The Sikhs and their Way of Seeing Ultimate Reality and Meaning

Abstract

The Sikh religion, which arose in the sixteenth century in the Punjab in northern India, although influenced by both Hinduism & Islam, differs from both; it must be understood not only in terms of Hinduism & Islam, but also Bhakti Hinduism, a movement which arose in southern India & spread to northern India in the fifteenth & early sixteenth centuries, & Islamic Sufis, Orthodox Muslims who were monotheistic & induced states of divine ecstasy through singing & dancing. Important points of the faith are: (1) strict monotheism, (2) the indefinability of God, (3) the necessity of a Guru, (4) detachment while living in the world, (5) a casteless society, (6) discipline according to one's own temperament, & (7) the ability of the human will to overcome fate & predestination. The center of Sikh belief is faith in the ten Gurus & in the Bible, the Granth Sahib. As in the religion of Islam, there is a belief in one God, a belief which can be ultimately traced to Judaism. Sikhs do not believe in conversion; although they believe in reincarnation, either as a human or another form of life, ultimate salvation consists in escape from the infinite cycle of reincarnations, a merging with the universe. E. Hicks (Copyright 1980, Sociological Abstracts, Inc., all rights reserved.)