Guidance for all: Difference between revisions

From SikhiWiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 1: Line 1:
[[Image:Guru Granth Sahib By Bhai Pratap Singh Giani.jpg|290px|thumb|right|{{cs|[[Guru Granth Sahib]] - Spiritual guidance for All!}}]]
[[Image:Guru Granth Sahib By Bhai Pratap Singh Giani.jpg|350px|thumb|right|{{cs|[[Guru Granth Sahib]] offers spiritual guidance for all!}}]]


The Sikh Scriptures are unique among the religious "Holy Books" of the world in that they don't just offer spiritual guidance for the [[Sikh]]s alone but impart guidance and assistance for all the peoples and religions of the world.
The Sikh Scriptures are unique among the religious "Holy Books" of the world in that they don't just offer spiritual guidance for the [[Sikh]]s alone but impart guidance and assistance for all the peoples and religions of the world.

Revision as of 07:19, 9 March 2008

Guru Granth Sahib offers spiritual guidance for all!

The Sikh Scriptures are unique among the religious "Holy Books" of the world in that they don't just offer spiritual guidance for the Sikhs alone but impart guidance and assistance for all the peoples and religions of the world.

The Siri Guru Granth is a supreme treasure for all mankind. It is the true and permanent Spiritual Guide of the Sikhs. Guru Granth Sahib transcends creed and caste, cant and convention. It does not belong to the Sikhs alone. It consecrates the sayings of 11 Hindu bhagats and as many bard poets and seven Muslim saints, along with the teachings of six Sikh gurus. No other religion has included in its holy book the sayings of others, however revered. The Guru Granth Sahib provides unique and unequalled guidance and advice to the whole of the human race. It is the torch that will lead humanity out of Kaljug, (the dark era) to a life in peace, tranquillity and spiritual enlightenment for all the nations of the World.

This is what Max Arthur Macauliffe writes about the authenticity of the Guru's teaching: "The Sikh religion differs as regards the authenticity of its dogmas from most other theological systems. Many of the great teachers the world has known, have not left a line of their own composition and we only know what they taught through tradition or second-hand information. If Pythagoras wrote of his tenets, his writings have not descended to us. We know the teachings of Socrates only through the writings of Plato and Xenophanes. Buddha has left no written memorial of his teaching. Kungfu-tze, known to Europeans as Confucius, left no documents in which he detailed the principles of his moral and social system. The founder of Christianity did not reduce his doctrines to writing and for them we are obliged to trust to the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Arabian Prophet did not himself reduce to writing the chapters of the Quran. They were written or compiled by his adherents and followers. But the compositions of Sikh Gurus are preserved and we know at first hand what they taught."

Bhagat Kabir who is a prominent contributor to the Sri Guru Granth Sahib says on page 479:

Says Kabeer, I sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord; I teach both Hindus and Muslims. ((4)(4)(13))
SGGS Page 479

It's clear that the SGGS gives directions to the various religious peoples of the world to point them in the correct path. The different religions ("paths to God") and their "Holy Books" are supported and are not directly criticized but the followers who do not follow these scriptures properly are reproached and admonished.

My body and breath of life belong to Allah - to Raam - the God of both. ((4))
SGGS Page 1136
The One Lord is within both Hindu and Muslim; Kabeer proclaims this out loud. ((3)(7)(29))
SGGS Page 483


Some bathe at sacred shrines of pilgrimage, and some make the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Some perform devotional worship services, and some bow their heads in prayer. ((2))
Some read the Vedas, and some the Koran.
Some wear blue robes, and some wear white. ((3))
Some call themselves Muslim, and some call themselves Hindu.
Some yearn for paradise, and others long for heaven. ((4))
Says Nanak, one who realizes the Will of God,
knows the secrets of his Lord and Master. ((5)(9))

SGGS Page 885


All belong to the One God

A Sikh believes that there is only one God in the Universe and that He is the same God for all religions and all the peoples of the world. The soul goes through a cycle of birth and death before reaching its human form. The goal of life is to merge with God and to maintain a balance spiritual and temporal obligations. The true path to God does not mean a renunciation of the world but a life of devotion as a householder, earning an honest living and avoiding temptation and sin. Sikhism condemns rituals such as fasting, pilgrimages and other meaningless rites. All people of all races and sex are equal in the eyes of God. There is total equality between man and woman and women can participate in any religious function and lead the congregation in prayer.

All are Yours, and You belong to all. You are the wealth of all.

