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Summary of Question:	A Person Who Wants To Know
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Sunday, 6/18/2000 9:11 AM MDT

What actually is sikhism?

I don't know I feel like I am an outcast or a fanatic. I am a vegeterian, Should Sikhs be vegeterian? I sometimes don't look at girls infact all the time I put my head down when I see them for I don't want to have any interest in them and is having interest in a person a sin? I have got to admit that I musterbate, I don't know if I spelt it correctly but anyway I consider it to be a sin for it is lust and my friends tell me that it is comletely allright to do so. The hair then what happens to aperson who cuts his hair won't he get any kind of punishment? I read from somewhere that a Sikh is equivalent to 125 000 men but I don't see anybody that brave in fact my friends themselves admit that they are afraid if so is the guru telling the truth. I apologise if I seem rather rude it's just that I am curious I hope I will not offend anyone!!

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REPLY
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Dear One:

Sat Siri Akal. For some of your questions, please search other queries/replies on Sikhnet Youth Forum using keywords:
"meat", "vegetarian"
"masturbation", "sex"
"hair", "turban"

As for "what is Sikhism" I cannot answer that in this space and do it justice. This Website is full of what Sikhism is about. And there are other Websites as well to find out more about who Sikhs are and what we believe and practice. Start here: http://www.sikhseek.com/

Guru is correct about the strength of his Singhs. For the devoted Singh of the Guru, his strength combined with his belief that he is one of Guru Gobind Singh's own is enough to make him much stronger, but understand that the 125,000 is meant to refer to character and spirit, not physical brute strength!

As for being interested in girls, it is NOT a sin. Baptized Sikhs take a vow to be chaste unless they are married, and then only to know their spouse, not others on the side. Non-baptised Sikhs don't have this VOW, but it is still considered highly inappropriate to have sex outside of marriage, or before marriage.

Lust can dominate the senses and this is what we DON'T condone. A great way to control it and not let it control you is to find yourself a good hard yoga class, which will transmute the lust energy out of your base chakras into general creative energy in your higher chakras. Naam Simran helps this as well.

Some young men have 'raging hormones' and sometimes the only way to deal with it (and protect the honor of the women around you, if you are unmarried), is to masturbate, but don't allow it dominate your life and thinking! (Search also on this site under 'yoga' and 'meditation'.

Please spend some time researching on this Forum. YOu will learn SO much and find out your questions match those of many, many youth! God bless you,
-DKK