The sikh religion is a monotheistic faith that is one of the youngest of the worlds major religions. To live a good life a person should do good deeds as well as meditating on god. Sikhism preaches that people of different races, religions, or sex are all equal in the eyes of god. Download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf ebooks. While hinduism is considered polytheistic, sikhism is a monotheistic religion. Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practiced in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. Sikhs use many names to refer to god, including those from other faiths such as rama or allah. Sikhs believe that one can find god by activities that are done every day. The religion is historically known for the tradition of langars, or community kitchens. Focusing particularly on the modern period, it provides a valuable introduction to contemporary sikh beliefs, devotional activity, and sacred space. Sikhism broke from hinduism due, in part, to its rejection of the caste system. Therefore making this into the most universal religious text.
They believe that everyone has equal status in the eyes of god. History, authors, as well as a complete english translation. The sikh holy book, the guru granth sahib, teaches that there is one god, that men and. Animistic religions the belief that inanimate objects, such as hills, trees, rocks, rivers and other elements of the natural landscape, possess souls and can help or hinder human efforts on earth. The dasam granth is a composition primarily of the tenth guru, guru gobind singh. The goal of every sikh is to build a close, loving relationship with god. The primary sacred texts, known as the vedas, were composed around 1500 b. Sikhism is essentially a monotheistic religion and for that reason it has more in common with islam then either hinduism or buddhism, however, as we will discover, there are glaring differences in the concept of god and in the basic belief system. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata, and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation, etc. Originally, the religion relied on the teaching of living gurus. A very short introduction by eleanor nesbitt, a history of the sikhs. The sikh holy book guru granth sahib is the perpetual guru, there is no place in sikhism for a living guru today.
Sikhs have rejected the caste system of the hindu religion. During the 18 th century, there were a number of attempts to prepare an accurate portrayal of sikh. Dress simple and modest no revealing clothing women do not have to wear veils. For example, theism is any religion that contains gods, and polytheism is a form of theism. Within the broad umbrella of christianity, beliefs can vary widely as each denomination subscribes to its own set of doctrines and practices. Sikh religion started in india by guru nanak 14691539 ad who was born in punjab. Muslims believe in angels, unseen beings who worship god and carry out gods orders throughout the universe. The majority of sikh customs are associated with the khalsa, the body of initiated sikhs to which most adult sikhs belong. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. Hinduism vs sikhism difference and comparison diffen. It has over 3000 hymns and instructions to lead a good sikh life.
The mool mantar, the first hymn composed by guru nanak, is recited daily by many sikhs. Jains see these texts, which are the transcriptions of lord mahavirs sermons, as sacred documents. An indian sikh devotee takes a holy bath in the sacred pond of the golden temple, sikh s holiest temple, during the birth anniversary of guru nanak, in amritsar, india, wednesday, nov. Muslims believe that god revealed holy books or scriptures to a number of gods messengers.
The first belief is that there is just one god, who is not only the creator, but also the bringer of death. The sikh scripture is a book called the guru granth sahib the tenth guru, guru gobind singh declared that there would be no other living gurus but instead sikhs could look to their holy scriptures for guidance, so the holy book became the guru teacher. First book the sacred scripture of sikhism, a religion of india. These books, known as the deuterocanonical are tobit, judith, 1 and 2 maccabees, wisdom, sirach and baruch. In the face of the rigid indian system of caste and class, sikhs offer adherents a casteless and egalitarian social structure. This sacred text is divided into two main sections, the old testament and the new testament which are then further divided into various books. If the faithful follows the bani of the preceptor, the preceptor himself. Sikhism is said to have split out of hinduism, due to its refusal to the caste system prevalent in hinduism. Basic beliefs of sikhs sikhs have a lot of beliefs, but there are some basic beliefs that are fundamental to the followers of this religion. Sikhs who have been through the amrit ceremony of initiation become amritdhari or initiated sikhs, take new names, and wear the 5 ks.
Sikhs ravidassia religion women in sikhism sikhism and sexual orientation in fiction idolatry in sikhism criticism. The following is some of the beliefs and rule they have. Sikhism is a unique faith which has aspects of islam. However, god shows people through holy books, and by the examples of. The religion developed and evolved in times of religious persecution.
About 2500 years ago, a prince named siddhartha gautama began to question his sheltered, luxurious life in the palace. This chart compares sikhism and hinduism on the basis of their philosophy, view of god, religious practices and beliefs, as well as principles and teachings. Another important concept of sikhism is community service and equality of human beings. Buddhists look within themselves for the truth and understanding of buddhas teachings. It is a collection of teachings and writings by guru nanak and other gurus as well as. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or the eternal way, beyond human history. The hymns included range from the omnipresence of nature and basic day to day lessons.
