I am wondering what steps to take to become a Sikh. I have stopped cutting my hair (I only cut it twice a year usually anyways). I am slowly reading some of the prayers. But I don’t know what to do next.
I am trying to unlearn some ideas from my previous religion and some I am so relieved to such as that polygamy is holy but others are harder with the obvious being no belief in Jesus. But I need to find a community and there are no Sikhs in my town but there’s a few scattered throughout the next city but I don’t know how to find them.
Dear Brother:
I also come from a Christian background and I’m knowledgeable of Christianity. In fact, there is only one christian sect that I know of that allows polygamy: it originated in the USA, but I’m not mentioning it here to respect your privacy.
The christian brainwash regarding the uniqueness, exclusivity and necessity of Jesus as the only way to reach God creates a strong bond over the years and becomes very difficult to detach. Don’t worry, you are not alone.
Me and my wife stopped being mainstream Christians recently, so let me give you an advice about how we broke that “Jesus necessity” bond. The New Testament insists in doing everything in Jesus name and that without Jesus nothing is possible. So here’s the method we used:
Pray everyday for a week in Jesus name. You can start and end the prayers in Jesus Christ’s name. The next week pray everyday OMITTING Jesus Christ’s name. Invoke God by simply calling him God, Father, Lord, Almighty, etc. Direct your prayer to what has traditionally been God the Father in Christianity. You have to be careful and invest the same devotion praying in both weeks. At the end, guide yourself according to which prayers gave more fruits in your life and in the things/people you prayed for. If the second week was more fruitful it’s clear that the New Testament lies about the necessity of Jesus, which is what happened to me and my wife.
Thank you Mauricio for protecting my privacy and not mentioning my current religion but yes you are correct about it I am sure. I have started doing this and feel that God does not mind me becoming a Sikh.
But I cannot find anyone who is a Sikh in my area. A Gurdwara 600 miles away is too far and I can’t even drive. There is one tiny mosque and two tiny Hindu temples but 99% of people are Christian and in my town 50% of people are in my current religion. Any ideas? Do I need a congregation?
We are suffering similarly here. My wife and I are desperately needing a Sangat but there are no Sikhs in our small country. The only two we have found are more interested in Yoga than in Sikhism and they are three and a half hours away from where we live. Prayers are needed for people like us to enjoy a Sangat; I hope other Sikhs read this and take courage and visit us! Meanwhile, I comfort myself with the true meaning of the word “Sikh” which is “student”. Christianity usually emphasizes the importance of the church as one of the tenets of the faith. But in order to become a Sikh you just need to study, meditate and live according to Gurbani. In that way you are a “student, follower” of the Guru; in other words a “Sikh”.
By “doing this” I mean alternating prayers to clarify
And sorry for having so many questions. But I have one that I can’t just Google( I have tried but no answers)How do you keep your long hair clean and manageable? I have a problem that means I struggle to put my arms above my head. And my hair is difficult to manage due to a strange mix of ancestry. It is so dry that it sometimes snaps. I have no ideas on this and the only advice I have ever been given is “cut your hair”. But that is not an option if I want to be a Sikh and it only makes my hair worse. I must find an answer soon because my hair is quite long but starting to snap again.
This is a good question to make using the option “Ask a question”. Let me tell you what I know.
I’ve read or heard that Khalsa Sikhs usually comb their hair twice a day with a Kangha. They may wash it and/or use oil for that purpose.
However, I live in a place where once in a while you see someone wearing Rasta dreads and I myself had rasta dreads once. You know that for dreads you simply stop washing your hair, so I don’t share the view most Sikhs have about washing the hair so often. I usually just comb it with my own hands during the day, every time I can (I’m still not using a turban), to avoid the snapping. And two or three times a week I wash it with water only and use a comb to get rid of all snaps; a task that may take up to 1 hour of my time.
By the way I am not a guy.
Sorry for assuming your gender. I already deleted the word “brother” from my previous responses.
No problem Mauricio. I have told my parents that I want to convert and they know that Sikhs don’t cut their hair but they are not getting it. My parents kept on telling me that I should just “trim” my hair not cut it. They are not trying to be rude but just don’t get it. How do I explain? It might be helpful to explain that yes I am a girl but also a young lady (a teenager). So I cannot convert until I turn 18 probably.
Is there a Gurdwara near to the place where you live? Please find out.
Respected Brother/Sister,
Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh!
In order to make you understand about Sikhism, the undersigned wants to say that:-
1. “Sikh” is a “Seeker of Truth” and “Sikhism” stands for:-
(i) Oneness of Humanity;
(ii) No discrimination owing to gender, race, caste, creed, or color;
(iii) No empty rituals & worthless religious practices;
(iv) No life after death theories. Rather, it stands for salvation/emancipation, during the life time on getting rid of vices.