Everyone begs from You, and all offer prayers to You each day.
Those, unto whom You give, receive everything.
You are far away from some, and You are close to others.

SGGS Page 86
Who can estimate Your worth, God? You are kind and compassionate to all beings.
SGGS Page 608
Don't worry - let the Creator take care of it.

The Lord gives to all creatures in the water and on the land.
My God bestows His blessings without being asked, even to worms in soil and stones. ((6))

SGGS Page 1070
O Lord and Master, You are inaccessible and merciful. Everyone meditates on You.

All beings are Yours; You belong to all. You deliver all. ((4))

SGGS Page 301/2


Teachings for Hindus

As we have seen Gurmat (the Guru's message) is universal mystical revolution. Hinduism is hard to pin down but there are certain fundamental beliefs focusing around a national-political project which has been active in India since the Aryan invasion three and a half thousand years ago. But whereas the western Aryan belief systems such as the ancient Greek and Roman were changed by the influence of Judaism and Christianity, the eastern Aryans have not made this change, since the earlier attempts of Jainism and Buddhism were effectively marginalised in India, the land of their birth.

There is also a gulf between sramanic beliefs of the indigenous Indians which were later taken over and interpreted by the Aryan priests the brahmins, and brahminism. Sramanic beliefs include devi (the Goddess), music and dance as symbolised by Shiva and Krishna, and the Guru-chela relationship implied in the Upanishads. The brahmin texts include the Rig Veda, Manu and other simritis, shatras, purans, tales of Ram (Ramayana) and Mahabharata.

While the sramanic tradition deals with the dynamic tension of opposing forces in the universe (male and female, Guru and apprentice) which exist in the universe and within ourselves, the brahminical deals with social order as expressed in the caste system and the subjection and elimination of forces outside the brahminical social order which hope is expressed in the figure of Kalki, the final incarnation of Vishnu who is yet to come.

In contrast with Hindus, Sikhs do not accept animistic or polytheistic beliefs. Moreover, its monotheism does not contain any belief in avatars - that God incarnates as a man and dies. Its method of realisation, or soteriology, does not involve renunciation, but rather social transformation through living in reality and social responsibility, both within the inner family unit, the intermediate family (sangat) and humanity. The doctrine of Meeri-Peeri is that spiritual and social transformation are linked, which is why Sikhs do not believe in the caste system, and believe that women are equal to men.

This is what the Guru teaches the Hindu:

The Muslims have lost their five times of daily prayer, and the Hindus have lost their worship as well.

Without their sacred squares, how shall the Hindu women bathe and apply the frontal marks to their foreheads?
They never remembered their Lord as Raam, and now they cannot even chant Khudaa-I ((6))

SGGS Page 417
The Hindus have forgotten the Primal Lord; they are going the wrong way.

As Naarad instructed them, they are worshipping idols.
They are blind and mute, the blindest of the blind.
The ignorant fools pick up stones and worship them.
But when those stones themselves sink, who will carry you across? ((2))

SGGS Page 556


Teaching for Muslims

Both Sikhism and Islam recognize the Oneness of God and regard it as human duty to follow what they describe as the hukam, "the Divine Will". However, they differ on the content of this hukam. For Muslims, it can be derived from the Holy Koran, the hadith of the Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him), the consensus of the religious scholars (ijma) and argument by analogy (ijtihad). The kafir is the rebel, the unbeliever, who denies this hukam. For Sikhs, the hukam is unspeakable: “hukam na ka-ha ja-ye”. It can only be realized when lived. Therefore, the emphasis is on personal experience rather than social order. God’s laws and truths are written in every human heart, they are inscribed in the very being of our nature, articulated in the body, mind and soul.

The ideal Muslim social order is a return to the state established by the Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him), with all the world as Muslims, the remaining non-Muslims - zimmis – suitably subjugated and unable to promote their lies/practice their faiths. This ideal may be seen in a range of states from Afghanistan (where Sikhs may no longer perform nagar keertans), to Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan. It looks to an ideal past.

The result of this has been what is termed Islam’s bloody borders, struggles with all non-Muslims be they Hindu (India), Jews (Israel), Sikhs, Christians (Sudan, Indonesia, Balkans), Buddhists (Bhutan). By contrast, for Sikhs it is an as yet unrealised one world (sabhe manas ko ik pachanbo = recognise all humankind as One), with pluralism in people’s approaches to the One Reality as a garden of many flowers, with an emphasis on the equal dignity of all, of which the langar is a microcosm.

