The Sikh Society

It's because it draws poetry from many Sufis. Whenever Islamic things are mentioned, it's the message behind it which the Granth is drawing on, not the actual beliefs themselves.

If I'm not wrong Guru Granth Sahab even mentions Allah a few times.

Yup, many names for "God" are used in the GGS, not just Waheguru: Onkar, Allah, Raam, as well as a few others

Yup, many names for "God" are used in the GGS, not just Waheguru: Onkar, Allah, Raam, as well as a few others

Yeah you are right there. The true beauty for me is that the Sikh Guru's don't use the word Waheguru in SGGS Jee instead they use Allah, Raam, Har etc but it is the Hindu and Muslim bhagats who actually write the word Waheguru in their bani.

The fact that the bani of bhagats from other religions are included in SGGS Jee is beautiful.

Indeed, including the works of poets of other faiths simply because their philosophy agrees with that of the Gurus - revolutionary thinking at the time!

I think I'm gonna attempt to read the Guru Granth Sahib from start to finish, using srigranth.org...maybe limiting it to reading 1 or 2 pages a day so I can try and comphrenend and interpret it properly, so it'll take a few years, but it'll be worth it!

Are Sikhs agnostic or do they believe in one God i.e. Vahiguru or Onkar?

Pantheistic god is still a god. This is certainly not an agnostic belief.

If Sikhism was indifferent to God, there wouldn't be any Gurdwara as places of worship would it?

Hi

Sikhism is not 'Pantheistic', but 'Panentheistic' (as SunnyBacon pointed out), the Sikh scriptures attribute a dual-nature to Ik Oankar:

Akaal-Purakh is "Nirgun" (without attributes/non-physical/unseen) and "Sargun" (with attributes) at the same time. On the surface this looks contradictory, but not when you consider that Akaal-Purakh is the cumulation of the manifest Universe AND the Cosmic laws which govern it, not just one or the other.


The Nirgun (Cosmic law) aspect of Akaal-Purakh is said to have always existed and will always exist. Sargun (manifest Universe) has not always existed in its present form and came into existance as a result of Nirgun.


So whenever Guru Granth Sahib says something like "One Universal Creator God", it simply means that the supreme (natural) Cosmic law, sometime in the past, gave rise to the physical Universe we are a part of today.


In this sense, there is nothing 'divine' or 'supernatural' about the concept of 'God' in Sikhism, it differs from 'Pantheism' because a Pantheist may believe that we are all equally God, whereasthe Guru Granth Sahib maintains that while Ik Oankar is within us all, none of us are actually God, Ik Oankar is distinct: "You established all the worlds from within Yourself, and extended them outward. You are All-pervading amongst all, and yet You Yourself remain detached".


"Gurdwara" means "Gateway to the Guru", "Guru" means "eliminater of darkness/bestower of knowledge" and "Sikh" means "student/learner/disciple". Gurdwaras are not "places of worship" (although they do get called that in the west because the Dharmic philosophies have been lumped together with the Abrahamic religions), Gurdwaras are actually schools where Sikhs go (or were intended to go) to learn more about the philosophy of Guru Granth Sahib.


There is no concept of 'worship' in Sikhi, the Guru Granth Sahib is a composition of poetry which was meant to be sung and played with musical instruments, so Sikhs listen to the music of the Guru Granth Sahib in Gurdwaras, we don't actually 'pray'


The Guru Granth Sahib routinely uses musical metaphors when describing the Universe, that an unstruck melody resonates across the entire cosmos and also vibrates within every fiber of creation, that "celestial instruments" make it so that the Universe is essentially one big orchestra playing in symphony.


So no surprise that music is at the heart of Sikhism

I hope that helped a bit

.....

hey guys, Im a muslim but I want to understand sikhism. Can someone explain to me the basics and fundamentals behind sikhism. Im not here to start a fight or anything, just want to broaden my knowledge. Thanks

Also, please keep it basic so I can understand :P

The Mool Mantar- first line of Guru Granth Sahib- says:

"There is but One God (think of it more as a supreme 'reality'), the Name is Truth, Creative Being Personified, It is without Fear, it is without Hatred, Timeless and without Form, Beyond Births and Deaths, Realized by Guru's Grace~"

This 'God' is not anthropomorphic (i.e. it doesn't have human qualities, so no 'wrath', 'anger' etc...) and is a natural part of the cosmos, so most likely not a sentient being either.

There are 3 pillars in Sikhism:

a) Naam Jappo= connect with Akaal-Purakh and remember Akaal-Purakh, meditate and gain control of your mind so you are not a slave to your desires and treat everyone the same, because Akaal-Purakh is in everyone's heart. Guru Nanak stated "See the brotherhood of all mankind as the highest order of Yogis; conquer your own mind, and conquer the world", and "One who sees that Light within each and every heart understands the Essence of the Guru's Teachings".

b) Kirat Karro= honest living. Do not lie, cheat, steal etc... don't step on others to get what you want, live the kind of life you would be proud of even if you were to die today.

c) Vand Chakko- share what you have with others and give back to the world. Be an activist and make a difference in other people's lives, nurse the sick, feed the poor or even volunteer to spend time with people in hospitals, orphanages, senior centers etc... basically anything that would make a positive difference in someone'e else's life. Guru Arjan Dev said "Become the dust of the feet of all, and then, you may come to me".

Those are the

Edit: I also recommend this video:

[video="youtube;YLTIUUTuMys"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLTIUUTuMys[/video]

Can you go on? I would like to know more

You asked for the basics and those are the basics lol. Anything in particular you'd like to know?

I would just like to know as much as I can but unfortunately with no knowledge of the faith, I have no idea where to start. Any ideas where I could go learn or where I could start from?

I suggest you read the Japji Sahib, it is the first 8 pages of Guru Granth Sahib, gives a rundown of the entire philosophy and is the base for the rest of the text.

erm no idea what that is soz. Is there like any videos or something I could watch perhaps?

Yes, there are videos you could watch here: http://www.youtube.com/user/ikonkaar?feature=watch

Here is an online version of Guru Granth Sahib: http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?S=y

Click "read page-by-page" and the first 8 pages are Japji Sahib.

However, speaking from experience, please do remember that it is poetry and uses poetic devices to drive home the message. Don't expect to be able to completely understand it the first time you read it, but if you have questions about what something means you could ask here and I'm sure the Sikhs would be more than happy to explain it to you

ok cool thanks will do