The book teaches that outward rituals and indulgence in the worldly pleasure only bring us pain. The religion of the gurus fisher digital publications st. Sikhism is a concise and readable survey of the history of sikhism, from its founding in the punjab in the sixteenth century to its spread across the globe today. The sikhs do not regard this as their holy book but as their perpetual and. This is a very important principle that permeates all sikh beliefs, behaviors, and rituals. However sikhism is distinct from hinduism and islam. Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book.
Holy place, nankana sahib, where the founder of the sikh religion, guru nanak dev. The angel gabriel brought the divine revelation to the prophets. Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world. The guru granth sahib is the sacred scripture of the sikhs, and its bedrock is the body of compositions of guru nanak. God shows people through holy books, and by the examples of. The 10th guru, gobind singh, declared that he would have no living successor, and this collection of teachings would become the ultimate guru for the sikh. Judaism is characterized by a belief in one transcendent god who revealed himself to abraham, moses, and the hebrew prophets and by a religious life in accordance with scriptures and rabbinic traditions. Items in lower case italics are classes of religion and not actual religions. Belief system in which multiple deities are revered as creators and arbiters of all that exists in the universe. Judaism, monotheistic religion developed among the ancient hebrews. The understanding of the scriptures within a religion is often imperative to the. Holy place, nankana sahib, where the founder of the sikh religion, guru nanak.
As a religion, christianity encompasses a wide range of denominations and faith groups. This book contains the teachings of all gurus, and hass been identically printed since the first copy, containing the same amount of pages, same words, and same paper size to preserve it. This article looks at sikh beliefs about god, karma, death and rebirth. Naam, the name of god, shabad the word of god and sat sang, the company of the pious and the holy. The significance as well as translations of various banis of the gurus. Sikhs believe that any two sikhs make up a congregation, and where as.
Virtues are qualities essential to endear the self to the divine. Sikhism beliefs that all humans are equal and so are men and women. The basic philosophy of sikhism revolves mainly around three concepts. What are the holy texts for buddhism hinduism and sikhism. Two of the sikh gurusguru arjan 15631605 and guru tegh bahadur 16211675. Guru granth sahib the holy book has 1430 pages with divine messages and. The compositions of his successors are also contained in the book, as are. Sikhism believes that there is only one supreme power, ikonkar. The holy book of jainism is a collection of texts known as agam literature or the agam sutras.
Hinduism four holy books written in sanskrit the religion of buddhism is primarily practiced in all of thes buddhism. It is simply impossible to list all varieties of religion 1 as we as a species have created an almost infinite variety of religious and transcendental ideas. It is a collection of nearly 6000 hymns of the sikh gurus religious leaders. The sikhs have two holy books for their guidance and revelation of their underlying beliefs and principles as laid down by the ten gurus. The mool mantra key beliefs in sikhism gcse religious studies. Sikhism was founded in the punjab region in india in the 15th century by guru nanak dev. Sikhism is centered around basic tenet that god is one, while he may have numerous names and forms.
The guru granth sahib is a collection of teachings and writings by guru nanak and other gurus as well as sikh, hindu and muslim saints. For buddhists the tripitaka, or three baskets are the primary teachings. Sikhism is based on the religious teachings of ten spiritual leaders bowker. The sikh scripture, the guru granth sahib, is the only major religious text. Learn about and revise sikh key beliefs with bbc bitesize gcse religious studies. The basic tenets of the sikh belief system with scriptural quotes from the gurus. Jainism is an eastern religion with origins in the indus river valley dating back to 3000 b.
Sikhs believe in a single, formless god, with many names, who can be known through meditation. Of the 46 books in the catholic version of the old testament, seven books are not sacred in other forms of christianity. In terms of numbers of followers, it ranks as the ninth largest religion in the world, with followers numbering between 25 and 28 million. These sights are said to have shown him that even a.
The sikh gurus teachers, contemporaries of luther and calvin, were reformers who rejected the caste system and much of the apparatus of hindu ritual and legalism. The bani is the preceptor and the preceptor is the bani, all the nectars are present in the bani. Both religions originated in the indian subcontinent hinduism about 3,000 years ago and sikhism in the second half of the last millennium. The main holy book in sikhism is the guru granth sahib. The main teachings of the guru granth sahib is the love of humanity. The sikh scriptures emphasize the following virtues wisdom, truthfulness, justice. This holy book would become an official part of the sikh religion later on in the. The holy book of the sikh religion is the guru granth sahib. Granthis are people who have studied the sikh scriptures extensively and are. They share this belief with followers of other indian religious traditions such as. Sikhism was founded in the 15th century by guru nanak, who broke away from hinduism, indias dominant religion. The principal sikh scripture is the adi granth first scripture, more commonly called the guru granth sahib. Scholars regard hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various indian. He said that, from his time onwards, the holy book would be the living guru for.