2 of my articles on Sikhism at different times, I do welcome friends to study and post your views----
(1) SIKHISM, MY VIEWS
On entering a Gurudwara you remove your shoes, there are shoe-stands, where the sewadaars (people at service) will handover you a token and with great reverence take your shoes, not only take but dust off your shoes, on your coming back give you the same but cleaned ones.
Just look at their faces, great respect, great peace, something heavenly.
Going further, people will be offering some money and then kneeling, bowing before Guru Granth (It is a grand book, considered live Guru), then roaming around the seat of Guru Granth and there after if there is sarover (a square water pool) roaming around that pool too. And then eating Langar (Free Food) provided the Gurudwara offers. Not all but only big Gurudwaras offer Langar..
What I wanna tell, where I am driving you at by describing all this?
I wanna tell you that whatever is happening in Gurudwars, these exercises have lost their significance, they are done just like some rituals. As someone somewhere, Waheguru or God, is registering all of these deeds of the visitors in his visitor book and will give some help in this or that way to these visitors, because of their visits.
What is the purpose of serving at shoe stands? What is the hidden message?
There you will see the richest people attending & cleaning the shoes of the paupers.
There you will see not only Sikhs but people of all walks of life. None is asked, who is who.
Good, but what is the hidden message?
The message is simple. One should have the similar attitude in life too.
Do people have the same attitude what they have while serving at the Gurudwara shoe-stands?
No, they do not have. I will explain hereby before concluding this article.
What is the real motive of keeping the Granth in the Gurudwara and calling it Guru, live Guru? Simple. There are words of Kabir, Farid, Namdev, Ravidas and many people whosoever had said something significant. Calling the Granth, a Guru means only one thing and that is the Granth should be studied, the Granth should be understood, the Granth should be learned. There are numerous things which can be learnt from the Granth. The Granth can teach. The Granth is Guru, a great teacher. There are gems in the Granth, insights, great life values. It should be discussed in day to day language.
But what people are doing in the Gurudwaras? Performing mechanical exercises, as if Waheguru/ God is watching them and putting a Y (yes) mark in his attendance register before their names, just like the class teacher used to do every morning in the school.
What is the purpose of Langar? People, all kinda, irrespective of their gender, financial positions, age, nationality, complexion, all sit on the floor and served equally.
What is the purpose?
Manas ki jat sabe eko pahchanbo. All humans are equal and belong to one race only. Great!
Ek noor te sab jag upjiya. The whole existence came outta one single light, consciousness. Great!
Is this lesson learnt? I doubt. I will tell you why I say so.
Just check any matrimonial site, check the advertisement and especially check the ads given by the Sikh community.What to say of others, even Sikhs have not learnt basic things. You will see so many classifications of Sikhs. Arora, Ramdasia, Ramgarhia, Mazhabi, Jat, Saini & so many.
Just check any Sikh matrimonial website.
One name of Darbaar Saheb of Amritsar is Harmandir Saheb, another is Swarn Mandir (Golden Temple). Note the word "Mandir" in Harmandir Saheb & Swarn Mandir and "Temple" in Golden Temple.
You will often find Sikhs complaining of Sikh massacre in Delhi in 1984 but rarely will you find any Sikh complaining about killings of Hindus in Punjab before 1984.
Where is the message, "Manas kee jaat sabe eko pahchanbo (All humans are equal and belong to one race only)"? Ek Pita ekas ke hum Barik (We are the kids of one father). Where is it?
Where is the message of eating the food in a Gurudwara langar Hall? Is it limited to the Gurudwara only. Out of Gurudwara, out of mind. Where is the message, the holy message?
I will tell you something more horrible. There are NEWS sometimes that low caste Sikhs are not allowed in Gurudwaras or in Langar Halls or to prepare Karah Prashad. Astonished!
Me too.
And there are sometimes NEWS of caste based Gurudwaras, "Bhatra Gurdwara" or "Mazbhi Singhaan da gurdwara" or "Labana Gurudwara" or "Ravidassia Gurudwara". Astonished!
Me too.
And the 61st round Survey of the NSSO found that one-third of the Sikhs in India belonged to the notified scheduled castes or tribes of the Constitution. The Government of India recognises Mazhabi Sikh as a "Scheduled Caste". Astonished! Me too.
Do you know the meaning of Gurudwara? Dwara means a door. It is a door. A door is not a place to sit .One must pass through it. Get some insights, insights of human equality, insight to work, eat and meditate in equal conditions, have a taste of community and communion. And pass all these insights to the day to day life, life out side Gurudwara. Live these insights.
Gurudwara means it is not a destination, it is just a door, a door to get some insights, some values, some understanding and then pass on all these qualities to the life.
But what we see in real life? Just see the life Gurudwara going people. Are not there discriminations of male female, caste and rich and poor?
Have you ever seen any female carrying Guru Granth on her head for bringing at home or for leaving back to Gurudwara? I have not seen. This work is done by the males only.
Punjab is one of the front runner state in dropping female foetus.
