1. Chapter Seven
Sikhism

2. The Life of Nanak Starting in the tenth century, Muslims invaded India
The northwest section of India was invaded most frequently
Here, Islam had the most Indian converts
Because Islam and Hinduism were different in so many ways, there were ongoing conflicts between the faiths
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3. The Life of Nanak
Kabir is best known for bringing Hinduism and Islam together
By worshipping with his Hindu neighbors, the Muslim Kabir taught that God is one
The founder of Sikhism was Nanak, who was born in the 1400s
He was a dreamer and poet, who was distant from daily pursuits
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4. The Life of Nanak
Nanak was more interested in religious and artistic pursuits than in business or practicality
Nanak failed at the professions that he tried
He eventually married and fathered two sons
Nanak eventually left his family and moved to Sultanpur to try his hand at business again
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5. The Life of Nanak
When he was thirty, Nanak received a vision from God that changed his life
God told Nanak that he was being singled out as a prophet of the true religion
The message of the new religion was “There is no Muslim. There is no Hindu.”
Nanak began to wander as a preacher and wore mixed Hindu and Muslim clothes
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6. The Life of Nanak
Wherever Nanak went he sought to form new Sikh communities
Each of his followers became known as a Sikh, which is a Punjab word for “disciple”
After many years of preaching, Nanak returned home to northwest India
Once there, he preached and formed new Sikh communities
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7. The Life of Nanak
According to legend, as Nanak was dying, each of his followers wanted to bury him according to his own religious tradition
Nanak directed the men to bring flowers to his body and whoever had the freshest flowers the following day could bury him
The next day, Nanak’s body was gone
The message was that even in death Nanak sought to unify Hindus and Muslims
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8. The Teachings of Nanak
Nanak sought to synthesize Islam and Hinduism by taking elements of both
God is one, and followers call him “The True Name”
The True Name is a creator of the universe and human beings are his supreme creation
Because of their primacy as beings, humans can kill and eat animals
Sikhs are among the few Indians who eat meat
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9. The Teachings of Nanak
Nanak accepted the Hindu concept of reincarnation, as well as the concept of karma
Nanak rejected the ceremonial practices of both Hindus and Muslims
Instead, Nanak taught a plain and simple form of religion that distrusts ceremony and ritual
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10. The Teachings of Nanak Pacifism Nanak taught pacifism, or nonviolence
In all of his travels, he never struck out in violence, and he taught his disciples nonviolence as well
Contrary to Nanak’s teachings, later Sikhs became known as the most militant of warriors
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11. The Historical Development of Sikhism
After Nanak’s death, the Sikh movement was taken over by Angad
They were the first two of a series of ten gurus who led the Sikhs until the eighteenth century
While the term “guru” usually means teacher, to the Sikhs it means “leader”
The fifth guru, Arjan Dev, is remembered for beginning the compilation of the Sikh Scriptures, the Adi Granth
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12. The Historical Development of Sikhism
The Granth
The Granth is a collection of hymns
The majority of the hymns came from Nanak
The remainder came from Kabir and other gurus
It is roughly three times the size of the Rig-Veda and contain 3,384 hymns
What does the Granth have in common with Hindu and Muslim texts?
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13. Divisions within Sikhism
Modern Sikhs are mainly found in India
There are three main divisions amongst its members:
Udasis, Sahajdharis, and Singhs
All three recognize the central teachings of Nanak, accept the Granth as sacred scripture, and accept the ten gurus as inspired leaders of the faith
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14. Divisions within Sikhism
Udasis
This is basically an order of holy men who follow principles similar to the Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist ascetics
Sahajdharis
This sect is conservative and seems to have stopped developing
Singhs
A corps of warriors started by Gobind Singh
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15. Divisions within Sikhism
Singhs
Arjan is recognized for giving the Sikhs the Granth but also a militant aspect in conflict with Nanak’s pacifism
The last Sikh guru was Gobind Singh, who organized and prepared the Sikhs for self-defense and war
He developed an elite fighting force, the Singhs (or lions) for that purpose
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16. Sikh Religious Life
One joins the Sikhs by baptism instead of simply being born into the faith
Daily rituals for Sikhs include an early-morning bath followed by the reading of certain hymns and the recitation of prayers
There is also a nighttime ritual of hymns and prayers
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17. Sikh Religious Life
Sikhs practice congregational worship in temples called gurdwaras
The central object of worship is a copy of the scared Adi Granth
There are no priests, so services are led by a member of the community
There are also no caste or gender differentiations in worship
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18. Sikh Holy Days
Because of its simplicity, Sikhism does not have an elaborate series of holidays
In northern India, Sikhs celebrate Holi and Divali with their Hindu neighbors
In June, Sikhs celebrate the martyrdom of Guru Arjan, the complier of the Granth
Sikhs also celebrate the birthdays of Nanak and Arjan
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19. Sikhism Today Religion and Violence
The lives of Sikhs have become more precarious in India as they become a minority group
Sikhs lack the political strength of their Hindu and Muslim neighbors
As a result, some radical factions of Sikhism are demanding that Punjab be declared an independent Sikh nation
All of this has sometimes led to violent conflict
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20. Sikhism Today
In recent years, Americans and Europeans have been attracted to Sikhism for its simplicity and tolerance, as well as for its emphasis on the equality of men and women
Because Indians living a Western life are sometimes living in a more worldly fashion, there can be conflicts between faith and lifestyle
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