What do the Muslims call their churches?
If you mean by worship the praying to Allah (or God in English and same God worshiped in Judaism and Christianity), then the official place of worship is called masjid (or mosque in English). However, Muslims are allowed to practice praying ritual worship in any dry clean place (office, home, open clean areas, ship, during flights, ... ).
What is special about Amritsar for Sikhs?
Amritsar is an important place for Sikhs as The Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) is located there. The Golden Temple is the Supreme court for Sikhs and all community conflicts are solved there. Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) is also known as the Akal Takht. The Akal Takht is the highest seat for the Guru Granth Sahib.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji's wife Bibi Sulakhani, daughter of Mula, a resident of Batala, grew up in the district of Gurdaspur.
What are the benefits of belonging to Sikhism?
respect for all humans regardless of religion, race and gender.
Sikhs seem to be well respected by white black and Asian people of different backgrounds and religions,
Sikhs understand all religions and respect all humans- promoting community cohesion, sharing and knowledge
What does sewa mean for a Sikh?
Sewa (Voluntary Service)
Whoever has good destiny inscribed on his forehead, applies himself to Sewa - selfless service" (Guru Granth Sahib: Paanaa:1142 Line : 4 )
So it is not only in our acts of service at the Gurdwara, or our involvement in charities, helping the homeless and infirm, housing the earthquake victim, that we perform Sewa. We can worship God, and perform Sewa in our everyday activities. Getting up in the morning, going to work and performing our tasks. Going to college and studying for exams. Coming home and cooking and cleaning. Every single mundane activity can be an act of Sewa. Keeping in mind your intentions, the reasons for living and helping others, you can realise your status as an ambassador for Waheguru, an agent of truth and love. Herein, God is present in our lives, and we can extend the concept of Sewa to include all that we do. Everything is a manifestation of the truth, and our very lives become an affirmation of that. Even if you do not pray every day, and cannot visit the Gurdwara as often as you would like, keep the Guru's name on your lips and perform the best you can. Because those things that keep us busy: our job, our families, our love of football, our passions, our hobbies, our friends, our music: these are things we should pursue to excellence, to the fullest of our abilities, and with Waheguru in our heart. They are all part of the holy life we lead. Help those in your vicinity. You will be touching the Divine.
1. Sewa is a prominent part of Sikh religion. Illustrative models of voluntary service are organised for imparting training, in the Gurdwaras. Its simple forms are : sweeping and plastering the floors of the Gurdwara, serving water to or fanning the congregation, offering provisions to and rendering any, kind of service in the common kitchen-cum-eating house, dusting the shoes of the people visiting the Gurdwara, etc.
a. Guru Ka Langar : The philosophy behind the Langar (Guru's kitchen-cum-eating-house) is two-fold : to provide training to the Sikhs in voluntary service and to help banish all distinction of high and low, touchable and untouchable from the Sikhs' minds.
b. All human beings, high or low, and of any caste or colour may sit and eat in the Langar. No discrimination on grounds of the country of origin, colour, caste or religion must be made while making people sit in rows for eating.
Who is the main teacher for the Sikhism religion?
Answer
Depends on the religion. Priests, mullahs, bishops, popes, cardinals, monks, etc. Popes etc. set doctrine on what's acceptable or not i.e. taught/preached etc.
Bishops and popes aren't teachers; a rabbi, an imam and an ulema teach.
Why is the gurdwara important to the local community?
To get guidance is one of the reasons they come into the presence of God by listening to and singing from the holy book.
To be a part of a community is another reason they come to be in company of God's people, of all different ages. Singing lessons and community. Activities will also be held in rooms at the gurdwara.
To serve God and others is also a reason to carry out the Sikh duty of helping others, for example, by sharing in the work of the kitchen. This provides food free to all people both Sikh and non-Sikh
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ANS#2:
Gurudwara is a place of worship, a temple of Sikhs, the followers of Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhism, the main feature of Gurdwara is to sing/listen the praises of Lord God and true Guru in association with the true congregation of devotee worshipers and recite the scripture contained in Guru Granth Sahib and hence learn the teachings of true Guru for implementation in real life of course.
गà¥à¤° दà¥à¤†à¤°à¥ˆ हरि कीरतनॠसà¥à¤£à¥€à¤ ॥
All the Guru's door one hears the God's praise.
सतिगà¥à¤°à¥ à¤à¥‡à¤Ÿà¤¿ हरि जसॠमà¥à¤–ि à¤à¤£à¥€à¤ ॥
Meeting with the True Guru, one utters the Lord's praise with honour in the Lord's court.
