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Will Sikhism Last Forever?

Aug 28, 2010
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Re: Will Sikhism Last Forever ?

Can you recall hearing any stories of Waheguru in action? Which two of His avtaars are revered the most in Guru Granth Sahib? How about the story of the prostitute and the parrot?

These questions are part of Sikh mythology and form the basis for Sikh theology, ethics, practices, etc.

Bhagat Singh Ji,
There is nothing as Sikh Mythology.Whatever is stated is real and true.
That is why tehere are different references of different periods related
to the grace of Hari in particular circumstances.

Mythology is made of complete story with different links and most of the incidences are presunmptions and conclusions accordingly.

Prakash.s.Bagga
 
Feb 28, 2010
53
73
Dear All,

I have an opinion. I think Sikhs perception to outside world is someone who wears turban and have beared. Thats where it stops, no one knows about 5 K's or anything. But I don't wear 5 k's but love Sikhi so much but for some reason I don't wear them. Does this makes me less of a Sikh? Please answer.

I don't want to hurt anyone but when we say "Sab Sikhan Ko Hukum Hai, Guru Manyo Granth", what does this mean? Guru Granth sahib don't talk about 5 K's, they focus on things far more important then what you are wearing and how you look. Is it something that we as a community needs to sit down and re acess? During the time of Guru Gobind, we all know what was happening and why we needed te Khalsa form but question is that if we need it today. May be thats y Guru Gobind said,"Guru Manyo Granth"?

Please advice....
 

Ashoke

SPNer
May 22, 2011
8
15
The only reason why Sikhs are going astray from sikhism in this modern world is not because there is anything wrong with Sikh faith and belief but rather our outward appearance which at times is extremely difficult to maintain. One may say that tree are faiths which also have different and difficult tenets ie Islam. but they are in the billions and we are in the minority which falls prey to the majority.
I am proud Sikh, have always worn a turban and a firm believer and proud of our Gurus teachings and extremely proud of our heritage and history.
BUT I would agree that Sikhism in it's present form is a dying religion unless we change with the times. in fact as I see it we are slowly but surely changing without any intervention or directives from our central controlling bodies ie SGPC.
Our biggest hinderance no matter what one may say has been our unshorn hair which Is the reason why many of youngsters shy away from Sikhism.
As already seen most Gurudwaras these days are full of 'mona sikhs'.
The sooner we change and give full status of Sikhism to such people , the stronger we are making Sikhism. Christianity to survive has changed to fit in with current times so should we. To survive we must also change.
 

techsingh

SPNer
Jul 14, 2012
107
69
Midwest, USA
:angryadminsingh:
The only reason why Sikhs are going astray from sikhism in this modern world is not because there is anything wrong with Sikh faith and belief but rather our outward appearance which at times is extremely difficult to maintain. One may say that tree are faiths which also have different and difficult tenets ie Islam. but they are in the billions and we are in the minority which falls prey to the majority.
I am proud Sikh, have always worn a turban and a firm believer and proud of our Gurus teachings and extremely proud of our heritage and history.
BUT I would agree that Sikhism in it's present form is a dying religion unless we change with the times. in fact as I see it we are slowly but surely changing without any intervention or directives from our central controlling bodies ie SGPC.
Our biggest hinderance no matter what one may say has been our unshorn hair which Is the reason why many of youngsters shy away from Sikhism.
As already seen most Gurudwaras these days are full of 'mona sikhs'.
The sooner we change and give full status of Sikhism to such people , the stronger we are making Sikhism. Christianity to survive has changed to fit in with current times so should we. To survive we must also change.



Why do you want to follow the majority like a sheep? Anyone that comes to guru ji diwaan has my full respect.
 
