and lonesoldier
no they dont ,sikh is totally different from muslim..sikh regiments fought with great distinction during ww2
umm....I said ignorant people. The typical ignorant person is unaware of the valiant efforts of those Sikh regiments. We are a proud people, and our religion is one of love and peace and at its core is rooted in true equality at a very deep level and humanitarianism. But we are brown and wear turbans so the ignorant people assume we belong to a minority group of a completely different religion.
Also, there are many caucasian Sikhs as well and the numbers continue to increase. So saying we are all "brown" is actually incorrect. I should mention that we do not preach and "recruit", so I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression. But we feel a great sense of love for our religion so extoll its virtues when asked about it. When I say "we" I mean those that actually practice the religion and are not simply born into it. There are many who misrepresent us.
Some quick info:
Sikh Beliefs
It is worth mentioning that many times people read things like:
After a person dies, his soul is born again in another body, human or animal
One's next life depends on his deeds in the past life
The human life is supreme and it is through this life that we can achieve oneness with God
Finding God takes us out of this life cycle
And get the impression of it being wishy-washy. That is a highly simplified explanation of the beliefs.
To put it differently and hopefully to clarify it, I will offer my own personal interpretation of it:
The word "God" in and of itself means nothing. It is a human concept. The world, universe and all that exists have a quality that is deeply mysterious. We are aware of it and it stirs feelings that many refer to as the "spirit" or "soul" within. To deny that aspect of our existence would be to deny the physical or mental aspects as well. But to think we can wrap our heads around it without great focus is foolish. That focus must come with our actions, our minds, and our souls all focussed with great precision on living in such a way that we bring ourselves to be in tune with that deeply mysterious element. This doesn't happen with hocus-pokus-alamagocus. It happens with opening your eyes and seeing the truth. Sikh literally means "student". We are students of the truth.
That is why a Sikh can find spiritual enlightment from religions outside of Sikhism, as long as those aspects from which that enlightenment comes are rooted in reality and love. I find myself at times understanding some aspect of the "truth" after hearing someone from another religion who has given his religious beliefs great thought and had something to say. That is exactly why freedom of religion is such a great thing. The discourse allows for great growth. We as a species have come this far not because we walled ourselves in, but because we opened those walls and shared with one another. Places that saw the most growth and progress, for example during the Renaissance, were places that had a wide variety of people and concepts.
Nature itself is geared the same way. The moment you restrict the gene pool, the species suffers. Health, wellness, and prosperity come from a vibrant and diverse populace. So, Sikhism is the pursuit of truth. To think you can find the truth walled into your own religion is silly. If we are doing it right, we open our eyes.
Ik Onkar, Satnam. (translated: there is one God, Truth is His name) Not God in the sense of man-in-the-clouds but in terms of the deep mystery and underlying truth in our existence.
That being said, the world and universe is arranged in one very specific manner. Eating healthy and exercising will purify the body. Living right and harbouring only the positive aspects of life in your heart (eg. love, compassion, selflessness, lack of greed, lack of ego, lack of lust, etc etc) will gradually purify the soul. At this point, a routine of meditation that harmonizes your day to day life in tune with that underlying "vibe" and "positive energy" that initially prompted the concept of "soul" in the first place will bring you a deep sense of understanding and contentment.
Now, does this tie in with other religions? Of course it does. The big religions have stuck around because they contain within them truth. The followers have found peace and contentment because they have that truth to warm their souls.
I was very surprised when I had an extremely long conversation with a devout Jewish friend of mine how similar Sikhism and Judaism are in MANY respects.
We live the same life. ALL of us. We happen to be born into different familes, different religions, and different nations. But the existence each of us struggle through is one and the same. Therefore, the truth is one and the same. Satnam. Ik Onkar.
This has been an off-topic post, but when I get started talking about this sort of thing I feel it wrong to leave things half-said.
Cheers.