कलि कलेस मिटाठसतिगà¥à¤°à¥ हरि दरगह देवै मानां हे ॥४॥
Sorrows and strifes the True Guru effaces and blesses with honour in the Lord's court.
Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Raag Maaroo 1075
Besides above Gurdwara is used for,
1. Learning Punjabi, 2,Learning Tabla and Keertan, 3. Learning recitation of scriptures of Guru Granth Sahib and other scriptures of 10th Guru and Bhai Gurdassji.4. taking coaching of meaning of the scriptures. 5. Religious books library and 6. Free medical care clinic.etc etc.
Except above Gurudwara is a place where the pupils/disciples/followers Sikhs are baptized, hence given the unique identification of a baptized(Amritdhari) Sikh. Here it is necessary to mention that we may have faith in Sikhism, but the true Guru gives more importance to baptized Sikhs and guides spiritually to His disciples. This is just like the enrollment in some institution and only then that institution issues their I. Card. After baptism all religious practice of a Sikh, like chanting name singing praises etc are suitably accounted for with the Lord God and true Guru.
As a public place Gurudwara is of great importance like meetings for religious resolutions. arranging Guru festivals of Their births and uniting with Lord God days. Langer Hall is there for having lunch or brunch. Personal functions can also be arranged there being economic. Another great importance of Gurdwara is marriage ceremony in way of Sikh custom.
In short a Gurudwara is like the temples of other religions. Temples are like concrete banks on a river facilitating safe baths, where one can worship without disturbance with other similar devotee worshipers.
तितॠजाइ बहहॠसतसंगती जिथै हरि का हरि नामॠबिलोईठ॥
Go and sit in the society of saints where Lord God's Name is churned (meditated upon).
सहजे ही हरि नामॠलेहॠहरि ततॠन खोईठ॥
Remember thou the God's Name with composure, that thou mayest not lose God, the Essence.
नित जपिअहॠहरि हरि दिनसॠराति हरि दरगह ढोईठ॥
Day and night repeat ever repeats God's Name, that thou myest find protection in God's court.
सो पाठपूरा सतगà¥à¤°à¥‚ जिसॠधà¥à¤°à¤¿ मसतकि लिलाटि लिखोईठ॥
He alone obtains the perfect True Guru, on whose forehead and brow such a writ is written since the very beginning.
तिसॠगà¥à¤° कंउ सà¤à¤¿ नमसकारॠकरहॠजिनि हरि की हरि गाल गलोईठ॥४॥
Let us all pay homage to that Guru who utters the Divine sermon of the Lord.
Guru Amar Daas Ji, Raag Vadhans 587
What does the shoe racks mean in the gurdwara?
When you enter a Gurdwara your meant to take of your shoes as a sign of respect. The shoe racks are simply there for putting your shoes on.
Do Sikhs celebrate their birthdays?
There are no specials days or holidays for Sikhs, though Sikhs do celebrate the Birthdays of Sikhs Gurus and other important events.
People of the Sikh faith go to gurudwaras in order to listen to the chants of their holy book, meditate, and wash. Most of these are found in northern India, with the most famous one being in Amritsar, Punjab, India, known as the Golden Temple.
For more information, check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurdwara
For pictures and detailed information about certain ones, check out:
http://www.geocities.com/gurdwaraworld/gurd1.html
or
http://www.punjabonline.com/directory/gurdwara.html
Gurudwara is sacred place for Sikhs where Sikhs (or any person belonging to any religion) offer prayers and pay obeisance to the holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, placed in gurudwara. They can listen to holy prayers and hymns recited by the holy Sikh priests from Guru Granth Sahib in Gurudwara.
How many people follow Sikhism in India?
In 2005, it was estimated that world-wide, about 23 million people followed the Sikh religion. While the majority are in India, there are also Sikhs in many other countries, including the United States.
What does the middle sword in the Sikh symbol mean?
The two edged sword in the middle of the Sikh symbol is called a khanda.
The ninth Sikh guru is: Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji.
He was the son of the eighth guru; Shri Guru Hargobind Ji and the father of the tenth guru; Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji.
Shri Guru Granth Sahib not a idole, an idole cannot give your answer and cannot guide you, but Shri Guru Granth Sahib give Avery answer if you search (Jo khoje so pave). Shri Guru Granth Sahib guide you in every time as a true Guru guide u. "Bani Guru, Guru hai bani vich bani amrit sare, bani kahe sevak Jan mane partakh guru nistare". Meanwhile Guru Govind Singh order to all his Sikh that they considered their Guru to Shri Guru Granth Sahib.
mail4u2dear ANS#2:
Bowing before Guru Granth Sahib is not idol worship. The answer has been discussed earlier. It is to make us feel humble and reduce our ego, the cause of our all problems. To explain it further, culture plays a very important role in the rituals of a religion. We can find such examples all over the world. There are different methods of greeting your friend in different cultures. i) Folding hands in front of your chest and bending head slightly, ii) Bending your body at the waist with your head bending downwards and hands going backwards, as with the Japanese iii) Shaking right hands, the most common international custom iv) Embracing each other, particularly Panjabi women. v) Exchange of kisses, as among the people of the middle East.