This pluralistic, one world vision is guarded by an armed and active citizenry in this republic of joy and is captured in the opt-repeated slogan, “Degh Tegh Fateh” = Victory to the Cauldron and the Sword. This ideal is also captured in the name of the birthplace of the Khalsa, Anandpur Sahib, City of Bliss. This is a physical manifestation of the spiritual transformation explained by holy bhagat Ravidass in the hymn about Begumpura, a description of the Kingdom of God. By entering that Kingdom within our heart, Sikhs strive to manifest that Kingdom in this world as a vanguard of this revolution, Akaal Purkh Ki Fauj – army of the Eternal Spirit.

First, this manifests for the flourishing of all humanity irrespective of race, religion, or sex in changing human expressions of God’s Divine Order, an ever-changing, ever-fresh kaleidoscope of rainbow colors in front of the Light of God’s Word or Guru-Bani. God’s law is not an abstract system for self-defined ‘normal’ people, with the ‘abnormal’, the kafir to be changed or subjugated, but a growing personal development which manifests in all people. It is based on the growth of every single person with the law (hukm) the universal natural growth principle for each person as a unique plant in God’s Garden of Love and Life.

Second, it is a vision which looks to the future manifestation of that Order on earth realizing that its success depends not on external coercion (law or sh’araih), but inner transformation through meditation (simran) and meditation in action (meeri-peeri). Finally, the victory of God’s Order is held to be part of God’s sovereignty so it will be. Trusting in this, Sikhs enjoy chardi kala, a dynamic optimism for the future, not looking to the past.

This is what the Guru teaches the Muslim:

There are five prayers and five times of day for prayer; the five have five names.

Let the first be truthfulness, the second honest living, and the third charity in the Name of God.
Let the fourth be good will to all, and the fifth the praise of the Lord.
Repeat the prayer of good deeds, and then, you may call yourself a Muslim.
O Nanak, the false obtain falsehood, and only falsehood. ((3))

SGGS page 141


Your Holy Scriptures say that Allah is True, and that he is neither male nor female.

But you gain nothing by reading and studying, O mad-man, if you do not gain the understanding in your heart. ((2))
Allah is hidden in every heart; reflect upon this in your mind.
The One Lord is within both Hindu and Muslim; Kabeer proclaims this out loud. ((3)(7)(29))

SGGS Page 483


It is difficult to be called a Muslim; if one is truly a Muslim, then he may be called one.

First, let him savor the religion of the Prophet as sweet; then, let his pride of his possessions be scraped away.
Becoming a true Muslim, a disciple of the faith of Mohammed, let him put aside the delusion of death and life.
As he submits to God's Will, and surrenders to the Creator, he is rid of selfishness and conceit.
And when, O Nanak, he is merciful to all beings, only then shall he be called a Muslim. ((1))

SGGS page 141
Maaroo, Fifth Mehla:

O slave of the inaccessible Lord God Allah,
forsake thoughts of worldly entanglements.
Become the dust of the feet of the humble fakeers, and consider yourself a traveller on this journey.
O saintly dervish, you shall be approved in the Court of the Lord. ((1))

Let Truth be your prayer, and faith your prayer-mat.
Subdue your desires, and overcome your hopes.
Let your body be the mosque, and your mind the priest.
Let true purity be God's Word for you. ((2))

Let your practice be to live the spiritual life.
Let your spiritual cleansing be to renounce the world and seek God.
Let control of the mind be your spiritual wisdom, O holy man;
meeting with God, you shall never die again. ((3))

Practice within your heart the teachings of the Koran and the Bible;
restrain the ten sensory organs from straying into evil.
Tie up the five demons of desire with faith, charity and contentment, and you shall be acceptable. ((4))

Let compassion be your Mecca, and the dust of the feet of the holy your fast.
Let Paradise be your practice of the Prophet's Word.
God is the beauty, the light and the fragrance.
Meditation on Allah is the secluded meditation chamber. ((5))

He alone is a Qazi, who practices the Truth.
He alone is a Haji, a pilgrim to Mecca, who purifies his heart.
He alone is a Mullah, who banishes evil; he alone is a saintly dervish,
who takes the Support of the Lord's Praise. ((6))

Always, at every moment, remember God, the Creator within your heart.
Let your meditation beads be the subjugation of the ten senses.
Let good conduct and self-restraint be your circumcision. ((7))

You must know in your heart that everything is temporary.
Family, household and siblings are all entanglements.
Kings, rulers and nobles are mortal and transitory;
only God's Gate is the permanent place. ((8))

