Evie Nichols 9y3
Can Sikhism continue to exist without the Guru Granth Sahib?
The Guru Granth Sahib is the sovereign active living Guru of the Sikhs. It is a voluminous text, with 1430 pages, compiled and composed during the period of Sikh gurus, from 1469 to 1708. A collection of 5,894 hymns and 1430 pages, the Guru Granth Sahib describes the qualities of God and why you should meditate on God’s name. The hymns are arranged into 31 ragas (musical groupings). Each copy of the Guru Granth Sahib, regardless of its size, is identical with regard to the layout of the pages. Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708), the tenth guru affirmed the text as his successor. It remains the holy scripture of the Sikhs and is regarded as the teachings of the ten Gurus. The Guru Granth Sahib has a pivotal role in Sikh worship, as a source or guide of prayer. It is written in the Gurmukhī script, in various dialects – including Lehndi Punjabi, Braj Bhasha, Khariboli, Sanskrit and Persian – often coalesced under the generic title of Sant Bhasha. There are approximately 20 million followers worldwide, most of whom live in the Punjab province of India. The 2001 census recorded 336,000 Sikhs living in the UK. In this essay I am going to examine information surrounding the Guru, and I am going to analyse whether Sikhism could exist without it, and come to a conclusion that it could not.
Firstly, I am going to look at the history of the Guru Granth Sahib. During the Guruship of Guru Nanak (1469-1539) collections of his hymns were compiled and sent to Sikh communities for use in worship. Guru Nanak wrote 974 published hymns. His successor, Guru Angad, collected these writings. This tradition was continued by the third, fourth and fifth gurus. Guru Amar Das wrote...
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...hism and embodies all of its principles: if it was gone, Sikhism would no longer have a collection of teachings of its principles: Sikhs would have nothing to follow.
Supporting the claim in the previous paragraph, I am going to explain how the Guru Granth Sahib has a central role in Sikhism. Firstly, even to become a Sikh, the only thing which you have to do is believe in the Guru Granth Sahib and accept it as your personal Guru: following its ideology. This shows that the Guru is the main object of Sikhism, which it depends on. Also, Gurdwara means path to the Guru. Hence, if the Guru did not exist, Gurdwaras (as we know them) would not too because the Guru is their purpose of existence. In conclusion to the latter two paragraphs, without the Guru Sikhism could not exist: it has a hugely central role in the religion: guiding their way of life.
So, to conclude,
Sikhism is the world's fifth largest religion. Sikhism is one of the younger faiths of the world, as compared with religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity or Islam. It is a monotheistic faith, preaching the existence of only one God, and teaching ideals that may be universally accepted today and in the future: honesty, compassion, humility, piety, social commitment, and most of all tolerance for other religions.
Sikhism and Christianity are two very popular religions in the world today that are practiced by millions. They each have their own origins, beliefs and practices that are custom to their own religions, and some that are shared by other religions. Each religion founded by different people, Guru Nanak for Sikhism, and Jesus for Christianity, had their own upbringings, beliefs, and legacies that they left behind. Though the lives and teachings of Jesus and Guru Nanak may seem different at first though when the early lives, teachings & late lives and religions today are looked at closer, they start to resemble each other.
...er, which is really Siddhartha himself, are the true mentors that lead him to his true enlightenment. They are the ones that had the most influence in Siddhartha’s life.
Khan, H. I. 1990. Sufi Mysticism: The Sufi Message. 10th volume. Geneva: International Headquarters of the Sufi Movement.
Fisher, Mary Pat. "Chapter 5: Buddhsim." Living Religions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice-Hall, 2005. 150-62. Print.
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“If I were asked to define the Hindu creed, I should simply say: Search after truth through non-violent means. A man may not believe in God and still call himself a Hindu. Hinduism is a relentless pursuit after truth... Hinduism is the religion of truth. Truth is God.”
The idea of SikhiWiki began with Ash Singh. A man who believed in the importance of preserving Sikh History. Not only Sikh History from the last 400 years, but history that is made today by Sikhs. Ash Singh along with his mentor Gurumustuk Singh Khalsa, then created SikhiWiki as a guide for Sikhs and non-Sikhs. Sikhs today are involved in everyday life and making history which is recorded on SikhiWiki as a virtual history book.
Islam the complete ‘surrender to Allah’ is a living religious tradition with the principal belief in one God – Allah. Islam has remained the same in its principle beliefs of Allah, His Angels, His Prophets, His Books, The Last Day and his complete authority over destiny and has also changed over time to ensure that Islam remains a living religious tradition. Over its history Islam has had many significant people including Al Ghazali and Aisha Bint Abu Bakr who have ensured that Islam remains living in the hearts and minds of its adherents. In addition to significant individuals participation in the Five Pillars e.g. the Hajj ensure that Islam will continue to be the living religious tradition that it is.
Sikhs believe by doing so they will merge with God upon their
Guru Nanak Dev Ji stood up to these harsh religions and proposed the teachings of one god, unity of all regardless of gender or faith, and the rejection of a society based cast system. After deep meditation, Waheguru gave the knowledge to Guru Nanak Dev Ji of love, tolerance of all, regardless of faith, and unity and
The beginning of Sikhism started in 1469 with the disappearance and reappearance of a man named Nānak (1469-1539). Nānak claims to see God and God is “distressed over the violence that sectarian religions perpetuate in his name.” God told Gurū Nānak to “call his followers from rigid adherence to dogma and performance of empty rituals”. Gurū Nānak said, “There is no reason for religious groups to fight each other, and that all theological ideas are inadequate”(Fieser & Powers, 2015, pp.137-138). The 5th Sikh Gurū Arjan (1581-1606), constructed a golden temple for pilgrimages and organized Sikhism into a religion forsaking Gurū Nānak’s teachings.
It is observed that even the spiritual heritage of India has lost its glory in Jhabvala’s world of fictional India because the spiritual and aesthetic seekers also face traumatic experiences. No doubts since antiquity the Indian spiritualism has been shining far above the philosophic deliberations of the
Starting at the core of India, its heart can be correlated with Hinduism. Hinduism started in Indian approximately the third millennium BC and is still practiced in the present day. Also, as it is of Indian origin, its rightful place can be considered the heart of India. It can be said that Hinduism is substantially “outdated” by today’s standards as formidable religion of Indian majority. During the period of the caste social structure within India it was en excellent fit. But this ensures its position of the heart of India by being fundamental to the development of ancient India and forming modern India.
Huyler, Stephen P. Meeting God: Elements of Hindu Devotion. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1999.