi is a hidden gem in this world that hasn't yet been discovered by most. We are the ones digging a deeper hole from it being spread because of the status of our Panth but in the future lets hope all goes well.

 

[Harry Haller]

We are the ones digging a deeper hole from it being spread because of the status of our Panth but in the future lets hope all goes well.

The status of our Panth does not stop people like you and me interacting and learning from each other, We are not the ones digging a deep hole..We are the ones that shape the future, it will go well if we go well, I am heading for 50, so the future lies with you.

 

[Abneet]

The status of our Panth does not stop people like you and me interacting and learning from each other, We are not the ones digging a deep hole..We are the ones that shape the future, it will go well if we go well, I am heading for 50, so the future lies with you.

You would be a bright sevadaar in the future as I remember you live near Southall. You should vote for that Sikh youth party who are trying to change how Southall gurdwara is running. They are actually trying to change for the better and I'm sure they also said they need elder sevadaars and to me you would be a good sevadaar.

 

[Harry Haller]

You would be a bright sevadaar in the future as I remember you live near Southall. You should vote for that Sikh youth party who are trying to change how Southall gurdwara is running. They are actually trying to change for the better and I'm sure they also said they need elder sevadaars and to me you would be a good sevadaar.

no I live miles from Southall, I love the place though, I tend to stay away from Gurdwaras myself, I find they are the last place that seva is really needed, it is needed more on the streets, in front of my nose, where I live, and with the people I interact with, most seva in Gurdwaras seems to me to be lip service, rather than something one should be doing 24/7, in fact the very thought that seva should be done in Gurdwaras, at a certain time, in a certain place is quite hilarious .

 

[Tejwant Singh]

In my many posts here on SPN, I have vehemently expressed that Sikhi is NOT a religion but an Idea Based way of Life.

It is not a Belief System.

It is not a Blind Faith which most of the religions are because their only answers for the intricacies of life are based on their respective mythologies, mechanical meaningless rituals, miracles,fairly tales, hence no questioning aloud.

In the Abrahamic and many other religions, the real life starts after death because of the belief in Hell and Heaven. This is one more reason that no questioning is aloud. The only answer to the Whys? and Hows? questions is, Because.

One more important thing. Each of these religions claim that their's is the only way and their "god" is the only one. if one does not follow their ONLY god, then your destiny is already decided by these angry,vengeful gods and you are named as Unbeliever/Kafeer, the former by Christianity and the latter by Islam.

This seems like a very insecure belief system based on blind faith.There are as many gods in the world as many minds in my opinion.

This is the reason, I have insisted in my posts that as a matter of fact there is no god in Sikhi. Ik Ong Kaar is not god if we check how god is defined.

Islam follows the belief in Hell and Heaven to the tee which is the main reason of the never ever ending conflicts between Islam itself and other religions of which we were the victims of it. The same thing is true in Christianity which was as violent as Islam is now 700 years ago because they had the head start of that time period.

In fact, one can find murals of "heaven" in most of the Muslim countries to brain wash the followers

On the other side, Sikhi is based on questioning and pragmatism, thanks to Guru Nanak rejecting to wear Janieo.

It took Sikhi 200 years to evolve whereas all other religions started with one generation, as a result their subjective truths stopped there and then.

This is the reason, Gurbani teaches us that there is no Super Being, no Supernatural power but Nature is Super and last but not the least, there is no Absolute Truth but Truth is Absolute, hence fluid because Truth never stops with the tick of the clock. It is the only constant that is ever changing.


The first Pauri of Jap teaches us that.

Tejwant Singh

 

[Abneet]

In my many posts here on SPN, I have vehemently expressed that Sikhi is NOT a religion but an Idea Based way of Life.

It is not a Belief System.

It is not a Blind Faith which most of the religions are because their only answers for the intricacies of life are based on their respective mythologies, mechanical meaningless rituals, miracles,fairly tales, hence no questioning aloud.

In the Abrahamic and many other religions, the real life starts after death because of the belief in Hell and Heaven. This is one more reason that no questioning is aloud. The only answer to the Whys? and Hows? questions is, Because.

One more important thing. Each of these religions claim that their's is the only way and their "god" is the only one. if one does not follow their ONLY god, then your destiny is already decided by these angry,vengeful gods and you are named as Unbeliever/Kafeer, the former by Christianity and the latter by Islam.

This seems like a very insecure belief system based on blind faith.There are as many gods in the world as many minds in my opinion.

This is the reason, I have insisted in my posts that as a matter of fact there is no god in Sikhi. Ik Ong Kaar is not god if we check how god is defined.

Islam follows the belief in Hell and Heaven to the tee which is the main reason of the never ever ending conflicts between Islam itself and other religions of which we were the victims of it. The same thing is true in Christianity which was as violent as Islam is now 700 years ago because they had the head start of that time period.

In fact, one can find murals of "heaven" in most of the Muslim countries to brain wash the followers

On the other side, Sikhi is based on questioning and pragmatism, thanks to Guru Nanak rejecting to wear Janieo.

It took Sikhi 200 years to evolve whereas all other religions started with one generation, as a result their subjective truths stopped there and then.

This is the reason, Gurbani teaches us that there is no Super Being, no Supernatural power but Nature is Super and last but not the least, there is no Absolute Truth but Truth is Absolute, hence fluid because Truth never stops with the tick of the clock. It is the only constant that is ever changing.


The first Pauri of Jap teaches us that.

Tejwant Singh

Sikhism does have its own way of life.... The most SIMPLE Path perhaps that Guru Nanak came in this world to establish Sikhi for a reason. The problem is that followers of abrahamic religions don't question the rituals and teachings of their own religion. One has to use his own mann and see why their prophet did such things etc and research their history if people lived up to their teachings afterwards. That would wipe off Islam and Christianity off the map because most do the rituals seeing it bringing them closer to God but in fact has no meaning and Guru Nanak did mention this. They do not question the status quo of their religion too. Where their holy book is from etc... They go with their lives being false and spreading falsehood. They might do good charity work and be good Christians, Good Muslims, or Good Hindus. But like Guru Nanak says that you have to be fully free of the rituals and bad teachings that have crawled up over time. This is why parchar of Sikhi is need at this moment and in the future. Sikhi can offer people to be truth-seekers and be questioners not just blind-followers. In the end, it is Kalyug where most people are strayed away from living Truthfully, but only followers of Divine Truth can inspire them.

 

[Harry Haller]

every religion has its heretics, those that question, normally agenda free, and every religion has its governing body, those that enforce, normally corrupt and self serving. We hang the heretics today that we erect monuments to tomorrow.

Islam, Hinduism, Catholicism all have their heretics, and we have ours, maybe we should listen to them a bit more

 

[Harry Haller]

In my many posts here on SPN, I have vehemently expressed that Sikhi is NOT a religion

I am not sure what you are trying to say here, do you mean some Sikhs think it IS a religion?