Gurudwaras are telling us many things. Irrespective of one's social position people clean other's shoes and it is considered something very respectful. Why not bring something similar to our day to day life? Once I have said, we can limit the powers of money. For example we can force everyone, irrespective of one's financial position, to do cleaning jobs at his/her turn. This work may be given high respect, just as given in the Gurudwaras.I have heard that in some businesses models, employees are to do all kinda jobs, turn by turn. One day an employee is working in the kitchen, another day he is mopping the floor, another day cleaning the toilets, like that.
We have developed a society in which we have given too much power to Money. Not unlimited but too much. For example one cannot buy Kidneys. Let us circumscribe the power of money further. Let us take some lessons from the Gurudwaras. There people are mopping the floors, all kinda people, rich, poor, male female anyone and they are given full respect and love.
Let us drop discriminations of male female. In Gurudwaras male female all work.
Let us do something to decrease financial inequality in the society. Let us circumscribe the purchasing power of money. For example even the richest man should not be allowed to hire someone else to replace himself for his community cleaning duty. Like that.
See, Gurudwara teaches us human equality, give us some taste, some understanding of human equality. Humans are not equal but must be given equal chances of growth. As much as possible.
Today only handful of human population has the whole capital of the world.
This gap be reduced. Arrangements be made, so that people must have equal ground to compete in life. One is standing on finishing line, another is afar to starting line. Inheritance is the reason for this gap. Rich go on leaving their property to their next generations. We can circumscribe this so that if not quite equal but near to equal ground be given to one and all. Or at-least a large population may not go on living in the worry of making the both ends meet.
Basic survival needs of all humans must be fulfilled easily.
What if a group of humans has nothing to eat, not a single loaf of bread? What will happen? Eventually they may start eating each other, Killing. All humanity, all ethics, all morality may vanish. For high values, there must be a base. A base of basic needs fulfilment. Have we prepared such a world? No.
Then why punish the wrongs of the deprived ones?
Gurudwara gives us glimpse of basic needs fulfilment. It gives food, it gives toilets, bathrooms, it gives shelter and it gives respect to one and all. It just teaches us to prepare a society that fulfils basic needs of everyone.
One suggestion, I have given often to reduce the financial gaps in society. Limited inheritance. For example, if someone has become a business tycoon and has accumulated a billion dollars personal property, today the one can leave whole of one's money to anyone any time. Anyone of the one's choice. But we can limit this. We can make rules that after a certain limit the rich be not allowed to leave their money like this. Law of limited inheritance. Up-to one limit their personal property may be given in inheritance but after that the remaining money must go for public causes. Population control, education, health, science development and many more fields.
Why not bring the insights from Gurudwara into our practical day to day life? As I described above.
Gurudwara's Langar concept teaches us a concept of community kitchen. Why not just give it a try? Million of woman (man also) hours will be saved, money will be saved.
Let us understand ਗਗਨ ਮੇਂ ਥਾਲ ਰਵਿ ਚੰਦ ਦੀਪਕ ਬਣੇ ਤਾਰਿਕਾ ਮੰਡਲ ਜਨਕ ਮੋਤੀ !! ਧੂਪ ਮਲ ਆਣਲੋ ਪਵਨ ਚਵਰੋ ਕਰੇ ਸਗਲ ਬਣ ਰਾਇ ਫੂਲੰਤ ਜੋਤੀ !!
The Sky is Your platter,The sun and moon are the ‘Deepaks’ the lamps (lights),The Stars in the sky are the pearls,The ‘Dhoop’ (Incense) is the fragrance,That the wind propels,The whole forest is Your flowers.
O! What a wonderful Aarti, this is!
Let us understand that there is only one cosmic consciousness. The things which are meant inside Gurudwara, are meant for outside Gurudwaras also.
But all this is almost impossible. Why? Because Sikhism too has become an organized religion, like anyone else.
We often see that Muslims don't allow blasphemy.
Have you seen any free discussion on Gurus life or on Gurubani?
People are just all praises. In Gurudwaras, outta Gurudwaras.
This is not free discussion. This is no discussion at all.
The greatest ideas when become dogmas, fail in achieving their purposes.
Same has happened with Sikhism.
Let us do something to save the great efforts of the great Gurus from the clutches of the dogmatic people.
The Granth is not for the Sikhs alone. The Gurus are not for the Sikhs alone.
Let us free the Gurus and the Granth from the boundaries of Sikhism.
Let us discuss all the Gurus, including the Guru Granth in our day to day life.
Let us debate point to point.
Don't ever bother that it is blasphemy. No, it is not. it is the real respect.
Blasphemy is when you bow mechanically without even bothering to understand the real message.
If you really respect, you must try to understand it. The message may suit you or not. Or the Granth may appear right to you at some place and may not at some other place. But you will try to understand.
But when you just pay respect without taking the pain to understand, it is really insulting.
Blasphemy is when you call the Granth a live Guru but do not even attempt to understand the essence. The Granth is live only, if you try to understand it. Paying blind respect turns it dead.
Suppose someone go on praising this article without even studying or studying but mechanically, is this respect? No, it is sheer insult.
But if someone studies and try his/her best to understand and then praises some points and then disagrees upon some points and then point out some factual mistakes, this is the real praise, real respect.
Even if one disagrees at some points, it is not disrespect, it is great respect.
