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Summary of Question:	Meaning Of A Word
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Monday, 2/18/2002 8:00 AM MST

Waheguru ji ka khalsa, Waheguru ji ki fateh!

can you please tell me how to explain the meaning of the word 'Guru' to a non-sikh. also how else can i refer to our ten Gurus.

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REPLY
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Waheguru Ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji ki Fateh!

The word 'Guru' can be understood and explained to a Westerner or a non-Sikh in the following way. The root sounds of the word (bikri) are GU and RU. GU means darkness, and RU means light. Guru is that inner wisdom which lives within everyone. It may be awakened, or unawakened, but everyone has the Guru within themselves. It is the touchstone, the inner compass, beyond the mind. It is that force that brings us out of the darkness of duality and confusion into the light of clarity and understanding.

The Siri Guru Granth Sahib is not a book. We do not bow to a book. We bow to the sound current of the Shabd Guru. The Shabd Guru is the essence of Truth in a vibratory pattern of sound. In the Christian bible, in the Book of John, Verse 1, it says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." That is the Shabd Guru. The soundcurrent of Infinity. We bow to that because it is constant, and always True.

.....G