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Summary of Question:	Sikhisms Own Ritualism?
Category:	Gurdwara
Date Posted:	Wednesday, 6/05/2002 2:36 PM MDT

sat sri akal

i would like to ask about some of the things we do at the gudwara. i can understand covering hair and bowing before SGGS as a sign of respect but i cant understand others. for example, why do they wave that dust remover wavy thing (sorry i dont know what its called) over the SGGS, it has no physical benefit?
Also why is it such a ceremony to put the SGGS away, i mean treating it with respect yes, but having to carry it over the head with such carefullness. Excuse me if i sound silly but its just that i dont understand, i mean i know Guru Gobind Singh ji said it should be our living guru but i thought he ment interms of its content not literally! Did he give these instructions?

i have been told off many times for my views and other sikhs my age say rude things to me but i dont understand it so what else can i do?


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Sat Siri Akal, ji.

Well, yes-he did mean it as literally. Which is why there are the elaborate rituals around the Siri Guru Granth Sahib-to help remind us that this is, in fact a Living Guru, a Real Teacher.

It's difficult because all we see are words on the page nd it's very easy to think, wel-this is just a sacred scripture like any other sacred scripture. But Guru Gobind Singh gave the SGGS as the Living Teacher-as the Spiritual Authority-which means that you can begin to connect with the Guru through the Sound-Current, through the Words. Developing a conscious relationship with the words of Gurbani-from a place of love and devotion, will start to give you a mystical experience of the Guru guiding you as a Teacher guides a student.

This is something you have to cultivate yourself, through your own devotion and practice of meditation. It's not something someone else can give to you and it's not something anyone can prove to you. You can try it and prove it to yourself. Or see it as a book. The choice is yours, but understand-the Guru has that power to touch you through Gurbani, if you open yourself to it.

Sincerely,

GPK