2. Further, Sikhism:-
(i) teaches a Sikh to live his life in the present, as per Hukam of Akalpurakh and teachings of ever living Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib;
(ii) expects a Sikh to earn an honest living, remain connected with Akalpurakh all the time and share his honest earning with the poor and the needy;
(iii) expects a Sikh to be compassionate, kind, tolerant and is to love all i e. he is to reach the mental state of seeing Akalpurakh in everyone and hence having friends only and no enemies;
(iv) expects a Sikh to serve the humanity, without any distinction of caste, creed and religion.
The main difference between Sikhism and other religions is that Sikhism propagates salvation/emancipation, during the present life itself by getting rid of vices, while it is not so in case of other religions.
Hope it helps. If you have any further questions, please do ask. If you find any deficiencies, please point out the same, for improvement in future.
Regards,
Your Brother
There are no guruwaras. The closest one is over 600 miles away which is definitely not possible to visit often.
The undersigned would like to advise you to take help of YouTube to learn more.
Further, if you give the undersigned your email address then the undersigned can send some good books for self study.
The undersigned has sent you a book ‘An Introduction to Sikhism’ on email for your kind perusal.
[email protected]
The undersigned has sent you ‘A Short History of the Sikhs’ on email for your kind perusal.
Sikhism considers polygamy holy?
Respected Sister,
Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh!
In response to your question about considering polygamy holy in Sikhism, as understood by the the undersigned, the answer is no because polygamy has a connection with lust and character of a person.
Gurbani teaches us to keep control on lust and build up a good character. At Pannas 1159-60 of Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagat Kabir ji in his Shabad is guiding us that if you want to be one with Akalpurakh and Shabad Guru, who are embodiment of each other, you have to keep a control on your lust and other vices:-
‘ਹੈ ਹਜੂਰਿ ਕਤ ਦੂਰਿ ਬਤਾਵਹੁ ॥ ਦੁੰਦਰ ਬਾਧਹੁ ਸੁੰਦਰ ਪਾਵਹੁ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥ (ਪੰਨਾ 1159-60)
ਅਰਥ: ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ ਸਿੱਖਿਆ ਦਿੰਦੇ ਹਨ ਕਿ ਜੇ ਤੂੰ ਉਸ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਨਾਲ ਸਾਂਝ ਪਾਉਣਾ ਚਾਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ ਤਾਂ ਤੂੰ ਮਨ ਨੂੰ ਵੱਸ ਕਰਨ ਦਾ ਜਤਨ ਕਰ ਕੇ, ਕਾਮਾਦਿਕ ਤੇ ਹੋਰ ਵਿਕਾਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਕਾਬੂ ਵਿਚ ਰੱਖ।’
Further, at Panna 26 of Guru Granth Sahib, the third Guru Person, Guru Amardas Sahib, is teaching us that even if you have sex with a lakh of ladies and rule the entire earth, still you can’t achieve spiritual equipoise and spiritual bliss and your mind will continue to suffer reincarnation in your entire life:-
‘ਜੇ ਲਖ ਇਸਤਰੀਆ ਭੋਗ ਕਰਹਿ ਨਵ ਖੰਡ ਰਾਜੁ ਕਮਾਹਿ ॥ ਬਿਨੁ ਸਤਗੁਰ ਸੁਖੁ ਨ ਪਾਵਈ ਫਿਰਿ ਫਿਰਿ ਜੋਨੀ ਪਾਹਿ ॥੩॥(ਪੰਨਾ 26)
ਅਰਥ: (ਹੇ ਭਾਈ!) ਜੇ ਤੂੰ (ਕਾਮ-ਵਾਸਨਾ ਪੂਰੀ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ) ਲੱਖ ਇਸਤ੍ਰੀਆਂ ਭੀ ਭੋਗ ਲਏਂ, ਜੇ ਤੂੰ ਸਾਰੀ ਧਰਤੀ ਦਾ ਰਾਜ ਭੀ ਕਰ ਲਏਂ, ਤਾਂ ਭੀ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਦੀ ਸਰਨ ਤੋਂ ਬਿਨਾ ਆਤਮਕ ਸੁਖ ਨਹੀਂ ਲੱਭ ਸਕੇਂਗਾ, (ਸਗੋਂ) ਮੁੜ ਮੁੜ ਜੂਨਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਪਿਆ ਰਹੇਂਗਾ।3।
Further, the undersigned just wants you to read the Salok of Fifth Guru Person, Guru Arjun Sahib, at Panna 1358 of Guru Granth Sahib and its meanings.
You will see that Guru Sahib is teaching us the consequences of lust and to what extent one can fall in his life. Guru Sahib is guiding us to maintain a high character by joining the Sadh Sangat and by taking refuge of Akalpurakh.
Hope it helps. If you have any further questions please do ask. If you find any deficiencies please point out the same for improvement in future.