If one is not agreed upon calling The Granth as Guru Granth, it is not disrespect. Even if someone don't prefix Guru in front Gobind Singh or Nanak Dev, it is not disrespect.
Today a Sikh will not accept anyone calling Guru Granth a Book or Guru Gobind as Gobind Singh. No, it is considered blasphemy. The word "Guru" must be prefixed. I totally deny this concept. Let the respect be earned. Let us open all the Guru's lives, their words, their books and Guru Granth to one and all.
If there is something worthwhile people will respect. People will respect how Guru Gobind Singh sacrificed his life, his family fighting against atrocity. People will see how Baba Nanak travelled far and near and what were his messages.People will see what is the meaning of the words of Kabir through Guru Granth.
Why force then to presume that all these are Gurus? Let them decide themselves.
True, many people may disagree at several points. Me too disagree at several points. But that is not disrespect. I consider the Gurus considerable. That is the real respect. So either make them considerable or make them apostles of a dogma, it is up-to the us.
Humanity will be benefited in real manner, by all the 10 Gurus and the last Guru, the Guru Granth if opened for open discussions.
And with this Sikhism will not remain a Sickism like any other "ism". Sikhism will not remain an "ism". All "isms" are sick, all "isms" turn sickisms. All "isms" which cannot take criticism are sick. Sikhism will not remain Sikhism, the structure will fall. The dogma will fall.The structured religion will fall.
The organisation will fall. But the essence will live. Today the dogma is but the essence is gone.
This risk Sikhs seems not gonna take. I have seen Sikh speakers worrying that Sikhs are following other Babas, Deras & other faiths. They are worried that people of their group are going to some other creed.
ਸਿਖ ਆਗੂ ਅਕਸਰ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਚ ਡੇਰਿਆਂ ਦਾ ਵਿਰੋਧ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ.....ਆਖਦੇ ਹਨ ਕਿ ਇਥੇ ਸਿਖੀ ਦੀ ਬੇਅਦਬੀ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਹੈ.......ਅਸਲ ਗੱਲ ਇਹ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਆਪਣੇ ਇੱਜੜ ਚੋਂ ਭੇਡਾਂ ਦੂਜੇ ਦੇ ਇੱਜੜ ਚ ਵੜ ਜਾਣ, ਇਹ ਕਿਹਨੂੰ ਮਨਜ਼ੂਰ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ ?
ਹੁਣ ਤਾਂ ਸਿਖ ਆਗੂ ਵੀ ਸਿਖਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਚਾਰ ਚਾਰ ਬੱਚੇ ਜੰਮਣ ਦੀਆਂ ਅਪੀਲਾਂ ਕਰਣ ਲੱਗੇ ਹਨ .......ਸਾਡੇ ਇਜੜ ਚ ਕਿੱਤੇ ਘਟ ਨਾ ਜਾਣ ਭੇਡਾਂ, ਅਸਲ ਚਿੰਤਾ ਸਿਰਫ ਇਹ ਹੈ.......ਫੇਰ ਭਾਵੇਂ ਭੁਖੇ ਮਰਣ. ਖੁਦਕੁਸ਼ੀ ਕਰਣ ਪਰ ਇੱਕ ਵਾਰੀ ਤਾਂ ਸੰਖਿਆ ਵਧਣੀ ਚਾਹੀਦੀ ਹੈ............ਭੂਖੀ, ਅਨਪੜ੍ਹ, ਗਰੀਬ ਜਨ-ਸੰਖਿਆ.........ਜਿਹਨੂੰ ਆਸਾਨੀ ਨਾਲ ਬੁਧੂ ਬਣਾਇਆ ਜਾ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ......ਜਿਸਦੇ ਸਿਰ ਤੇ ਖੜ ਸੁਖਾਲੀ ਸਵਾਰੀ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾ ਸਕਦੀ ਹੈ........ਇਹ ਹੈ ਅਸਲੀ ਮੰਤਵ ਇਹਨਾ ਆਗ੍ਗੁਆਂ ਦਾ. (Even the Sikh leaders are persuading Sikhs to have 3-4 kids, so that they may have a good number of population. They do not worry, how they will survive, get study, get good food and many more things. They want to have a crowd, un -educated, stupid crowd who can empower them, make them wealthy easily.)
How can they afford, de-structurization of their religion?
But humanity will have to afford. Either Sikhism and all the other religions have to de-strurturize themselves so that their essence may live or they are to remain just a thing of decoration, a thing which is brought to home, then none cares, none even cares to see, the thing loses its value. As people bring Guru Granth to their homes, then only the walls, floors and the ceiling listens to the Gurubani, none even cares to study or understand.
All the religions will have to move from rendering Hukamnamans (Orders), Hidayats (Instructions), commandments to friendly suggestions, if they wanna survive.
Will this happen?
I have a hope.
Copy Right.
Comment humbly invited.
(2) Sikhism, understand my understanding----
If the exact number of Sikh Gurus is asked, the obvious answer is 10 embodied and 11th, The Granth.
