Sikhism Today! - will we survive??? (UNMODERATED)

Discussion of life's dilemmas, blessings and challenges. Got Questions? Need Answers? This is the place to be. Feel comfortable with asking any question. Anonymous posting is allowed. Questions are answered by anyone in the sangat who feels they can help.
Romesh Kumar
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Re: Sikhism Today! - will we survive??? (UNMODERATED)

Post by Romesh Kumar »

sikh_13 wrote:Yes the fact is survival of sikhism in its true 'form and spirit'. Form is sikhi saroop ordered by my GURU - King of ALL. And the spirit is what has been taught by my Guru - pure - !!
sikh_13 Ji,
Very well said.
This has to be done by Sikhs. Non-sikhs or Hindus are not against that. It is Sikhs who are not following the teachings of Guru Sahiban.

sikh_13 wrote:What I have realized is that when ever there is a genuine discussion on Sikhi survival - some parasites drop in and try to take it away. Some people may mind it - but the fact is that Sikhism is facing biggest threat from hinduism today and we need to take it on like our ancestors took on the direct offenders then.....
I do not think if non-sikhs even think about survival or vanishing of Sikhism. Since Sikhism came after socalled Hinduism with distinct and different ideology then that distinction and difference need to be preserved and maintained. Sikhs are finding difficult to do that for one reason or another thereby feeling threatened on their own. In my humble opinion, socalled threat is not from Hinduism but from within.
jhonmiller
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Re: Sikhism Today! - will we survive??? (UNMODERATED)

Post by jhonmiller »

Thanks for such the healthy discussion on the topic of Sikhism Today! - will we survive???. It really help me out in getting the valueable insight.
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Yuktanand Singh
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Re: Sikhism Today! - will we survive??? (UNMODERATED)

Post by Yuktanand Singh »

Let us ask this question instead: "Lions today - will we survive?"

Who is asking? Are we the lions?
Is a donkey covered with Lion's skin a Lion?
In other words, do we understand what Sikhi is?
If not then, can we understand the answer to above question?

Clearly, we need to examine ourselves.
Just the fact that we address Sikhi as "Sikhism"requires an essay by itself.
Did Guru Nanak start or favor any "ism"?

Are we the Sikh that Guru Nanak was searching for? People may get impatient. They may call it "navel gazing" while, in their opinion, 'Sikhism is in such grave danger'. Our sociopolitical situation appears rather urgent.

Others chime in that only the message of gurbani is important. Many try to impress upon us donkeys that the message of Sikhism is in fact no different than the message of another prevailing religion.

Sikhi is often regarded as a path of bhakti. But "bhagats" are dime a dozen in India these days. In the west, particularly during 70's and 80's you could see them singing and dancing at the airports and shopping malls.

Sikhi is also intricately integrated with the path of the Sants. Prevalence of "Sants" today is no different either.

A true Sikh always follows a unique inner path. As we read in Japji [SGGS:3.9], someone who obeys the Guru is not attached to any tradition or a path. This is so because the Guru's inner guidance is unique in each case. The outer garb is for the world. The inner path is unique at each moment.

In my opinion Sikhi is as ancient as mankind. It was never born nor will it ever die. But before Guru Nanak, it was hidden. Sikhi is simply: "A Sikh does whatever the Guru says". ਗੁਰਸਿਖੀ ਦਾ ਕਰਮੁ ਏਹੁ ਗੁਰ ਫੁਰਮਾਏ ਗੁਰਿਸਖ ਕਰਣਾ।(ਭਾਈ ਗੁਰਦਾਸ) This is the foundation of a deep spiritual relationship between the two.

Guru Nanak made sure that this path is revealed to public and it is accessible to the masses. Guru Nanak needed only one Sikh to start this process. Rest is history. At present we have it in the form of gurbani and in the form of holy congregation of Sant or Sants.

This holy association is also called 'sadh sangat' in gurbani which, is also commonplace today but true sadh sangat is rare.
Real Sikhs seek real sadh sangat. Presence of gurbani makes it unique. This is unlike any existing religion. According to gurbani, this path is eternal.

