You know what my favorite thing about Sikhism or Sikhi is? Music is the way to God.
The entire scripture is organized according to musical frameworks called raags.
It even indicates the musical structures in which the shabads, or sacred hymns, are meant to be sung.
In my humble opinion, music is spiritual.
Like, seriously, don't you feel like music is the way to god and enlightenment and nirvana and all that is good?
Sikhism has taught me to appreciate music as a pathway to god. But I happen to believe that this isn't limited to religious music. I think ALL music has the potential to touch the divine in us. Sometimes a song can take you somewhere that a thousand prayers cannot.
Another wonderful thing about my religion is that it is very simple. Naam Simran: remember and meditate on god's name. Remember is the interesting part to me, not just repeat; remember. To me, it means remembering that we are part of god, that the Divine is within us, and that our true nature is god-like.
We can use any name of God, Allah, Ram, Bhagwan, OM, whatever. It doesn't matter. I use Waheguru, the Sikh word for God, because when chanting it in meditation, it's a great breathing technique.
There's really only one 'sin' I hate that word. Ego. Ego is such a complex word; it means something in psychology and something similar but different in spirituality. Ego, or haumai in Sikhism, is a central obstacle to spiritual growth.
But then again, it's quite simple:
Don't think you are better than anyone. You are also an idiot, just like the rest of us. Humble yourself and realize you don't really know anything, really.
It's OK to think you are the shit sometimes, because you should recognize how fabulous you are. But to be obsessed with yourself is just ugly. It creates evil things. Evil, another great word. But things like violence and hate often stem from ego.
You know what's really an interesting thing in Sikhism? There's this thing called ninda, basically slandering people or speaking maliciously about them. It's considered a serious spiritual failing.
I'm such a sinner! How about you?
Sikhi gets a bad rap because of this turban/long hair situation. We have a tradition of being warriors, but we're also spiritual warriors. There's a concept called the saint-soldier: someone who combines spiritual devotion with courage and a commitment to justice. We're not going around cutting off people's heads. There's a difference between fighting for justice and just being a jerk.
Anyways, it's a beautiful religion that I am honored to call my own.
nina
Portrait of Man with a Blue Turban and Red Holi Powder
Anandpur Sahib - Punjab - India
Hola Mohalla is a three-day Sikh festival that takes place in Anandpur Sahib, Punjab, India. It's celebrated on the second day of the lunar month of Chett, which is usually a day after the Hindu spring festival of Holi. The festival is a celebration of community, bravery, victory, and martial arts
Photo and Caption courtesy of Abhishek Ph via Scopio
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