Wearing Guru Jacket Sikhism Is a Religion

Wearing Guru Jacket

Sikhism is a religion that was formed by Guru Nanak who was born in 1469 in a village in Pakistan. The teaching of this founder Guru and the successive ten Gurus are the basis for the faith in this religion. The tenth Guru is actually a holy (sacred) book called the Guru Granth Sahib. A unique feature of Sikhism is the fact that they do not have a definitive God but they believe their God to be shapeless, timeless and sightless, which means there a possibility they would interpret even the universe to be God. Sometimes this religion is misunderstood to the extent of being taken as branch of other religions that are well established because they have been around for a longer time. However, looking deeply into its doctrines the differences and similarities that can be seen in all the other religions are evident.

Discussion 1: Wearing the Guru Jacket

a) Code of conduct

In the Guru Granth Sahib Sikhs- apart from being the holy book, it is the "living guru"- find the instructions on how to live their live in order to attain salvation. In this holy book there are the four 'codes of conduct' that were given by Guru Granth Sahib who was the ninth and last human Guru. They are all forbidden rules that a Sikh must never do; they are termed the four deadly sins (Singh, 1976).

After going through the code of conduct, am left surprised by the first code of conduct-Mesh- which prohibits the cutting of hair from birth to death. To Sikh's hair is a gift from God, making it very special. Hair, to the Sikh's, acts as a form of protection to the brain and nourishes both the body and the brain by acting as a source.

How something that is made of dead cells would be so highly regarded to even fall into a section named 'the deadly sins' in a religion that seems to be so full of freedom and one-minded. Being a younger religion I would expect that the little bit of science mastered during the 1500s was sufficient to understand the basic anatomy of the human body and how the level of intelligence or wisdom was acquired. The fact that the Guru who introduced these instructions deemed cutting hair to be such a big deal to the extent of being placed in the same breathe as committing adultery or using intoxicants id baffling to me.

b) The 5k's of Sikhism

During a special type of baptism called the Amrit Ceremony Sikhs adopt five symbols which are commonly known as the 5k's. In addition to being a way of identity, they are also endowed with a spiritual meaning and therefore, act as a powerful symbol of faith the Sikh has. The 5k's include: Kesh (uncut hair), Kangha (wooden comb), Kachera (cotton undershorts), Kara (steel bracelet) and Kirpan (sword) (Singh, 1976).

The meaning of Kachera really caught my eye because it is a dressing that covers the private parts and is meant to remind the Sikh's of their commitment to moral purity. Through this symbol of faith, Sikh's are always reminded of the message to treat the opposite sex as they would the members of their family.

It is an idea if applied to everyone during these modern times it would probably reduce the cases of sexual immorality. Attire so near the private part necessary to be taken off for sexual intercourse and having a meaning must cause some guilt when in the act. I think it can act even better than the ring does when it comes to extra marital affairs since it is worn by both men and women.

On a different point-of-view, if I ever got the chance to meet Guru Gobind Singh one question

I would ask him is why he saw it fit for him to be the last human Guru. I do not understand the reason behind his decision since the founder of the religion had not put a cap on the number of Gurus.

Discussion 2: Religion Comparisons

a. Sikhism and Christianity

Sikh's and Christians both baptize the new recruits into their respective religion as a sign of inducting one into their faith. This usually happens in a holy building; Gurudwara for Sikhs and the church for Christians. Although the amount used is different between the two religions, holy water is used during the ceremonies on the ones being baptized.

The main difference between the two religions comes when one compares the nature and identity of each of the God they believe in. Sikh's pray to single God who is considered shapeless, timeless and sightless while Christians believe in three in one God made up of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spiri (Juss, 2010)t.

b. Sikhism and Hinduism

Both religions believe on the equality of both sexes' with women given the same amount of authority when it comes to making decisions on a personal or communal setting. Sikhs can be of either gender and the kachara is also worn by both men and women while Hindus give the wife the power to make the decision when it comes to intimate issues.

The religions are different on the basis of caste in that Hindus believe that a person's actions in a previous life will affect the current life-karma. However, Sikhism believes that one's previous lives karma doesn't matter only his current deeds determine ones status (Juss, 2010).