Sikh di Definition

A short definition of a Sikh is somebody who follows the teachings of Sikh Gurus, as found in the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh scripture).

One God (One Creator/Creation, One Being, One Reality):

There is only One God, there is no Sikh God, Christian God or Muslim God, there is only One God. God is the Creator, the Nurturer, the Destroyer, all the qualities of the various Hindu gods are united in the One.

Humanity is One

All humans, regardless of their gender, caste, ethnicity, faith, nationality are members of the same human race. Guru (Sikh scripture) says that all can find the way to God, Guru only recognises the high caste of being near God and the low caste of being away from God.

Simran
Meditation, which means think about God, keep God in your mind. You can do simran by calling God’s Name (Vahiguru/waheguru), or by reading, singing the hymns from Guru Granth Sahib. All this should lead to a state where God is always with you (whether you are sitting or standing, awake or sleeping), a state where you see Her/His presence in all and everything. This state leads to the next heading :

Seva

Seva means selfless service. A lot of Sikhs do voluntary service in the Gurdwara, like cooking or serving the free food supplied there, or keeping the Gurdwara clean. In big Gurdwaras the reading and singing from Guru Granth Sahib is mostly done by ‘professionals’ but in smaller ones the sangat (congregation) performs part of or all of this seva.

We should also do seva outside the Gurdwara, help your elderly neighbour or the single parent family, the homeless, or people outside the UK who are victims of famines, natural disasters, wars etc. I came across a good example of Sikh seva at a Gurdwara in Himachal Pradesh, where a local Hindu man who had lost his arm in an accident was employed as watchman. Instead of giving him a handout, they enabled him to make an honest living.

Honest Work

Guru Granth Sahib teaches that we should not be so-called ‘holy beggars’. We are to live in society and make a living by doing honest work. A Sikh in business is fine, but it should be honest business, giving the customers a good deal, and the Sikh businessman should share any surplus monies with those that are in need, which brings us back to seva.

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