But it is a wrong answer. Sikhs were created by Guru Gobind. Before him, there was no concept of Sikh, so it is wrong to say that the 9 Gurus prior to Guru Gobind were Gurus of Sikhs alone, they belonged to one and all in-fact.
There is another mis-conception that Guru Gobind was fighting for Hindus and against the Muslims, no, he was not fighting for any community or against any community, he was fighting for the oppressed and against the oppressor. Be it any one. It was a chance that at that time oppressor was Muslim and oppressed was Hindu. If the case would have been opposite, he must had fought against Hindus and for the Muslim.
There is no test-o-meter to check that whether someone is enlightened or not, neither there is any proof that even enlightenment exists or not, but if it exists, I evaluate that Guru Gobind must have been an enlightened man, because it is difficult for some ordinary being to understand that the one belongs to all and and difficult to sacrifice his father, sons and himself for saving the ones out of the family. Moreover, Guru Gobind cut heads of the opponents in the battlefield, but supported his disciple namely Bhai Kanhaiya who was found giving drinking water to the wounded opponents.The Guru declared that Kanhaiya had understood the truth that in depth there is none bad, none enemy. Very Difficult to understand such things for any ordinary being.
But enlightenment does not mean that one is infallible. Enlightened people too make mistakes and their mistakes prove very dangerous, more than the mistakes of any other being. Lamhon ne khata kee aur sadiyon ne saza payee. Centuries are influenced by the enlightened ones, hence centuries pay the cost of their mistakes. From one generation to another, the wrong concepts go on harming.
His concept of Khalsa seems very great superficially. Khalsa is a saint and warrior both. A warrior alone, who is not a saint, can go awry any time and saint alone, who does not know how to fight can be oppressed anyone easily. Hence the concept of Khalsa, a saint and a warrior both. But the mistake was creation of a cult, attaching Khalsa, with a religious code, telling them that the Granth is their Guru, and it was an order.
Ordering anyone is just reducing the one to a slave, slave of a book.
Agya bhai Akal ki tabhi chalayo Panth.
Sabh Sikhan ko hukam hai Guru manyo Granth.
"आज्ञा भई अकाल की तभी चलायो पंथ"
नहीं, अकाल कभी कोई आज्ञा नहीं देता, कैसी भी नहीं, उसने प्रकृति बनाई, इंसान बनाया और इंसान को सोचने समझने की शक्ति दी, फ्री विल दी
अब अपने भले बुरे के लिए तुम खुद ज़िम्मेदार हो.......अकाल/परमात्मा/ अल्लाह/कुदरत/कायनात यह उसके बाद निरपेक्ष रहती है
सब पंथ चलाने वाले अपनी मर्ज़ी से पंथ चलाते हैं....और इंसानियत को एक अलग टुकड़े में बाँट देते हैं.......नया बंटाधार
सब पंथ मिटने चाहिए यह है अकाल की आज्ञा, अगर है तो
So when they were celebrating "300 saal Guru de naal" (300 hundred years of the creation of Khalsa), I used to smile to myself.
All institutionalized religions are poisons for humanity, be it anyone. Now Sikhs are not Sikhs only, they are Ramgarihias, Bhatde, Bhaape, Lubanae, Kabali, Arora, divided in castes and sub-castes.
They are not one even on the name of Sikhism, what to be one with the existence? How to understand that "Ek Pita ekas ke hum baarik" and how to understand that "ek noor te sabh jag upja, kaun bhale ko mande"?
They can kill the lamb in the Gurudwara in the name of worshiping warfare. If the weapons are so blood thirsty, why not slaughter their own kids, to feed the weapons with human blood? But no, they can go on beheading the innocent lamb in the courtyard of Gurudwara the name of rituals.
They are furious over the crimes against them during 1984 but they are not furious against the crimes committed against Hindus in Punjab in the name of Khalistan.
This is the harm of institutionalized religion, it makes one biased for the whole life. Bars one's vision.
Creation of Khalsa was done with good intentions but was a wrong decision of a seemingly enlightened man, Guru Gobind. And when we understand all this, we understand that even Guru Gobind was not Guru of Sikhs alone, he belongs to one and all.
Blind following, institutionalized following, ritualistic following is lethal.
Even the ones who claim the Granth as Guru, just go on mechanically bowing themselves in front of the Granth,the holy book.Neither they see anything, neither they hear anything, just mechanical recitals. The floor, the walls, the ceilings become holier by listening to the holy words of the Granth. This is not even following. A drama of following, a self deception that they are following.
All futile exercises.
Must be stopped, Granth be freed from the imprisonment of Panth/Cult, be studied freely, be debated. Not even the Granth but even the lives of the Gurus be debated, and this will be the true respect to the Granth and the Gurus also, not the mechanical exercises.Thus the humanity may be benefited a lot, thus the Gurus and the Granth may prove Guru in a real sense to many who learn some life values from them.
And for that a big heart is needed, no Guru, no book is infallible, the cult must be ready to face the criticism with open arms.
For that the cult will have to sacrifice itself. The Guru sacrificed everything and everyone, are the disciples ready to sacrifice the cult for the one and all?
Let us hope for the best.
COPY RIGHT MATTER, STEALING NOT ALLOWED BUT SHARING IS OF-COURSE.
