Previous PreviousNext NextAsk a Question Ask a Question

Sikhnet Youth Forum Sikh Youth - Question and Answer Forum

Summary of Question:Guru Gobind Singh's Beliefs With A Tad More
Category:The Sikh Gurus
Date Posted:Wednesday, 6/19/2002 11:26 PM MDT

Hello,

Sat sri akal, i was having a conversation with my dad one day, and we were just talking about Sikh history, and the gurus. He said something that really made me wonder, he said that Guru Gobind himself was a worshipper of Shiva, and some Hindu "gods". Well IF thats true, thats a very interesting point about his motives. I would never want to disrespect a Guru ( even though they were just people, and Sikh people tend to idolize them as god), but wouldnt that make his panj pyare deal a little hypocritical. The whole " standing out against" everyone. That kinda makes me mad, i dont exactly know why, but basically my question is that to the BEST of your knowledge, have you ever heard of anything like that? And Where any of the other Sikh gurus FOLLOWERS of a another religion ( as they were all born into a religion).

Oh yes, and one more little query that i have, i read here that religion is a set way of doing things. Kind of a ritualistic kind of thing. A sysytem that relies on following of certain things, doing all the right things etc. WEll religion and believing are totally different things. You have to faith more than anything in the world i think, otherwise you will have nothing. And if you look at it that way, sikh people really dont have faith, they just have a religious ideology. They know that there suppose to go to the gurdwara, so they do. Because there parents taught them too. There is no faith there, its just a ritual. Which makes me sad, because our " religion" ( i dislike that word) will die out. But if enough people believe that FAITH wont. So basically my question after all taht rambling on, that probably made no sense to you is Is sikhism just a ritualistic way of doing things, in that case every religion ( i know what ur answer will be to that, as you are going to be a tad biased :) Try to think of it openly minded, without all the religious baggage. Thanks a Bunch. WOW thats a lot to read. sorry ;)

_________________________________________________________________________

Sat Siri Akal, ji.

First, your father is misunderstanding Guru Gobind Singh. Guru Gobind Singh worshipped the One God. If you want to understand the depth of his love and the way he understood that One God, meditate on Jaap Sahib. It will give you the experience of Guru Gobind Singh's true beliefs, because those are the very words he wrote that he meditated upon every day. Remember-Sikhs are extremely lucky in all the world's religions because we have the very words of our Gurus to meditate upon. It's a way of conversing with them, really. So-your father is in a misunderstanding, but the way to understand this properly is by meditating on Jaap Sahib.

Sikhism was never meant to be an "ism." In fact, I personally don't like to use the word religion with it. It's a dharma, a spirituality. It's a path that one walks. The path involves both inner and outer disciplines: the inner disciplines of seva, simran and banni. The outer discipline of banna and the code of conduct for the Khalsa. To walk this path truly requires a commitment to the inner AND outer disciplines. Many people practice the outer disciplines, withouth the inner ones. This is a hypocrosy and degenerates into ritualism. Many people practice the inner disciplines without the outer. This is a weakness of commitment and leads to intellectual rationalization. Practicing part of the path is better than practicing nothing at all. But the Guru promises to lead us to happiness during our very life if we walk the spiritual path truly and surely, and I don't think faith is necessary at all. I think it's a scientific experiment. Follow what the Guru teaches and watch what happens in your life. The results are amazing and unmistakable. But one needs to walk the whole path, not just part of it, for the results to be truly understood.

Hope this answers your questions. Good luck and God bless.

GPK



[Previous Main Document]
Guru Gobind Singh's Beliefs With A Tad More (06/19/2002)
[Next Main Document]

by Topic | by Category | by Date | Home Page




History - Donation - Privacy - Help - Registration - Home - Search

Copyright © 1995-2004 SikhNet