Aug 28, 2010
1,514
1,116
72
The only reason why Sikhs are going astray from sikhism in this modern world is not because there is anything wrong with Sikh faith and belief but rather our outward appearance which at times is extremely difficult to maintain. One may say that tree are faiths which also have different and difficult tenets ie Islam. but they are in the billions and we are in the minority which falls prey to the majority.
I am proud Sikh, have always worn a turban and a firm believer and proud of our Gurus teachings and extremely proud of our heritage and history.
BUT I would agree that Sikhism in it's present form is a dying religion unless we change with the times. in fact as I see it we are slowly but surely changing without any intervention or directives from our central controlling bodies ie SGPC.
Our biggest hinderance no matter what one may say has been our unshorn hair which Is the reason why many of youngsters shy away from Sikhism.
As already seen most Gurudwaras these days are full of 'mona sikhs'.
The sooner we change and give full status of Sikhism to such people , the stronger we are making Sikhism. Christianity to survive has changed to fit in with current times so should we. To survive we must also change.
.

ASHOKE Ji,

You seem to be very disappointed from the identity of Sikhs .You must appreciate the fact that Hairs are the PRIME identity for being a Sikh.
This aspect of identity should not be a matter compromise in any case.
There is need for understanding for this identity.
For some it does not matter whether one keeps hairs or not for being refered as Sikh.But this matters a lot for being a Sikh.

Prakash.S.Bagga
 

kds1980

SPNer
Apr 3, 2005
4,502
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INDIA
.

ASHOKE Ji,

You seem to be very disappointed from the identity of Sikhs .You must appreciate the fact that Hairs are the PRIME identity for being a Sikh.
This aspect of identity should not be a matter compromise in any case.
There is need for understanding for this identity.
For some it does not matter whether one keeps hairs or not for being refered as Sikh.But this matters a lot for being a Sikh.

Prakash.S.Bagga

How many young sikhs keep the identity because they understand ? The truth is majority just keep it because of parents and sikh society .That is why we have seen rural sikhs discarded identity in much bigger number because parents and society stopped the pressure. On the other hand urban sikhs still wear turban in much larger number because their society hasn't accepted cut hair.
 
Feb 28, 2010
53
73
.

ASHOKE Ji,

You seem to be very disappointed from the identity of Sikhs .You must appreciate the fact that Hairs are the PRIME identity for being a Sikh.
This aspect of identity should not be a matter compromise in any case.
There is need for understanding for this identity.
For some it does not matter whether one keeps hairs or not for being refered as Sikh.But this matters a lot for being a Sikh.

Prakash.S.Bagga

Dear Bagga Ji,

I understand that hair is very important in Sikhism and we wear turban.. But should we make it mandatory for all? Should we make 5 Ks mandatory for all ? Sure no other guru or bhagat wore them .. We still learn from their teachings .. Do they stop being a sikh then? What I am saying is that 5K should not be a guide to sikhi.. I would rather leave it to the choice of individual to decide if they want it or not and focus more on gurmat knowledge which is severely lacking in sikhs ...and more dangerous to the extinction of Sikhs then outward appearance ..

Beared is important in Islam.. Ppl should wear decent clothes in Christianity .. a pandit should have a ponytail .. But all have changed with time . once a person understand gurmat he will understand the importance of hair and may be will commit him or herself to sikhi .. SGPC is only concerned with money and not sikhi then why should we follow their code if conduct ?
 

Kanwaljit.Singh

Writer
SPNer
Jan 29, 2011
1,501
2,172
Vancouver, Canada
I understand that hair is very important in Sikhism and we wear turban.. But should we make it mandatory for all? Should we make 5 Ks mandatory for all ? Sure no other guru or bhagat wore them .. We still learn from their teachings .. Do they stop being a sikh then? What I am saying is that 5K should not be a guide to sikhi.. I would rather leave it to the choice of individual to decide if they want it or not and focus more on gurmat knowledge which is severely lacking in sikhs ...and more dangerous to the extinction of Sikhs then outward appearance ..

Is hair in Sikhi just an identity? Or acceptance of Divine will?

Didn't Guru Hargobind Sahib keep Miri Piri? Aren't you aware of how Mughals spying on Guru Tegh Bahadur receded into forests on seeing Him practice sword fighting alone?

Whether with 5k or Gurmat knowledge, Sikhs lack meaning and implementation. Any anything we make optional, will soon get extinct, even common sense :D
 
Feb 28, 2010
53
73
Is hair in Sikhi just an identity? Or acceptance of Divine will?

