D&D Religion's "Ask About Sikhism" Thread

Upholding dharma (rightouness) is one of the most important tenents in dharmic religions and sometimes comes before devotion to God. So yes, it is your duty to help someone who is in a bad state if they have done something bad.

The person who is experiencing the troublesome state is in that position due to something they did wrong in this life or a previous, but it just isnt about punishment, its also a oppurtunity to learn from the experience (a test if you will similar to abrahamic religions) and move forward since the soul has to go through all lessons in life until it has enough knowledge to overcome the cycle of birth and death.

However a Self-realized person knows that suffering is an illusion and nothing can actually harm their true Self

I was wonering why you put this and I remeberd we had a discussion yesterday night, I just seen your quote reply now. I did make a mistake by talking about justice as I have explained in the previous post that karma isnt a divine justice system after reading up some more, as I do admit I dont understand its iplications fully since its not as straightforward as you think.

Well, regardless, you intimated that it was, for whatever reason, not "right" for God to interfere with karma. That also means that it wouldn't have been "right" for you to send out your rescue fleet to save those billions of people either, a fact which seems to contradict your duty to dharma.

Those who are confused.

God does not require any need, desire or dharma. Therefore saying it is right or wrong of God to do something cannot apply.

Not for any other reason apart from medical purposes where it is necessary.

What happens to unbelievers in Sikhism?

According to this, Sikhs simultaneously believe that one should not engage in superstitious, 'pointless' activities like wearing veils, and that one should not cut one's hair. My question is: how are these two beliefs (#1 and #4 in the link) compatible?

Compatible? i don't know how you mean.

Not cutting of the hair has nothing to do with superstition. It's the natural state of all humans, so why intefere with nature (Gods will)

Sorry but I don't want you to be offended, but why not then stop cutting finger and toenails?

Grasp the whole natural state of humans.

Very common question It's been answered many times before if you care to scroll though. Here it is anyway...

Q: Why Sikhs do not cut their hair but they cut their nails?

A: It is often argued that Sikhs do not cut their hair so why do they cut their nails. Sikhs only cut the dead gray part of their nails, not the alive pink/red part. This is similar to combing and removing dead hair while retaining live hair. Just like we do not cut the pink/red part of our nails, why should we cut our perfectly live and healthy hair? If anything dead grey part of nails should be compared to dandruff or dead hair removed while combing.

In addition, hair is not a hindrance to anyone. Because hair can be placed in a bun and kept clean and does perform a number of functions, it is only practical to realize that keeping hair is not hard. On the other hand, having long nails is a hindrance to the body. An individual with long nails cannot functions and do everyday chores comfortably. In order to ensure that one can perform the tasks of everyday life, only the dead part of nails is trimmed.

In addition, whereas the hair grows from a tubular pit (hair follicle), formed by sinking in of the most actively dividing layer of the skin (stratum germinativum) into the lower dermis, the gray part of nails is only modifications of the upper dead layer (stratum corneum). Further, the base of every follicle bulges out forming an inverted cup, which receives blood capillaries for nourishment and nerve fibers to make the hair sensitive. An oil gland, known as sebaceous gland, opens into every hair follicle, the secretion of which lubricates the hair. A muscle is also attached to the base of every hair for bringing about movement. Pigments are added to the shaft of the hair as it grows. None of these features is associated with the dead part of nails.

Structurally, hair is extremely strong, and resists breaking due to its elasticity and flexibility. Strength of hair can be estimated from the following facts, a human hair laid on a bar of steel and then passed through a cold rolling mill would leave an imprint on the face of the steel. A hair of a man’s beard is about as strong as a copper wire of the same dimensions. If a rope were made out of strands of long hair, it would be strong enough to lift an automobile. Dead part of nails, on the other hand, are very brittle and rigid, breaking off easily. Hair are countless (upto 125,000 on head region alone), thereby increasing the surface area. Hair protects us against the harmful Ultra Violet radiations and skin cancer while the dead part of the nails do not seem to provide a similar functionality.

The differences between the two do not end with the structural features. Even the body’s response towards the two is totally different. Our body, throughout life, tries to maintain a particular length of hair. Every individual has a specific length for hair. Once the hair reaches its specific length, it stops growing. If the hair is cut, the body responds by growing it again to the specific length. It clearly indicates the link of the body with the hair all along its length. The body shows no such response to the nails, which grow from birth to death at the same rate, irrespective of whether cut or not. It follows, thus, that cutting of the dead part of nails does not tell on the body at all, whereas, cutting of hair puts extra load on the body. To sum up, if there is anything on the head that can be compared with the dead part of nails, it is either dandruff or dead hair which are removed by combing.

Nature knows best what to retain or discard. Whatever is retained is not without purpose. Hair is a gift from God, not a burden. Guru Gobind Singh Ji, in his infinite wisdom, instructed us to respect hair and refrain from tampering with it. This is the visible token of his affection for us, as well as our faith in him.

What is Sikhism’s standing on drinking alcohol? Is there anything written in Guru Granth Sahib Ji?

Forbidden. Some verses:

''Those who are deluded by sensual pleasures, are tempted by sexual delights and enjoy wine are corrupt."

''One person brings a full bottle, and another fills his cup. Drinking wine, his intelligence departs, and madness enters his mind; he cannot distinguish between his own and others, and he is struck down ''

Yes I read this, I didn't know whether it was true, I mean do you drink?

It doesn't make sense, as I have seen Indian punjabi sikhs drink on tv- they hold some sort of festival in a town where everyone is holding a bottle of alcohol in their hand and drinking.

Not actively no. Punjabi sikhs are punjabi first, which is why they drink, by putting culture first.