WHO ARE THE SIKHS?

Contrary to the common belief in the Western world, Sikhs are not a homogeneous group, ethnically or genealogically, nor are they a tightly knit group agreeing on everything. While all Sikhs are united in their firm belief in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib as their sacred scripture, they may not always agree on how to interpret those teachings. There are no established or formalized denominations in Sikhi. Yet, as with any other faith community, Sikhs have divergent views, which may lead to different practices by some members of the Sikh community. These variations may arise from different philosophical interpretations, as well as geographical or cultural variations. Thus, it is important for the reader to note that what I present here are the practices of the majority or mainstream members of the Sikh community. Human nature, such as it is, means that we do not always practice what we preach. This is no different for Sikhs. The followers of the Sikh path are students on their journey in life. This means that what they practice may diverge from established Sikh philosophy and teachings. Where that is the case, I have noted the dichotomy. Another aspect of the Sikh way of life is its greetings. While they exist in all known human cultures, each culture has its unique greetings expressed audibly and physically and often a combination of both. Sikhs greet each other with folded hands. Guru Nanak, the revealer of the Sikh faith, greeted those he met with a salutation, ‘Sat Kartar’ (Hail the Creator, the Eternal). However, two greetings that are commonly used among Sikhs are as listed here. Compared to customary English greetings, which can vary according to the time of day or the occasion, the Sikh greeting (either one) is the same for all times, all occasions, and all events.  Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh: This greeting can be translated as “Sovereign and free, we belong to the Creator; We are all part of Waheguru’s (God’s) creation and Victory to Waheguru. Waheguru is also sometimes spelled as Vahiguru. At the time of the amrit (initiation) ceremony in 1699, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh guru, invoked all Sikhs to greet each other with this greeting. It is the most commonly used amongst amritdhari (initiated) Sikhs.  Sat Sri Akaal: This greeting, which you hear most Sikhs saying when they meet and greet, is the second part of the full slogan or jaikara also introduced by Guru Gobind Singh to celebrate victory: Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akaal. The greeting literally means “Call to victory, triumph, or exultation.” The full slogan means, “Whoever utters this phrase (Sat Sri Akal) shall be happy and blessed; Eternal is the Great Timeless Divine.” Sikhi is the youngest of all the five major world religions, and although it is highly visible, it is the least understood. The Indian sub-continent has given birth to four major world religions (Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhi). Since the founding of Sikhi in the fifteenth century by Guru Nanak, Sikhs have grown to be a strong community of 28 million and make up about 0.4 percent of the world’s population. While 57 percent of the Sikh population lives in the state of Punjab, India, 20 percent lives in the rest of India, and the remaining 23 percent lives outside of India. Except for some ultra-right Islamic countries, Sikhs have spread over the world. Four major destinations are: Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Each one of the first three are home to over 750,000 Sikhs, and the fourth has under 200,000 Sikhs. Finding a scholarly consensus on what constitutes a religion may be difficult. Sikhs look at this question from a spiritual as well as a legal point of view. Because there is so much diversity in religion, it is essential to have a broad and all-encompassing legal definition. At the most basic level, Sikhs agree that religion is a system of belief and worship that has a nexus with the Divine. However, spiritually speaking, the Sikh faith has quite a bit to say about what true religion is. The closest word to “religion” for Sikhs is dharam, which encompasses the concepts of “divine order,” “duty,” and “righteous actions.” Dharam is also known as the child of compassion. As such, for Sikhs, religion is much more than just a label or a nominal self-identifier. It is a system of living. It is the glue that binds the practitioner to the divine. According to the Sikh gurus, there is only one true religion, and that is love. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru, says, “Listen, all of you, carefully, [for] I speak the truth—only those who are absorbed in true love will attain Waheguru.” Religious labels have little meaning to Sikhs. What religious belief one professes is immaterial. What matters to Sikhs is the content of one’s character and actions. Religion should serve as a force for compassion and righteousness in life. If it is limited to ritual and dogma and does not help others or improve the world, it is hypocrisy. For a Sikh, religious devotion is a life of active effort towards world uplift under the True Guru’s guidance, so all souls may attain the final goal of merging with the Divine. The gurus insist on human equality, and reject castes, racial prejudice, the use of images to represent God, and all external shows of piety, while insisting on absolute sincerity and persevering action for the love of God. So, in its spiritual essence, true religion is the path that allows us to realize God and see divine light in everything and everywhere around us. Everything else is just illusion.