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Summary of Question:	Materialism
Category:	Sikh Practices
Date Posted:	Wednesday, 4/19/2000 9:52 PM MDT

I just spoke to a muslim friend of mine and he asked "if Sikhism is such a PURE religion,then why do you need symbols and ornaments which a MATERIALISTIC to remind ourselves of God.Surley if you are devoted to God,then you would not need these things to remind yourself of Him.In Islam,we are only reminded of God through submission,meaning that everything we say,act and do is for Allah."

I was just wondering how i can explain to him that we have these symbols for rememberance.

Also another question was asked,"Why are the Sikh babies born not allowed to shave their heads?Did you not know that it is very unhygenic and that the first strands of hair are unclean?The reason why in Islam we must shave the babies head is due to hygiene."


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REPLY
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We are physical beings created by God in His image. The body that God has created and given to usto use in this life is a perfect body. As Sikhs we are instructed to show gratitude and appreciation for our physical body by not altering it.

The hairs on our body act as antenna. The hairs channelize vitamins and protect the body and it's magnetic field. If you cut the hair from any part of your body, they will grow back again. The natural intelligence of the body is to maintain it's hairs.

If you allow the hair on the head to grow undisturbed; it will grow to a certain length required by your body and then it will stop. Perhaps you have noticed, among Sikhs(who do not cut their hair) that the hair length is different for each person. Each body has its own requirement. The hair will also reflect the health of the individual.

The code of conduct or Sikh way of life given by Guru Gobind Singh is defined in the Rehit Maryada. Not cutting, trimming or shaving the hair on any part of the body is one of these guidelines. Therefore we would not be removing the hair from a new born child either.

Ask your friend to research the reason for shaving a Muslim infant's head. The head of an infant is very delicate and the skull has a large soft spot on the crown which does not close up for a year or two. It is not a common practice to shave an infant's head in any hospital in the Western world. Perhaps the hot climate and tenuous sanitary conditions in the Middles East precipitated this custom. I do not think that this is a religious requirement, but possibly a social custom.

Regarding physical reminders of your faith: Your spoken prayer is a physical manifestation of sound, the kara we wear on our right wrist is a physical reminder of our marriage to the infinite God, the Kanga/comb we wear in our hair is a reminder to keep our hair clean and tidy, the katchera( long cotton underwears) remind us to be chaste and help us maintain our energy, the kirpan/sword we wear keeps us aware of our duty to defend righteousness and protect the weak from harm.... all these material things are reminders to us of our daily practice and commitment to a lifestyle of conscious living.

TV advertisements, magazine adds etc. are material reminders of another sort. These reminders tell people of a product or services that some company wants us to use.

Material things can be used to reinvent themselves. To support the spiritual practices of a human being through physical reminders is very important. Some religions use statues, pictures, and momentos like the crucifixion as spiritual reminders of faith.

Ritual practices are also reminders. In Sikkhee we use the 5 Kakas or the Khanda, or pictures of the Gurus' to remind us of our faith and our practices that help maintain that faith.

Gurbani Kirtan is a very wonderful physical reminder through sound that when you absorb yourself very deeply in the sound of it, you will get an experience of higher conscioousnes or God.

The Jewish religion does not allow the eating of Pork nor is it allowed in the Muslim religion. The Christian religion allows eating of any meat and the Hindu religion does not allow the eating of cows. Religious practices are varied and God has created us all. So, who is to say which way is right and which way is wrong.

As Guru Nanak has said in the first line of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib...Ek Ong Kar....the Creator and His Creation are one, "Sat Nam", His name is truth,"Karta Purkh" He is the Doer of all, "Nirbhou" He has no desire, "Nirvair" He is without vengefulness, "Akal Murat" He is the undying picture of all, "Ajooni" was never born, "Saibhang" self created, "Gur Prasaad" and all this is realized by the Grace of the Guru...so, He commands...."Jaap" or meditate. Meditate on that which is: "Aad sach" true in the beginning, "Jugaad sach" was true through all the ages, "Hai bhee sach" is true through all the ages, "Nanak Hoee bhee sach" He is true even now and Nanak says He shall ever be true.

In conclusion, spiritial practices both material and non material are reminders of our faith. The practices or code of conduct given to us in the Sikh "way of life" are designed to give us practical guidelines of life that help us distinguish between ordinary life activities and spiritual activities that give us an experience of our connection to God.

SKK