What do Sikhs call their prayer room?
There is no such thing as prayer room in Gurudwara. When we walk in the Diwan, where Guru Granth Sahib Ji is, one just stand in front of Guru and pray.After that he or she sits down.
Why is the festival of baisakhi so important to the Sikhs?
Baisakhi is usually celebrated as a harvest festival by farming communities in the states of Punjab and Haryana. Baisakhi is one of the major festivals of the Sikhs, usually celebrated with a lot of gaiety.
What is Sikhism's special food?
In Sikhism, only vegetarian food is served in the Gurdwara, but Sikhs are not totally bound to be meat-free. The general consensus is that Sikhs are free to choose whether to adopt the vegetarian or meat diet[1], although once baptized by taking Amrit, some minority sects of Sikhs (Damdami Taksal, Akhand Kirtani Jatha, Namdharis, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha and the 3HO), believe that a Sikh should be meat free[2], however this is not a Universally held belief amongst Sikhs. Orthodox Sikhs believe that once Amrit is taken, Sikh's are only prohibited from eating Kuttha or ritually slaughtered (Halal, Kosher) meat.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the holiest book talks about vegetarianism and spirituality in the following couplet:-First Mehl:
The fools argue about flesh and meat, but they know nothing about meditation and spiritual wisdom.
What is called meat, and what is called green vegetables? What leads to sin?
It was the habit of the gods to kill the rhinoceros, and make a feast of the burnt offering.
Those who renounce meat, and hold their noses when sitting near it, devour men at night.
They practice hypocrisy, and make a show before other people, but they do not understand anything about meditation or spiritual wisdom.
O Nanak, what can be said to the blind people? They cannot answer, or even understand what is said.
They alone are blind, who act blindly. They have no eyes in their hearts.
They are produced from the blood of their mothers and fathers, but they do not eat fish or meat.Page 1289 [3] Sri Guru Granth Sahib
On the views that eating meat would be eating flesh, first Sikh Guru Nanak states:AGGS, M 1, p 1290. [4]
-First Mehl:
ਪਾਂਡੇ ਤੂ ਜਾਣੈ ਹੀ ਨਾਹੀ ਕਿਥਹੁ ਮਾਸੁ ਉਪੰਨਾ ॥ ਤੋਇਅਹੁ ਅੰਨੁ ਕਮਾਦੁ ਕਪਾਹਾਂ ਤੋਇਅਹੁ ਤ੍ਰਿਭਵਣੁ ਗੰਨਾ ॥O Pandit, you do not know where did flesh originate! It is water where life originated and it is water that sustains all life. It is water that produces grains, sugarcane, cotton and all forms of life.
Sikhism is a liberal, tolerant faith that acknowledges personal liberty and the crucial proponent of human nature, free will [5]. As such, Sikh philosophy and Scriptures are not didactic in nature, for Sikhism offers spiritual, ethical and moral guidance to a fulfilling way of life rather than a tightly-construed and strict religious discipline. As a result, it is the subject of much debate as to whether Sikhs are prohibited by the Sikh Code of Conduct, the Rehat Maryada, from eating meat. The consensus is however, Sikhs are bound to avoid meat that is killed in a ritualistic manner[6] e.g. Halal, Kosher etc.[7][8]
Within the Gurdwara, the Guru ka Langar (Guru's community kitchen) serves purely vegetarian food, freshly prepared from all natural ingredients for all people, at all times. The reason for serving vegetarian food is that the Langar is open to all. Since many faiths and people have varying taboos on what to eat and how meat should be prepared etc, and since Sikhs accept these restrictions and accommodate people no matter their faith or culture, the safest option thought by the Sikh Gurus was to adopt vegetarian food for Langar. The exception to vegetarian langar is when Nihangs, ( a minor but oldest Sikh sect in India) serve meat[9] on the occasion of Holla Mohalla, and call it MahaPrashad .
