Basic Tenets of Sikhism

Diagram showing some of the important Sikh beliefs

The Basic Tenets of Sikhism can be summarised as follows:

There are three requirements for a Sikh of the Guru:

• Nam Japna - Rise in the Amrit Vela and meditate on God's Name.

• Dharam Di Kirt Karna - Earn one's living righteously by the sweat of the brow or the industry, effort and conscientiousness of the mind.

• Vand Chhakna - Share what one has with others

In addition, a Khalsa Sikh is required to:

Maintain the 5 K's:

• Kara – Steel Bracelet,
• Kesh – Long, Uncut Hair,
• Kanga - Wooden Comb
• Kacheras - Special Underwear
• Kirpan – Sacred Sword

Life of Dedication to God

The Twin Pronged Approach by carrying out:

• Simran - repeating spiritual song aloud or silently with each breath throughout one's waking hours, during work and play.

• Seva - giving one's time in selfless service

Lead a Disciplined Life

• Bani - recitation of sacred prayers

• Bana - spiritual dress

Conquer the 5 Thieves

It's every Sikh duty to defeat these 5 thieves: Lust (Kham), Anger (Krodh), Greed (LobH), Attachment (MoH), and Ego (aHankar). Within each person live these 5 thieves and it’s the duty of every Sikh to subdue and control the behaviour of these emotions and enemies.

Attack with 5 Weapons

A Sikh must always be armed with the following virtues:

Compassion (Daya), Truth (Sat), Contentment (Santokh), Humility (Nimrata) and Love (Pyar)

Excerpt from the book "LIVING REALITY - Questions and Answers about life, under the guidance of The Siri Guru Granth Sahib" by Bibiji Inderjit Kaur Khalsa, Ph.D