Sikhism
Sikhism is an ascetic sect within Hinduism. The Sikhs hold to most of the views of the Hindus. However, they stress the notion of Asceticism and differ slightly on some Hindu doctrines. The Sikhs refer to God as as Akal Purakh (Timeless being). This is the most common of the names that refer to God. They believe that God has many manifestations in the world. They refer to these manifesations as Nam (Divine Name). They divine God's essential nature as Nirguna (Without Nature). The woird Sikh literally means disciple. The movement was founded by Guru Nanak in the 16th century. A Guru is a teacher who imparts knowledge to the people. They have one Guru for each generation. The fundamental statement of Sikh doctrine stresses the importance of Mul Mantra (root prayer). There are various practices within the Sikh movement. The most common of all practices is Nam Simaran (the practice of contemplating God's attributes and actions. Sikhs hold to the traditional Hindu teachings on the cycle of life, Karma, etc. They teach the importance of Bhakti (selfless devotion to God. They tend to differ in their tradition in that they only believe in one God. They stress the taching of Mya (illusion. This teaching asserts that there has been a falsehood caused by ignorance which has caused beings to perceive multiplicityinstead of the unitary truth of God. They have several groups and honors contained within the movement. One is a Sant, which is a group of Indian Mystics which advocated pure devotion to God and who denounced religious sectarianism. The community of Sikhs is called Khalsa, and was founded by the tenth guru of the movement- Gobind Singh. The ultimate goal for the Sikh is to realize Hukam ( An attitude of humility brought about when one realizes their need for utter dependence on God. The term "Five K's refers to distintive marks of Sikh believers and was instituted by Guru Gobind Singh. These are
1) Kesh ( unshorn hair)
2) Kangha (comb)
3) Kirpan (short sword)
4) Kara (steel wristband)
5) Kachch (short pants)
Until an individual realizes their dependence of God, they are taught to have an attitude of Haumai (self-reliance).
Sikhs use the Adi Garanth (First Book) as the holiest books of their scriptures. This book contains writings of Guru Nanak and his successors, along with poems of Sants.
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