(1) SIKHISM, MY VIEWS
On entering a Gurudwara you remove your shoes, there are shoe-stands, where the sewadaars (people at service) will handover you a token and with great reverence take your shoes, not only take but dust off your shoes, on your coming back give you the same but cleaned ones.
Just look at their faces, great respect, great peace, something heavenly.
Going further, people will be offering some money and then kneeling, bowing before Guru Granth (It is a grand book, considered live Guru), then roaming around the seat of Guru Granth and there after if there is sarover (a square water pool) roaming around that pool too. And then eating Langar (Free Food) provided the Gurudwara offers. Not all but only big Gurudwaras offer Langar..
What I wanna tell, where I am driving you at by describing all this?
I wanna tell you that whatever is happening in Gurudwars, these exercises have lost their significance, they are done just like some rituals. As someone somewhere, Waheguru or God, is registering all of these deeds of the visitors in his visitor book and will give some help in this or that way to these visitors, because of their visits.
What is the purpose of serving at shoe stands? What is the hidden message?
There you will see the richest people attending & cleaning the shoes of the paupers.
There you will see not only Sikhs but people of all walks of life. None is asked, who is who.
Good, but what is the hidden message?
The message is simple. One should have the similar attitude in life too.
Do people have the same attitude what they have while serving at the Gurudwara shoe-stands?
No, they do not have. I will explain hereby before concluding this article.
What is the real motive of keeping the Granth in the Gurudwara and calling it Guru, live Guru? Simple. There are words of Kabir, Farid, Namdev, Ravidas and many people whosoever had said something significant. Calling the Granth, a Guru means only one thing and that is the Granth should be studied, the Granth should be understood, the Granth should be learned. There are numerous things which can be learnt from the Granth. The Granth can teach. The Granth is Guru, a great teacher. There are gems in the Granth, insights, great life values. It should be discussed in day to day language.
But what people are doing in the Gurudwaras? Performing mechanical exercises, as if Waheguru/ God is watching them and putting a Y (yes) mark in his attendance register before their names, just like the class teacher used to do every morning in the school.
What is the purpose of Langar? People, all kinda, irrespective of their gender, financial positions, age, nationality, complexion, all sit on the floor and served equally.
What is the purpose?
Manas ki jat sabe eko pahchanbo. All humans are equal and belong to one race only. Great!
Ek noor te sab jag upjiya. The whole existence came outta one single light, consciousness. Great!
Is this lesson learnt? I doubt. I will tell you why I say so.
Just check any matrimonial site, check the advertisement and especially check the ads given by the Sikh community.What to say of others, even Sikhs have not learnt basic things. You will see so many classifications of Sikhs. Arora, Ramdasia, Ramgarhia, Mazhabi, Jat, Saini & so many.
Just check any Sikh matrimonial website.
One name of Darbaar Saheb of Amritsar is Harmandir Saheb, another is Swarn Mandir (Golden Temple). Note the word "Mandir" in Harmandir Saheb & Swarn Mandir and "Temple" in Golden Temple.
You will often find Sikhs complaining of Sikh massacre in Delhi in 1984 but rarely will you find any Sikh complaining about killings of Hindus in Punjab before 1984.
Where is the message, "Manas kee jaat sabe eko pahchanbo (All humans are equal and belong to one race only)"? Ek Pita ekas ke hum Barik (We are the kids of one father). Where is it?
Where is the message of eating the food in a Gurudwara langar Hall? Is it limited to the Gurudwara only. Out of Gurudwara, out of mind. Where is the message, the holy message?
I will tell you something more horrible. There are NEWS sometimes that low caste Sikhs are not allowed in Gurudwaras or in Langar Halls or to prepare Karah Prashad. Astonished!
Me too.
And there are sometimes NEWS of caste based Gurudwaras, "Bhatra Gurdwara" or "Mazbhi Singhaan da gurdwara" or "Labana Gurudwara" or "Ravidassia Gurudwara". Astonished!
Me too.
And the 61st round Survey of the NSSO found that one-third of the Sikhs in India belonged to the notified scheduled castes or tribes of the Constitution. The Government of India recognises Mazhabi Sikh as a "Scheduled Caste". Astonished! Me too.
Do you know the meaning of Gurudwara? Dwara means a door. It is a door. A door is not a place to sit .One must pass through it. Get some insights, insights of human equality, insight to work, eat and meditate in equal conditions, have a taste of community and communion. And pass all these insights to the day to day life, life out side Gurudwara. Live these insights.
Gurudwara means it is not a destination, it is just a door, a door to get some insights, some values, some understanding and then pass on all these qualities to the life.
But what we see in real life? Just see the life Gurudwara going people. Are not there discriminations of male female, caste and rich and poor?
Have you ever seen any female carrying Guru Granth on her head for bringing at home or for leaving back to Gurudwara? I have not seen. This work is done by the males only.
Punjab is one of the front runner state in dropping female foetus.