Guru Gobind Singh changed from one Sikh to Five Beloved. Wherever five gurmukhs (not just five individuals with a certain appearance or a certain daily routine) are present, Sikhi, nay, the Guru himself is there.

Sikhi is always living somewhere in this world. We need to find that place. Then we will survive.
We cannot survive as donkeys in a lion's garb. Guru Nanak would not want us to survive.

Yuktanand Singh
Saline, Mi USA
MaxKin
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Re: Sikhism Today! - will we survive??? (UNMODERATED)

Post by MaxKin »

There's something comforting knowing that we will somehow survive. We just have to work really hard towards that end.
Amandeep82Singh
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Re: Sikhism Today! - will we survive??? (UNMODERATED)

Post by Amandeep82Singh »

Waheguru jee kaa khalsa Waheguru jee kee fateh,
Sikhism will survive. In fact, if you don't get impacted by what's going on in society, means being humble and true work come what may, no force in the world can change it. Just believe in yourself and Sikhism. Being true to yourself is the first and last step for any survival.

Waheguru jee kaa khalsa Waheguru jee kee fateh
KhalsaPanjabRaj
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Re: Sikhism Today! - will we survive??? (UNMODERATED)

Post by KhalsaPanjabRaj »

sikh_13 wrote:Dear Sadh Sangat Ji !

I write this post (not knowing if it would get past our moderators) to get the inputs over some of the queries I have. I have seen sikhism over last few decades and the way it has evolved. There were days when sikhs were respected and honoured. Then the 'sab toh wada ghalughara followed' - we saw our generation massacred in front of our own eyes. The same sikhs who use to rescue hindu women picked by muslim invaders watched their own sisters mothers and daughters brutally raped. We also saw our so called turbaned leaders guide us from one holocast to then next one. Punjabi subsided - our village folks started speaking hindi and started following religious faiths beyond those permitted by The Gurus. I saw sikh identity go down from being a revered identity to one being despised and made joke of. More over I witnessed (or rather heard) a sikh girl motiviting her lover to cut his hair (so that he would look smart) at Shri Anandpur Sahib (birth place of the Khalsa) - and they were spending a night together in the sra - pretending to be husband and wife.

Dear fellow sikhs - our religion has degraded from being a honoured one to one which is made joke of. Who is to be blamed? No one but ourselves. We thrive on killing our people. When 'Bluestar' happens - sikh 'generals' lead it. When youth is tortured and killed in punjab 'kps sigh gill' leads by 'scoring' high. When sikhs were killed in india in November of 1984 - 'gyani' jail singh continues to be quite. the story goes on...........

Our next generation does not exist!
Our leaders are exploiting on the hard work done by our ancestors and our fore-fathers!
Our girls seek marriage outside our religion!
Our Gurudwara prabhandaks are good businessmen seeking to make the best of the 'facility'!
Our youth lurk after 'tempetations'!
Our moderators are oriented towards their own goals!

I am confused and I seek help from the sangat! I have followed a strong religion - a religion that woud give own / kids / anyone's life for causes close to their heart (be it removing hair or anything). Now i cannot follow this religion sinking into another religion! I need a strong base - I need a base wherein I dont mind dying for my religion.

I seek your opinion on continuing in this faith or giving it up cos of the condition it is in today and the way it is headed!

Waheguru Ji da Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Di Fateh!!!

P.S. -- Dear Moderators - Even though bitter - please let it be published!

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The answer is simple. Sikhism will survive, but how long will Punjab survive? The biggest mistake our leaders made in 1947 was allowing East Punjab to merge into India, when infact we had an offer from Jinnah and Mountbatten to become an independent state.

Rather we joined India and with it we sold our culture and faith to them.

Sikhism is considered a sect of Hinduism according to the Indian constitution. East Punjab was divided illegally into three parts, while the Sutlej and Beas are slowly being diverted to the Hindi heartland in Delhi NCR.

If Sikhism and Punjabi culture is to remain, the fact is simple. We need a sovereign and independent Punjab.

Call it Khalistan or whatever you want, the longer you allow Hindutva to rule over you, the more our culture will go down the drain.
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