We Are All Converts To Sikhi

[Inderjeet Kaur]

In a sense, we are all converts to Sikhi.

No one is born a Sikh.

According to the Sikh Rehat Maryada (SRM)

Any human being who faithfully believes in
(i) One Immortal Being,
(ii) Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh,
(iii) The Guru Granth Sahib,
(iv) The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and
(v) the baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru, and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh. [1]

I think this definition, an adaptation from Wikipedia is easier to understand.


a Sikh is defined as any person, male or female, who faithfully:

• believes in the existence of One Eternal God
• follows the teachings of, and accepts as their only Spiritual guides, the Guru Granth Sahib and the ten human Gurus
• believes in the baptism (Amrit Sanchar), as promoted by the tenth Guru
• does not owe allegiance to any other religion. [2]

No one is born with all this knowledge. We all have to learn it.

Being born into a Sikh family certainly has many advantages. Being born into a Gursikh family bestows many more benefits. However, that makes no one a Sikh. Being a Sikh is a voluntary action of the individual, not something inherited or forced by one's family. In fact, I personally know people in the Sikh community who do not know or care about the teachings of the Gurus. Can they rightfully be called Sikhs just because their family are?

No one is born a Sikh. We all become Sikh or we don't. And that is that.

[1]Sikhism Religion of the Sikh People
[2]Sikh Rehat Maryada - Wikipedia

 

[sukhsingh]

In a sense, we are all converts to Sikhi.

No one is born a Sikh.

According to the Sikh Rehat Maryada (SRM)

Any human being who faithfully believes in
(i) One Immortal Being,
(ii) Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh,
(iii) The Guru Granth Sahib,
(iv) The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and
(v) the baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru, and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh. [1]

I think this definition, an adaptation from Wikipedia is easier to understand.


a Sikh is defined as any person, male or female, who faithfully:

• believes in the existence of One Eternal God
• follows the teachings of, and accepts as their only Spiritual guides, the Guru Granth Sahib and the ten human Gurus
• believes in the baptism (Amrit Sanchar), as promoted by the tenth Guru
• does not owe allegiance to any other religion. [2]

No one is born with all this knowledge. We all have to learn it.

Being born into a Sikh family certainly has many advantages. Being born into a Gursikh family bestows many more benefits. However, that makes no one a Sikh. Being a Sikh is a voluntary action of the individual, not something inherited or forced by one's family. In fact, I personally know people in the Sikh community who do not know or care about the teachings of the Gurus. Can they rightfully be called Sikhs just because their family are?

No one is born a Sikh. We all become Sikh or we don't. And that is that. Because both of those definitions would mean that the first 9 guru's and all of the bhagats by such a definition were not Sikh.. it is such a overly simplistic definition that it is almost disrespectful

[1]Sikhism Religion of the Sikh People
[2]Sikh Rehat Maryada - Wikipedia

I disagree with that totally. Because both of those definitions would mean that the first 9 guru's and all of the bhagats by such a definition were not Sikh.. it is such a overly simplistic definition that it is almost disrespectful.

 

[Inderjeet Kaur]

I disagree with that totally. Because both of those definitions would mean that the first 9 guru's and all of the bhagats by such a definition were not Sikh.. it is such a overly simplistic definition that it is almost disrespectful.

I don't like it either, but we're stuck with it until the SRM has a much-needed revision. According to that definition, all one needs to do to be a Sikh is to believe a few things and be a human being. (It does, at least, exclude my parrot.) There is a lot more to it than that, of course. It just seemed a starting point for making my point that no one is born a Sikh. We become Sikhs acting on our beliefs and of our individual volition.

 

[RicktheSikh]

I'm new to Sikhi but I already feel like when you practice this religion earnestly it's more about what you do than what you believe. And you don't have to believe it when you can feel it. We're asking to touch the Divine and eventually merge ourselves with it. If you're doing simran and reaching out for that with true intention and humility you don't have to worry about labels. It's one to One with Vaheguru.

 

[Sikhilove]

In a sense, we are all converts to Sikhi.

No one is born a Sikh.

According to the Sikh Rehat Maryada (SRM)

Any human being who faithfully believes in
(i) One Immortal Being,
(ii) Ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh,
(iii) The Guru Granth Sahib,
(iv) The utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and
(v) the baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru, and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh. [1]

I think this definition, an adaptation from Wikipedia is easier to understand.


a Sikh is defined as any person, male or female, who faithfully:

• believes in the existence of One Eternal God
• follows the teachings of, and accepts as their only Spiritual guides, the Guru Granth Sahib and the ten human Gurus
• believes in the baptism (Amrit Sanchar), as promoted by the tenth Guru
• does not owe allegiance to any other religion. [2]

No one is born with all this knowledge. We all have to learn it.

Being born into a Sikh family certainly has many advantages. Being born into a Gursikh family bestows many more benefits. However, that makes no one a Sikh. Being a Sikh is a voluntary action of the individual, not something inherited or forced by one's family. In fact, I personally know people in the Sikh community who do not know or care about the teachings of the Gurus. Can they rightfully be called Sikhs just because their family are?

No one is born a Sikh. We all become Sikh or we don't. And that is that.

[1]Sikhism Religion of the Sikh People
[2]Sikh Rehat Maryada - Wikipedia

Everyones a Sikh, we just have to remember it and practice the Truth of who we really are.

Rehat Maryada is human made, I wouldnt really trust it 100%