Gurudwaras are telling us many things. Irrespective of one's social position people clean other's shoes and it is considered something very respectful. Why not bring something similar to our day to day life? Once I have said, we can limit the powers of money. For example we can force everyone, irrespective of one's financial position, to do cleaning jobs at his/her turn. This work may be given high respect, just as given in the Gurudwaras.I have heard that in some businesses models, employees are to do all kinda jobs, turn by turn. One day an employee is working in the kitchen, another day he is mopping the floor, another day cleaning the toilets, like that.
We have developed a society in which we have given too much power to Money. Not unlimited but too much. For example one cannot buy Kidneys. Let us circumscribe the power of money further. Let us take some lessons from the Gurudwaras. There people are mopping the floors, all kinda people, rich, poor, male female anyone and they are given full respect and love.
Let us drop discriminations of male female. In Gurudwaras male female all work.
Let us do something to decrease financial inequality in the society. Let us circumscribe the purchasing power of money. For example even the richest man should not be allowed to hire someone else to replace himself for his community cleaning duty. Like that.
See, Gurudwara teaches us human equality, give us some taste, some understanding of human equality. Humans are not equal but must be given equal chances of growth. As much as possible.
Today only handful of human population has the whole capital of the world.
This gap be reduced. Arrangements be made, so that people must have equal ground to compete in life. One is standing on finishing line, another is afar to starting line. Inheritance is the reason for this gap. Rich go on leaving their property to their next generations. We can circumscribe this so that if not quite equal but near to equal ground be given to one and all. Or at-least a large population may not go on living in the worry of making the both ends meet.
Basic survival needs of all humans must be fulfilled easily.
What if a group of humans has nothing to eat, not a single loaf of bread? What will happen? Eventually they may start eating each other, Killing. All humanity, all ethics, all morality may vanish. For high values, there must be a base. A base of basic needs fulfilment. Have we prepared such a world? No.
Then why punish the wrongs of the deprived ones?
Gurudwara gives us glimpse of basic needs fulfilment. It gives food, it gives toilets, bathrooms, it gives shelter and it gives respect to one and all. It just teaches us to prepare a society that fulfils basic needs of everyone.
One suggestion, I have given often to reduce the financial gaps in society. Limited inheritance. For example, if someone has become a business tycoon and has accumulated a billion dollars personal property, today the one can leave whole of one's money to anyone any time. Anyone of the one's choice. But we can limit this. We can make rules that after a certain limit the rich be not allowed to leave their money like this. Law of limited inheritance. Up-to one limit their personal property may be given in inheritance but after that the remaining money must go for public causes. Population control, education, health, science development and many more fields.
Why not bring the insights from Gurudwara into our practical day to day life? As I described above.
Gurudwara's Langar concept teaches us a concept of community kitchen. Why not just give it a try? Million of woman (man also) hours will be saved, money will be saved.
Let us understand ਗਗਨ ਮੇਂ ਥਾਲ ਰਵਿ ਚੰਦ ਦੀਪਕ ਬਣੇ ਤਾਰਿਕਾ ਮੰਡਲ ਜਨਕ ਮੋਤੀ !! ਧੂਪ ਮਲ ਆਣਲੋ ਪਵਨ ਚਵਰੋ ਕਰੇ ਸਗਲ ਬਣ ਰਾਇ ਫੂਲੰਤ ਜੋਤੀ !!
The Sky is Your platter,The sun and moon are the ‘Deepaks’ the lamps (lights),The Stars in the sky are the pearls,The ‘Dhoop’ (Incense) is the fragrance,That the wind propels,The whole forest is Your flowers.
O! What a wonderful Aarti, this is!
Let us understand that there is only one cosmic consciousness. The things which are meant inside Gurudwara, are meant for outside Gurudwaras also.
But all this is almost impossible. Why? Because Sikhism too has become an organized religion, like anyone else.
We often see that Muslims don't allow blasphemy.
Have you seen any free discussion on Gurus life or on Gurubani?
People are just all praises. In Gurudwaras, outta Gurudwaras.
This is not free discussion. This is no discussion at all.
The greatest ideas when become dogmas, fail in achieving their purposes.
Same has happened with Sikhism.
Let us do something to save the great efforts of the great Gurus from the clutches of the dogmatic people.
The Granth is not for the Sikhs alone. The Gurus are not for the Sikhs alone.
Let us free the Gurus and the Granth from the boundaries of Sikhism.
Let us discuss all the Gurus, including the Guru Granth in our day to day life.
Let us debate point to point.
Don't ever bother that it is blasphemy. No, it is not. it is the real respect.
Blasphemy is when you bow mechanically without even bothering to understand the real message.
If you really respect, you must try to understand it. The message may suit you or not. Or the Granth may appear right to you at some place and may not at some other place. But you will try to understand.
But when you just pay respect without taking the pain to understand, it is really insulting.
Blasphemy is when you call the Granth a live Guru but do not even attempt to understand the essence. The Granth is live only, if you try to understand it. Paying blind respect turns it dead.
Suppose someone go on praising this article without even studying or studying but mechanically, is this respect? No, it is sheer insult.
But if someone studies and try his/her best to understand and then praises some points and then disagrees upon some points and then point out some factual mistakes, this is the real praise, real respect.
Even if one disagrees at some points, it is not disrespect, it is great respect.
