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Summary of Question:16 Year Old Questions 'Sikhs'
Category:General Sikhism
Date Posted:Friday, 6/26/2009 2:45 AM MDT

As a 16 year old Sikh with an inquiring and, now, questioning mind, I've started questioning people, religion and Sikhism. Why? well simply, I'm not satisfied in the answers I receive from Sikhs or people of other religions.


I believe Sikhism, and all religions, to be like socialism; right in theory, but corrupted by people. It's human nature to be blind-minded, self-indulgent and materialistic. My parents are wise, but they still fall to some archaic Sikh thinking and belief.

I refuse conventional creationism. God is not a magical puppeteer, I believe evolution was his tool of creation. But who knows? Nobody, therefore
I am not going to pull my hair out about pointless things. Love life, love creation, love evolution.

Hair, turbans and image. I believe every human, girl or boy, deserves to feel beautiful. They should be able to dye, cut hair, wear or make up etc. I wear a patka and rarely shape my beard. Dad flips when I trim my beard a bit. Don't judge, you don't understand what I experience; only me and Waheguru do. Sikhs, stop being archaic about hair, its simply an adaptation to insulate. Respect your body and mind. Done.

Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh attempted to abolish caste and prejudice. Why, 500 years later, do "Sikhs" still concern whether their daughter marries a different caste boy? These people are hypocrites and fakes, not understanding fundamental Sikhism.

Live honestly, help others, love God and the world. So simple, yet very little understand this. Question, refuse or teach me please.

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REPLY
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Hi Rusty,


I really liked your question. I think every issue you bring up is great and completely valid. I became a Sikh only 8 years ago and it was my own decision based on lots of questions very much like yours. Our way or living, in US and all the Sikh traditions here are very much intertwined with Kundalini Yoga.

I started doing yoga some 10 yeas ago and never though or new anything about Sikhism. After a while of trying different yoga and reading up about different philosophies and spiritual traditions I realize that Kundalini Yoga and meditation was doing far more for me that anything else ever did, so I wanted a little more. I decided to become a teacher and signed up for a course, just so I could be a part of a lineage of people who spread this wonderful knowledge and hopefully help people with it. At the time I was really depressed and felt like this was the only thing that was helping with my depression.

I arrived in Espanola, NM for teacher training and subsequently entered a first Gurdwara in my life. I did not know anything about it. The only reason I went in was because I was really tired and needed a rest and maybe a nap. Nobody was in there at the time. I put my head on the floor not too far from a place where everyone bows in front of the Guru and all of a sudden floated away into a different dimension. I knew there were Sikhs living in this community but not until that moment that it became clears to me that I was one of them.

I have never in my life had felt the holy vibration run through my being as strongly as I felt that day. All of a sudden it was clear to me that I am a Sikh, and there was no other path in this world for me.
I went though a long time of questioning everything just the way you do. In my whole life I was never faced with even a possibility to be religious since I was brought up an Atheist.
What make it OK and what I like about my path is that it explains everything. I remember some time after that day listening to Yogi Bhajan lecturing in class ... he said that Sikhism is not really a religion it is a science. Everything is explained and has its reason.

I don't think I would ever call myself a religious person if I did not check all of it out quite thoroughly. I picked up a few books of Yogi Bhajan's lectures on one of the websites here www.kriteachings.org if I am not mistaken. Also googled Ancient Healing Ways ... they had a few. I strongly recommend familiarizing yourself with books like "The Mind", "Master's Touch" , Teachings for Men, and any of the Woman's Camp Lectures called "Women in Training" to familiarize yourself with basics of Sikh principals as thought by the Master.

I know lots and lots of people do not like to mix yoga with Sikhism but they are one in the same if you look at it from a different perspective. Kundalini Yoga was Raja Yoga which meant it was only thought to privileged people and regular people were never exposed. Yogi Bhajan was born a Sikh and into a very wealthy family so he was taken to meet his spiritual teacher when he was only 8 yeas old. Hardly anyone in the history of Sikhism got that privilege and that is why against his promise not to ever teach this yoga openly he came to US and thought it to all of us.

On a personal note I don't believe Sikhism is all about wearing a turban, or wearing the proper clothes, etc., even though I do all of that now. I still strongly believe that it is mostly about your personal connection to that holy vibration that we call Wahe Guru.

I came into it from a very different side, and I have heard a lot of people like you who were born into it say exactly the same things you do ... and my only answer for you is that you have to figure it out for your self. There is no other way to live your truth in your life. Even if somehow in the end you will figure out that you are not really a Sikh but you are something else you still have to make a very educated decision based on thorough study of the subject.
I hope you use my advice and get some of those books and see for yourself.

Have a wonderful day

Lots of love and prayers on finding your own spiritual path.

DK




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