Didn't Guru Hargobind Sahib keep Miri Piri? Aren't you aware of how Mughals spying on Guru Tegh Bahadur receded into forests on seeing Him practice sword fighting alone?

Whether with 5k or Gurmat knowledge, Sikhs lack meaning and implementation. Any anything we make optional, will soon get extinct, even common sense :D

Kanwaljit Ji...
Again you are not getting my point .. I am saying the importance is way too much on appearance and with this sikhi will not survive long ..spreading knowledge of gurmat is important in Sikhs and non sikhs to tell them the real meaning and importance if hair .. As an outsider , the mere thought of having to wear 5 Ks on converting to Sikhism is a big challenge .. Not saying these should be abolished but rather left to the choice of individual .. And same status should be given to someone with 5 Ks and someone who don't wear them.. We will all agree that amritdharis look down on Sikhs without 5 Ks .. Isn't it a discrimination in itself ?

Also again strongly believe that there is a reason that guru gobind said guru manyo Granth .. That Guru Granth Sahib is the eternal guru.. And teaching should come from there
 
Feb 23, 2012
391
642
United Kingdom
"...Through all nature I was immersed in God. There is a communion with God, and a communion with earth, and a communion with God through earth...We are all of us together carried in the one world-womb...For me, my God, all joy and all achievement, the very purpose of my being and all my love of life, all depend on this one basic vision of the union between yourself and the universe. Let others, fulfilling a function more august than mine, proclaim your splendours as pure Spirit; as for me, dominated as I am by a vocation which springs from the inmost fibres of my being, I have no desire, I have no ability, to proclaim anything except the innumerable prolongations of your incarnate Being in the world of matter; I can preach only the mystery of your flesh, you the Soul shining forth though all that surrounds us...You the Centre at which all things meet and which stretches out over all things so as to draw them back into itself: I love you for the extensions of your body and so to the farthest corners of creation through grace through life, and through matter. Thus all the lines converge, complete one another, interlock. All things are now but one...Lord, it is you who, through the imperceptible goadings of sense-beauty, penetrated my heart in order to make its life flow out into yourself. You came down into me by means of a tiny scrap of created reality; and then, suddenly, you unfurled your immensity before my eyes and displayed yourself to me as Universal Being. So the basic mystical intuition issues in the discovery of a supra-real unity diffused throughout the immensity of the world..."

-Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881 – 1955), French Catholic mystic & Jesuit priest


So long as there exists in the mind of human beings, a "communion with God" through creation, is that not Sikhi at its heart, at its root, at its core?

Therefore, I do not think that either the outward form of Sikhi or the inner will pass away, they will both last but the essence which is consonance with creation certainly will never end. It is innate within human nature because a communion with divinity through creation has been practised by mankind since the very beginning. Every primal culture and society, beginning with the artwork of cavemen, testifies to a union with a higher reality - whether conceived as Mother Nature herself, the "gods", "God" or a force - through the natural world. My understanding is that Sikhi pinpoints, or rather seizes upon, this perrenial truth which can never fade away because it is truly eternal, since creation rests in Creator, is one with Creator, the Creator is within all things, is everywhere.
 
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Luckysingh

Writer
SPNer
Dec 3, 2011
1,634
2,758
Vancouver
The title is 'Will sikhism last forever?'

At the rate and extent that we have female foeticide and sex selection in punjabi communities, we shall not have mothers to produce new sikhs!!

In some areas of Punjab, the ratios of girls to boys are close to 6.8/10.
Sadly, here in BC, where we have a large indo-canadian community, sex selection clinics are freely advertised in punjabi media.
Infact, there is even competition because some clinics across the US border in Washington can beat the prices and queue!!
It just seems so damned normal and OK for some families and couples, that they don't bat an eyelid and make it known that a female foetus is not wanted.

There is no anti-sex selection movement here as far as I know, but somone needs to do something.

Personally, I can't believe that the girl to boy ratio in BC is about 8.9/10, as I think it is lower than that. You only have to look around and see the kids in elementary schools to get an idea.