If one is not agreed upon calling The Granth as Guru Granth, it is not disrespect. Even if someone don't prefix Guru in front Gobind Singh or Nanak Dev, it is not disrespect.
Today a Sikh will not accept anyone calling Guru Granth a Book or Guru Gobind as Gobind Singh. No, it is considered blasphemy. The word "Guru" must be prefixed. I totally deny this concept. Let the respect be earned. Let us open all the Guru's lives, their words, their books and Guru Granth to one and all.
If there is something worthwhile people will respect. People will respect how Guru Gobind Singh sacrificed his life, his family fighting against atrocity. People will see how Baba Nanak travelled far and near and what were his messages.People will see what is the meaning of the words of Kabir through Guru Granth.
Why force then to presume that all these are Gurus? Let them decide themselves.
True, many people may disagree at several points. Me too disagree at several points. But that is not disrespect. I consider the Gurus considerable. That is the real respect. So either make them considerable or make them apostles of a dogma, it is up-to the us.
Humanity will be benefited in real manner, by all the 10 Gurus and the last Guru, the Guru Granth if opened for open discussions.
And with this Sikhism will not remain a Sickism like any other "ism". Sikhism will not remain an "ism". All "isms" are sick, all "isms" turn sickisms. All "isms" which cannot take criticism are sick. Sikhism will not remain Sikhism, the structure will fall. The dogma will fall.The structured religion will fall.
The organisation will fall. But the essence will live. Today the dogma is but the essence is gone.
This risk Sikhs seems not gonna take. I have seen Sikh speakers worrying that Sikhs are following other Babas, Deras & other faiths. They are worried that people of their group are going to some other creed.
ਸਿਖ ਆਗੂ ਅਕਸਰ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਚ ਡੇਰਿਆਂ ਦਾ ਵਿਰੋਧ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ.....ਆਖਦੇ ਹਨ ਕਿ ਇਥੇ ਸਿਖੀ ਦੀ ਬੇਅਦਬੀ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਹੈ.......ਅਸਲ ਗੱਲ ਇਹ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਆਪਣੇ ਇੱਜੜ ਚੋਂ ਭੇਡਾਂ ਦੂਜੇ ਦੇ ਇੱਜੜ ਚ ਵੜ ਜਾਣ, ਇਹ ਕਿਹਨੂੰ ਮਨਜ਼ੂਰ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ ?
ਹੁਣ ਤਾਂ ਸਿਖ ਆਗੂ ਵੀ ਸਿਖਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਚਾਰ ਚਾਰ ਬੱਚੇ ਜੰਮਣ ਦੀਆਂ ਅਪੀਲਾਂ ਕਰਣ ਲੱਗੇ ਹਨ .......ਸਾਡੇ ਇਜੜ ਚ ਕਿੱਤੇ ਘਟ ਨਾ ਜਾਣ ਭੇਡਾਂ, ਅਸਲ ਚਿੰਤਾ ਸਿਰਫ ਇਹ ਹੈ.......ਫੇਰ ਭਾਵੇਂ ਭੁਖੇ ਮਰਣ. ਖੁਦਕੁਸ਼ੀ ਕਰਣ ਪਰ ਇੱਕ ਵਾਰੀ ਤਾਂ ਸੰਖਿਆ ਵਧਣੀ ਚਾਹੀਦੀ ਹੈ............ਭੂਖੀ, ਅਨਪੜ੍ਹ, ਗਰੀਬ ਜਨ-ਸੰਖਿਆ.........ਜਿਹਨੂੰ ਆਸਾਨੀ ਨਾਲ ਬੁਧੂ ਬਣਾਇਆ ਜਾ ਸਕਦਾ ਹੈ......ਜਿਸਦੇ ਸਿਰ ਤੇ ਖੜ ਸੁਖਾਲੀ ਸਵਾਰੀ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾ ਸਕਦੀ ਹੈ........ਇਹ ਹੈ ਅਸਲੀ ਮੰਤਵ ਇਹਨਾ ਆਗ੍ਗੁਆਂ ਦਾ. (Even the Sikh leaders are persuading Sikhs to have 3-4 kids, so that they may have a good number of population. They do not worry, how they will survive, get study, get good food and many more things. They want to have a crowd, un -educated, stupid crowd who can empower them, make them wealthy easily.)
How can they afford, de-structurization of their religion?
But humanity will have to afford. Either Sikhism and all the other religions have to de-strurturize themselves so that their essence may live or they are to remain just a thing of decoration, a thing which is brought to home, then none cares, none even cares to see, the thing loses its value. As people bring Guru Granth to their homes, then only the walls, floors and the ceiling listens to the Gurubani, none even cares to study or understand.
All the religions will have to move from rendering Hukamnamans (Orders), Hidayats (Instructions), commandments to friendly suggestions, if they wanna survive.
Will this happen?
I have a hope.
Copy Right.
Comment humbly invited.
(2) Sikhism, understand my understanding----
If the exact number of Sikh Gurus is asked, the obvious answer is 10 embodied and 11th, The Granth.
But it is a wrong answer. Sikhs were created by Guru Gobind. Before him, there was no concept of Sikh, so it is wrong to say that the 9 Gurus prior to Guru Gobind were Gurus of Sikhs alone, they belonged to one and all in-fact.