First, is the Lord's Praise; second, contentment;
third, humility, and fourth, giving to charities.
Fifth is to hold one's desires in restraint.
These are the five most sublime daily prayers. ((9))

Let your daily worship be the knowledge that God is everywhere.
Let renunciation of evil actions be the water-jug you carry.
Let realization of the One Lord God be your call to prayer;
be a good child of God - let this be your trumpet. ((10))

Let what is earned righteously be your blessed food.
Wash away pollution with the river of your heart.
One who realizes the Prophet attains heaven.
Azraa-eel, the Messenger of Death, does not cast him into hell. ((11))

Let good deeds be your body, and faith your bride.
Play and enjoy the Lord's love and delight.
Purify what is impure, and let the Lord's Presence be your religious tradition.
Let your total awareness be the turban on your head. ((12))

To be Muslim is to be kind-hearted,
and wash away pollution from within the heart.
He does not even approach worldly pleasures;
he is pure, like flowers, silk, ghee and the deer-skin. ((13))

One who is blessed with the mercy and compassion of the Merciful Lord,
is the manliest man among men.
He alone is a Shaykh, a preacher, a Haji, and he alone is God's slave,
who is blessed with God's Grace. ((14))

The Creator Lord has Creative Power; the Merciful Lord has Mercy.
The Praises and the Love of the Merciful Lord are unfathomable.
Realize the True Hukam, the Command of the Lord,
O Nanak; you shall be released from bondage, and carried across. ((15)(3)(12))

SGGS page 1084

See also

External links


Khanda.jpg  Message of Guru Granth Sahib   Khanda.jpg
Khanda.jpg   Guru Granth Sahib   Khanda.jpg
Structure: Index of Guru Granth Sahib · SGGS Protocol · Raag · Sikh Ragas · Ragmala · Ghar · Shabad · Tuk · Hukam · Gurdwara · Search Bani · Pauri · Ashpaadi · Salok · Var · Rahao
Message: Introduction to Sikhism · SGGS on Arguing · SGGS on charity · SGGS on meat · Pilgrimage and fasting · Sikh Women · Primary Beliefs and Principles · Underlying Values · Prohibited Behaviour · Interfaith · Guidance for All · Dharma
Banis: Guru Granth Sahib · Sikh Scripture · Dasam Granth · Ek Onkar · Waheguru · Bani · Mool Mantar · Japji Sahib · Jaap Sahib · Chaupai · Anand Sahib · Tav-Prasad Savaiye · Rehras · Sukhmani · Dakhni Oankar ·Acrostic
Ragas: Asa · Bairari · Basant · Bhairon · Bihagara · Bilaval · Devagandhari · Dhanasari · Gauri · Gond · Gujari · Jaijavanti · Jaitsri · Kalian · Kanara · Kedara · Maajh · Malaar · Mali Gaura · Maru · Nat Narain · Prabhati · Ramkali · Sarang · Sri · Sorath · Suhi · Tilang · Todi · Tukhari · Vadahans
More: Gurbani Online · Worldwide Praise · Guru Granth Sahib Gallery · What is SGGS? · SGGG begins Uniquely · Trumpp's Translation · SGGS for children · Gutka · Guru Granth Sahib Numbering System
Khanda.jpg  Topics in Sikhism   Khanda.jpg
Gurus: Nanak Dev | Guru Angad | Amar Das | Ram Das | Guru Arjan | Har Gobind | Har Rai | Har Krishan | Tegh Bahadur | Gobind Singh | Guru Granth Sahib | Sikh Bhagats
Philosophy: Sikh Beliefs | Simran | Sewa | Beliefs and Principles | Underlying Values | Prohibitions | Technique and Methods | Other observations | Technique and Methods
Practices: Ardas | Amrit Sanskar | Chardi Kala | Dasvandh | Five Ks | Kirat Karni | Kirtan | Langar | Naam Japna | Simran | Three Pillars | Vand Chakna | Five Evils | Five Virtues
Scripture: Guru Granth Sahib | Sikh Scripture | Dasam Granth | Ek Onkar | Waheguru | Bani | Mool Mantar | Japji Sahib | Jaap Sahib | Chaupai | Anand Sahib | Tav-Prasad Savaiye | Rehras | Sukhmani
More: History | Gurdwaras | Harmandir Sahib | Khalsa | Khanda | Names | Places | News | Satguru | Sikhs | Bhagat Farid | Bhagat Kabir | Websites | Biographical | Terms
Retrieved from "https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Guidance_for_all&oldid=49375"