What is also shocking and quite sad is that apparently there is some kind of herbal medicine available in India that ensures a male foetus. I cannot understand or believe how this could possibly work, but it is succesful from what I hear.
Some members may know what this is and if it does work.

Interestingly, this has been used by many indo-canadians within the last 8-10 years.
What I have also found in BC is that the number of little boys under age 10 that are suffering from various disorders since birth is very high when compared to the non- indian populations!!
Does anyone have any explanations for this ?
Because all I can ssume is that the parents of these little boys were users of this so called herbal med, and now there are the health consequences!!
 
Aug 28, 2010
1,514
1,116
72
Dear Bagga Ji,

I understand that hair is very important in Sikhism and we wear turban.. But should we make it mandatory for all? Should we make 5 Ks mandatory for all ? Sure no other guru or bhagat wore them .. We still learn from their teachings .. Do they stop being a sikh then? What I am saying is that 5K should not be a guide to sikhi.. I would rather leave it to the choice of individual to decide if they want it or not and focus more on gurmat knowledge which is severely lacking in sikhs ...and more dangerous to the extinction of Sikhs then outward appearance ..

Beared is important in Islam.. Ppl should wear decent clothes in Christianity .. a pandit should have a ponytail .. But all have changed with time . once a person understand gurmat he will understand the importance of hair and may be will commit him or herself to sikhi .. SGPC is only concerned with money and not sikhi then why should we follow their code if conduct ?

My understanding is that every person is a Sikh who is contemplating the
THE WORD OF GUR or who thinks and lives with the concept of NIRANKAAR GuRu/Prabhu.

It is for such Sikhs to understand the significance of identity as SINGH or POTENTIAL SINGHS.

I am of the view that initial Sikhs may adopt a mininmum requirement of identity and that is with maintaining KESH/BEARD only.

5 Ks are mandatory for being refered as Khalsaa.

Such identity is the need of the present times in context of prevailing
politial situation for Sikhs.

Prakash.s.Bagga
 

Ashoke

SPNer
May 22, 2011
8
15
What is it that is important in any religion? Is it the total belief and submission to a particular religion? Or is it the outward identity which identifies that you belong to a particular group sect , religion or group? Or is it both? Can you be one without the other the other?

There is no doubt our numbers as true Sikhs with flowing hair and turban are decreasing yet our numbers as Sikhs without hair and trimmed beards are increasing.

There are not many Sikh families who can claim that all the offspring are true Sikhs with all the symbols especially in the western world and for that matter even in our own homeland Punjab.
Yet all these clean shaven or partly shaven Sikhs claim to be Sikhs and followers of Sikhism.
Does this not by itself indicate that the we most reform with times and keep all our youngsters within our fold and accept them with open arms and not look down upon them.

We must not let our numbers decline to the contrary we must encourage even others to become Sikhs. Keeping the symbols of Sikhism is one reason why others donot want to join Sikhism even if they believe in our teachings and philosophy. It is clear from our clean shaven Sikhs that they want to maintain their sikhi. Therefore we must reform our great religion to fit in with the modern times. We can have both types of Sikhs in our fold.

I have seen only one or two Sikh converting to another religion and have yet to come across a Sikh to another religion in large numbers. The first concerns a giani who although very good in oratory showed disrespect to Siri Guru Granth Sahib JI by carrying it in taxis - good riddance to him. The other becoming a Muslim because of a girl, clearly a weakling in principles and lacking in personality.

I have also seen several converting to Sikhism.

But that is not the point that I am trying to make that one religion is better than others. We are born into religion, any religion and we should spend all our life time understanding it before giving it a second thought.

Sikhi will survive but in a slightly different form. But there will be few true Khalsas.
 

kds1980

SPNer
Apr 3, 2005
4,502
2,743
43
INDIA
^ Ashoke ji I agree with you what you said , but the problem is attitude of many orthodox sikhs who will prefer that Sikhism will come to an end rather than accepting clean shaven as sikhs.there are many punjabi hindu's today whose ancestors were sikhs or close to sikhism .Because of imposition of 5ks those people drifted completely towards hinduism .This will happen to many more who will drift toward Hinduism because they don't want to wear 5ks
 

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