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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. 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.
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.
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…
References
Juss, S.S. (2010). The Secular Tradition In Sikhism . Rutgers Journal Of Law & Religion, 271-349.
Singh, G. (1976). The Religion of the Sikhs. Delhi: Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.
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