Sikhism argues that the soul can possibly undergo millions of transformations as various forms of life before ultimately becoming human. These life forms could be a rock, vegetation or animal. Sikhism does not see a difference between mineral, vegetation and animal. The only distinction made is that between these (mineral, vegetation and animal), and human. [10]
The first Sikh Guru Nanak Dev said it was a pointless argument to debate the merits of either not eating or eating meat in the context of religion, as maintaining a strict diet does not make one blessed or elevate one to a superior status, spiritually or otherwise, over another. Being a member of a religion incorporates not merely one's dietary customs but the entire way in which they govern their lifestyle. [11] He advocated a lifestyle consisting of honest, hard work and humility Kirat Karni, focus and remembrance of God Naam Japna and compassion for all of humanity and God's creation all around Vaṇḍ chakkō, with these 3 key principles taking far greater precedence over one's mere dietary habits.
Sikh Intellectual Views on Vegetarianism and SikhismMany articles have been written by Sikh intellectuals on this issue. A summary of their views is cited below .Dr I. J Singh states that throughout Sikh history, there have been many subsects of Sikhism that have espoused vegetarianism however, this was rejected by the Sikh Guru's. [12]. The Sikh thinking being that vegetarianism and meat eating was unimportant in the realm of spirituality. Surinder Singh Kohli links vegetarianism to Vashnavite behaviour [13]. Dr Gopal Singh commenting on meat being served in the langar during the time of Guru Angad [14] Dr Gyani Sher Singh who was the head Priest at the Golden temple comments that Ahimsa does not fit in with Sikh doctrine [15]. W. Owen Cole and Piara Singh Sambhi [16] comment that if the Sikh Guru's had made an issue on vegetarianism, it would have distracted from the main emphasis of Sikh spirituality. Dr H S Singha and Satwant Kaur [17] comment on how ritually slaughtered meat is considered a sin for initiated Sikhs. Dr Surinder Singh Kohli comments on the "Fools Wrangle Over Flesh" [18] quotation from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji by how Guru Nanak mocked hypocritical vegetarian priests. Dr Gobind Mansukhi states how vegetarianism and meat eating has been left to the Sikh individual [19] G S Sidhu comments again on how ritually slaughtered meat is taboo for a Sikh [20] Dr Gurbakh Singh comments on how non-Kutha [21] meat is acceptable for the Sikhs. Dr Devinder Singh Chahal [22] comments on the difficulties of distinguishing between plant and animalin Sikh philosophy.Dr H S Singha comments in his book how the Sikh Guru's ate meat [23]
The Sikh Code of Conduct on the Vegetarian IssueLeading Sikh intellectuals ruled on this issue in the 1920s (as some Sikh Sects confused the issue by trying to get all Sikhs to be vegetarian) and came up with the following rule or Code of Conduct for baptised Sikhs with regards to meat and Vegetarianism:Sikh Rehat Maryada- In the Rehat Maryada(http://www.sgpc.net/rehat_maryada/section_six.HTML), Section Six, it states:
The undermentioned four transgressions (tabooed practices) must be avoided
1. Dishonouring the hair;
2. Eating the meat of an animal slaughtered the Muslim way(Kutha);
3. Cohabiting with a person other than one's spouse
4. Using tobacco.
There are groups such as the Akhand Kirtani Jatha that dispute the meaning of the word Kuttha, and say it means all meat, however, in mainstream Sikhism this word has been accepted to mean, as that which is sacrificed for example Halal or Kosher.
Historical dietary behaviour of SikhsThere are a number of eyewitness accounts from European travellers as to the eating habits of Sikhs.[24] Although there is no prohibition on Sikhs for eating beef, it is clear that Sikhs as a mark of respect for their Hindu neighbours did not partake in eating beef.[25],[26] To initiate Mohammedans into their mysteries, one traveller said the Sikhs would prepare a Dish of Hogs legs.[27]According to Dabistan e Mazhib (a contemporary Persian chronology of the Sikh Guru's) Guru Nanak (this differs from Dr I J Singh's research that states that Guru Nanak ate meat on the way to Kurukshetra [28]) did not eat meat, and Guru Arjan, one of successors, thought that meat eating was not in accordance with Nanak's wishes. However, his son, Hargobind, ate meat and hunted, and his practice was adopted by most Sikhs.[29]
Bhai Gurdas who was a contemporary of the Sixth Sikh Guru, wrote Vaars (Poems/Couplets), to describe the behaviour of Sikhs at that time. In one of his Vaars actually praises the merits of goat meat [30]
See alsoImportant teachings in the books of the guru granth sahib?
Some of the major messages can be summarized as follows: - # All peoples of the world are equal # Women are equal # One God for all # Speak and live truthfully # Control the five vices ( Lust, Anger, Material Attachment, Greed and Pride)
# Live in God's hukam (The Will of the One GOD) # Practice Humility, Kindness, Compassion, Love, etc
Is there a difference between Jainism and Sikhism?
Jainism is polytheistic, while Sikhism is monotheistic.