Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.
Aristotle Ji suggested I post about my journey and I'm happy to share, I believe this is the right forum for it...
This is the description I wrote recently on the website for my comic (Super Sikh), and I think it is a good starting point for discussion and I can answer questions if it is still reading by the time they reach the end.
I never intended to become Sikh. Furthest thing from my mind. It just happened because of the research I did while writing this story, looking into Sikh ideas so that it would be accurate. But I found that even after I finished the story over a year ago, my interest didn’t fade. I couldn’t stop learning and doing research – questions followed by answers, followed by more questions. Never having been a very religious person, I thought maybe I had adopted some kind of religious hobby or something. I thought it would just pass.
But then I realized that not only was it becoming something present in my mind all the time, I was finding myself looking at my own life through the lens of what I was learning from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh scripture). In fact, I remember distinctly the moment I came to the idea that I must be Sikh.
I had just learned how to read the Gurmukhi script well enough to read bits of the scripture for myself without the English translations and I was stuck on the concept of ethical living that was presented in the text. So I sat there studying, surrounded by my dictionaries and notebooks, refusing to give up, just contemplating quietly and trying to figure out what the words meant. And then I got it. But I didn’t just get the literal translation, I mean, I REALLY GOT IT. Questions I had struggled with since I was a kid – got it. The reason I came close to failing out of college one year – got it. What I need to do with the rest of my life – got it. It was a pretty profound moment, especially for a skeptical, non-religous person like me. I was like, “OK! Well that does it. I’m in!” And the other amazing thing is that I keep having these moments as I continue and deepen my practice of reading and contemplation, it wasn’t just that one time.
So that’s it. No yoga, no magical trip to India that transformed me, no pressure from a husband or family.
Some people don’t believe me, somehow they think it can’t be done. Those people are usually Americans who don’t speak any other languages. To me, the language barrier is not that big a deal, and it’s kind of an American entitlement thing to presume you can’t learn using anything but English unless you are a foreigner or some kind of genius. Ok, maybe you can learn Spanish but that’s about it. But I just think it’s not that most Americans can’t learn, it’s simply that they don’t want to. I bet if I gave a $100 million reward for anyone who reads the Sikh holy book, it would be a NY Times best seller, even if it was written in Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics. The way I see it, the Sikh Gurus didn’t give out a cash prize with the book, the gave away the meaning of life. For me, that’s kind of worth learning the 35 Gurmukhi letters used to write it. Worth having a go at least. But that’s just my experience.
So, all this to say, I’m Sikh because following the teaching the Gurus handed down is helping me to be a better person, it brings meaning to my life. Through studying it, I’ve become a believer, so credit where credit is due. Waheguru!
Aristotle Ji suggested I post about my journey and I'm happy to share, I believe this is the right forum for it...
This is the description I wrote recently on the website for my comic (Super Sikh), and I think it is a good starting point for discussion and I can answer questions if it is still reading by the time they reach the end.
I never intended to become Sikh. Furthest thing from my mind. It just happened because of the research I did while writing this story, looking into Sikh ideas so that it would be accurate. But I found that even after I finished the story over a year ago, my interest didn’t fade. I couldn’t stop learning and doing research – questions followed by answers, followed by more questions. Never having been a very religious person, I thought maybe I had adopted some kind of religious hobby or something. I thought it would just pass.
But then I realized that not only was it becoming something present in my mind all the time, I was finding myself looking at my own life through the lens of what I was learning from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh scripture). In fact, I remember distinctly the moment I came to the idea that I must be Sikh.
I had just learned how to read the Gurmukhi script well enough to read bits of the scripture for myself without the English translations and I was stuck on the concept of ethical living that was presented in the text. So I sat there studying, surrounded by my dictionaries and notebooks, refusing to give up, just contemplating quietly and trying to figure out what the words meant. And then I got it. But I didn’t just get the literal translation, I mean, I REALLY GOT IT. Questions I had struggled with since I was a kid – got it. The reason I came close to failing out of college one year – got it. What I need to do with the rest of my life – got it. It was a pretty profound moment, especially for a skeptical, non-religous person like me. I was like, “OK! Well that does it. I’m in!” And the other amazing thing is that I keep having these moments as I continue and deepen my practice of reading and contemplation, it wasn’t just that one time.
So that’s it. No yoga, no magical trip to India that transformed me, no pressure from a husband or family.
Some people don’t believe me, somehow they think it can’t be done. Those people are usually Americans who don’t speak any other languages. To me, the language barrier is not that big a deal, and it’s kind of an American entitlement thing to presume you can’t learn using anything but English unless you are a foreigner or some kind of genius. Ok, maybe you can learn Spanish but that’s about it. But I just think it’s not that most Americans can’t learn, it’s simply that they don’t want to. I bet if I gave a $100 million reward for anyone who reads the Sikh holy book, it would be a NY Times best seller, even if it was written in Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics. The way I see it, the Sikh Gurus didn’t give out a cash prize with the book, the gave away the meaning of life. For me, that’s kind of worth learning the 35 Gurmukhi letters used to write it. Worth having a go at least. But that’s just my experience.
So, all this to say, I’m Sikh because following the teaching the Gurus handed down is helping me to be a better person, it brings meaning to my life. Through studying it, I’ve become a believer, so credit where credit is due. Waheguru!