There is another mis-conception that Guru Gobind was fighting for Hindus and against the Muslims, no, he was not fighting for any community or against any community, he was fighting for the oppressed and against the oppressor. Be it any one. It was a chance that at that time oppressor was Muslim and oppressed was Hindu. If the case would have been opposite, he must had fought against Hindus and for the Muslim.
There is no test-o-meter to check that whether someone is enlightened or not, neither there is any proof that even enlightenment exists or not, but if it exists, I evaluate that Guru Gobind must have been an enlightened man, because it is difficult for some ordinary being to understand that the one belongs to all and and difficult to sacrifice his father, sons and himself for saving the ones out of the family. Moreover, Guru Gobind cut heads of the opponents in the battlefield, but supported his disciple namely Bhai Kanhaiya who was found giving drinking water to the wounded opponents.The Guru declared that Kanhaiya had understood the truth that in depth there is none bad, none enemy. Very Difficult to understand such things for any ordinary being.
But enlightenment does not mean that one is infallible. Enlightened people too make mistakes and their mistakes prove very dangerous, more than the mistakes of any other being. Lamhon ne khata kee aur sadiyon ne saza payee. Centuries are influenced by the enlightened ones, hence centuries pay the cost of their mistakes. From one generation to another, the wrong concepts go on harming.
His concept of Khalsa seems very great superficially. Khalsa is a saint and warrior both. A warrior alone, who is not a saint, can go awry any time and saint alone, who does not know how to fight can be oppressed anyone easily. Hence the concept of Khalsa, a saint and a warrior both. But the mistake was creation of a cult, attaching Khalsa, with a religious code, telling them that the Granth is their Guru, and it was an order.
Ordering anyone is just reducing the one to a slave, slave of a book.
Agya bhai Akal ki tabhi chalayo Panth.
Sabh Sikhan ko hukam hai Guru manyo Granth.
"आज्ञा भई अकाल की तभी चलायो पंथ"
नहीं, अकाल कभी कोई आज्ञा नहीं देता, कैसी भी नहीं, उसने प्रकृति बनाई, इंसान बनाया और इंसान को सोचने समझने की शक्ति दी, फ्री विल दी
अब अपने भले बुरे के लिए तुम खुद ज़िम्मेदार हो.......अकाल/परमात्मा/ अल्लाह/कुदरत/कायनात यह उसके बाद निरपेक्ष रहती है
सब पंथ चलाने वाले अपनी मर्ज़ी से पंथ चलाते हैं....और इंसानियत को एक अलग टुकड़े में बाँट देते हैं.......नया बंटाधार
सब पंथ मिटने चाहिए यह है अकाल की आज्ञा, अगर है तो
So when they were celebrating "300 saal Guru de naal" (300 hundred years of the creation of Khalsa), I used to smile to myself.
All institutionalized religions are poisons for humanity, be it anyone. Now Sikhs are not Sikhs only, they are Ramgarihias, Bhatde, Bhaape, Lubanae, Kabali, Arora, divided in castes and sub-castes.
They are not one even on the name of Sikhism, what to be one with the existence? How to understand that "Ek Pita ekas ke hum baarik" and how to understand that "ek noor te sabh jag upja, kaun bhale ko mande"?
They can kill the lamb in the Gurudwara in the name of worshiping warfare. If the weapons are so blood thirsty, why not slaughter their own kids, to feed the weapons with human blood? But no, they can go on beheading the innocent lamb in the courtyard of Gurudwara the name of rituals.
They are furious over the crimes against them during 1984 but they are not furious against the crimes committed against Hindus in Punjab in the name of Khalistan.
This is the harm of institutionalized religion, it makes one biased for the whole life. Bars one's vision.
Creation of Khalsa was done with good intentions but was a wrong decision of a seemingly enlightened man, Guru Gobind. And when we understand all this, we understand that even Guru Gobind was not Guru of Sikhs alone, he belongs to one and all.
Blind following, institutionalized following, ritualistic following is lethal.
Even the ones who claim the Granth as Guru, just go on mechanically bowing themselves in front of the Granth,the holy book.Neither they see anything, neither they hear anything, just mechanical recitals. The floor, the walls, the ceilings become holier by listening to the holy words of the Granth. This is not even following. A drama of following, a self deception that they are following.
All futile exercises.
Must be stopped, Granth be freed from the imprisonment of Panth/Cult, be studied freely, be debated. Not even the Granth but even the lives of the Gurus be debated, and this will be the true respect to the Granth and the Gurus also, not the mechanical exercises.Thus the humanity may be benefited a lot, thus the Gurus and the Granth may prove Guru in a real sense to many who learn some life values from them.
And for that a big heart is needed, no Guru, no book is infallible, the cult must be ready to face the criticism with open arms.
For that the cult will have to sacrifice itself. The Guru sacrificed everything and everyone, are the disciples ready to sacrifice the cult for the one and all?
Let us hope for the best.
COPY RIGHT MATTER, STEALING NOT ALLOWED BUT SHARING IS OF-COURSE.
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