Living a good life in this world
Sikhs don’t think it pleases God if people pay no attention to others and simply devote themselves slavishly to religion.Sikhism doesn’t ask people to turn away from ordinary life to get closer to God. In fact it demands that they use ordinary life as a way to get closer to God.
A Sikh serves God by serving (seva) other people every day. By devoting their lives to service they get rid of their own ego and pride. Many Sikhs carry out chores in the Gurdwara as their service to the community. These range from working in the kitchen to cleaning the floor. The Langar, or free food kitchen, is a community act of service.Sikhs also regard caring for the poor or sick as an important duty of service.
The three duties
The three duties that a Sikh must carry out can be summed up in three words; Pray, Work, Give.
- Nam japna:
- Keeping God in mind at all times.
- Kirt Karna:
- Earning an honest living. Since God is truth, a Sikh seeks to live honestly. This doesn’t just mean avoiding crime; Sikhs avoid gambling, begging, or working in the alcohol or tobacco industries.
- Vand Chhakna:
- (Literally, sharing one’s earnings with others) Giving to charity and caring for others.
The five vices
Sikhs try to avoid the five vices that make people self-centred, and build barriers against God in their lives.
- Lust
- Covetousness and greed
- Attachment to things of this world
- Anger
- Pride
If a person can overcome these vices they are on the road to liberation.
Sikhism is a practical religion and Sikhs are a pragmatic people. The emphasis is on a leading a worldly, successful life as a householder and a contributing member of society, but with the mind attuned to an awareness of God. Sikhism rejects all distinctions based on caste, creed, gender, color, race, or national origin. For Sikhs, God is not found in isolation or by renouncing the world, but is attained as an active family member and member of one’s community. The word “Sikh” means student. Therefore, a Sikh is and remains a student of the meaning of life.
The core values of Sikhism are derived from three equally important tenets: an honest living and an honest day’s work, sharing with others what God and life have given, and living life fully with an awareness of the divine within each of us. Sikhism enunciates a philosophical concept termed Miri-Piri, which means living a life with an active, strong sense of commitment to the world and humanity, governed and directed by a strong foundation and underpinning of spirituality. Thus, the Sikh ideal is to strike a perfect balance and integration of these two states of existence.
In matters that affect the Sikh community, Sikhs have throughout history followed a simple but effective mechanism whereby individual voices are heard and decisions reflect the current state of knowledge, information and technology.
In all such matters, and in honor of the first five Sikhs who heeded the call of Guru Gobind Singh in 1699, the voice of the community is channeled through five initiated Sikhs selected and authorized to resolve issues and speak as the voice of the community. Sikhs believe that God and Guru pervade the congregation when five Sikhs act in mindful prayer. Decision making, thus, becomes a collective process. Sikhs do not have a priestly hierarchy with its associated ecclesiastical authority.
The Sikh faith is committed to the equality of women, and necessarily so, as it defines God as gender neutral, perhaps one of the few major world religions to do so. There is no activity in a gurdwara or within the community that is permitted to a man but not to a woman. There is no religious function from which women are barred at any time of their lives.
Dietary Restrictions
Sikhs have no food taboos except those that stem from one simple injunction – a life of moderation in which we shun all that harms the body or the mind. Animal sacrifice is forbidden and so is the consumption of animals killed in such manner. This also means that all intoxicants – tobacco, alcohol or any mind altering “recreational” drugs – are forbidden.
Other Religions
Sikhism recognizes the universal truths that underlie all human endeavors, religions, and belief systems, though people differ in how they institutionalize those beliefs into a code of conduct and a way of life. Much as Sikhs love their religion, Sikhism is equally respectful and accepting of other ways of life and beliefs. Sikhism asks a non-Sikh to discover and live the essential message and meaning of his or her own religion so that a Christian can become a better Christian, Jew a better Jew, Hindu a better Hindu, while a Sikh becomes a better Sikh.