Regards,
Your Brother
———————–
ਹੇ ਕਾਮੰ ਨਰਕ ਬਿਸ੍ਰਾਮੰ ਬਹੁ ਜੋਨੀ ਭ੍ਰਮਾਵਣਹ ॥ ਚਿਤ ਹਰਣੰ ਤ੍ਰੈ ਲੋਕ ਗੰਮ੍ਯ੍ਯੰ ਜਪ ਤਪ ਸੀਲ ਬਿਦਾਰਣਹ ॥ ਅਲਪ ਸੁਖ ਅਵਿਤ ਚੰਚਲ ਊਚ ਨੀਚ ਸਮਾਵਣਹ ॥ ਤਵ ਭੈ ਬਿਮੁੰਚਿਤ ਸਾਧ ਸੰਗਮ ਓਟ ਨਾਨਕ ਨਾਰਾਇਣਹ ॥੪੬॥ {ਪੰਨਾ 1358}
ਅਰਥ: ਹੇ ਕਾਮ! ਤੂੰ (ਜੀਵਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਆਪਣੇ ਵੱਸ ਵਿਚ ਕਰ ਕੇ) ਨਰਕ ਵਿਚ ਅਪੜਾਣ ਵਾਲਾ ਹੈਂ ਅਤੇ ਕਈ ਜੂਨਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਭਟਕਾਣ ਵਾਲਾ ਹੈਂ।
ਤੂੰ ਜੀਵਾਂ ਦੇ ਮਨ ਭਰਮਾ ਲੈਂਦਾ ਹੈਂ, ਤਿੰਨਾਂ ਹੀ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਤੇਰੀ ਪਹੁੰਚ ਹੈ, ਤੂੰ ਜੀਵਾਂ ਦੇ ਜਪ ਤਪ ਤੇ ਸੁੱਧ ਆਚਰਨ ਨਾਸ ਕਰ ਦੇਂਦਾ ਹੈਂ।
ਹੇ ਚੰਚਲ ਕਾਮ! ਤੂੰ ਸੁਖ ਤਾਂ ਥੋੜਾ ਹੀ ਦੇਂਦਾ ਹੈਂ, ਪਰ ਇਸੇ ਨਾਲ ਤੂੰ ਜੀਵਾਂ ਨੂੰ (ਸੁੱਧ ਆਚਰਨ ਦੇ) ਧਨ ਤੋਂ ਸੱਖਣਾ ਕਰ ਦੇਂਦਾ ਹੈਂ। ਜੀਵ ਉੱਚੇ ਹੋਣ, ਨੀਵੇਂ ਹੋਣ, ਸਭਨਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਤੂੰ ਪਹੁੰਚ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈਂ।
ਸਾਧ ਸੰਗਤਿ ਵਿਚ ਪਹੁੰਚਿਆਂ ਤੇਰੇ ਡਰ ਤੋਂ ਖ਼ਲਾਸੀ ਮਿਲਦੀ ਹੈ। ਹੇ ਨਾਨਕ! (ਸਾਧ ਸੰਗ ਵਿਚ ਜਾ ਕੇ) ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਦੀ ਸਰਨ ਲੈ। 46।
ਭਾਵ: ਮਨੁੱਖ ਉੱਚੀ ਜਾਤਿ ਦੇ ਹੋਣ ਚਾਹੇ ਨੀਵੀਂ ਜਾਤਿ ਦੇ, ਕਾਮਦੇਵ ਸਭਨਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਆਪਣੇ ਕਾਬੂ ਵਿਚ ਕਰ ਲੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਦੀ ਮਾਰ ਤੋਂ ਉਹੀ ਬਚਦਾ ਹੈ ਜੋ ਸਾਧ ਸੰਗਤਿ ਵਿਚ ਟਿਕ ਕੇ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਦਾ ਆਸਰਾ ਲੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ।
Haha I wasn’t saying that Sikhism permits polygamy. I was meaning that my current religion does (sort of it is complicated) and that I like the idea that Sikhism bans polygamy.
I meant that I am having trouble understanding only believing in one god and not extras such as Jesus. I am trying to become monotheistic but it is a little confusing to only believe in one god who has no form.
You could perhaps try to see Waheguru as spirit rather than god if you have trouble understanding one god. Many Sikhs consider Sikhism to be a way of life rather than a religion. We don’t worship idols and physical things. There is the one Waheguru that is in everything, the creation, the earth, nature, every person and then there are the teachers who have left us the knowledge of Waheguru. Waheguru is in the teachers because Waheguru is in everything. A spiritual approach or thinking of Waheguru as the true essence of everything might help.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.
Respected Sister,
Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh!
The Guru Granth Sahib starts with Jap Baani of First Guru Person, Guru Nanak Sahib, and the Baani starts with, what is called Mool Mantar, which defines the attributes of the One God (Akalpurakh), with whom a person can become one, with the help of Shabad Guru:-
ੴ (Ik Onkar) (One Universal Creator God);
ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ (Sat Naam) (The Name Is Truth);
ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ (Karta Purakh) (Creative Being Personified);
ਨਿਰਭਉ (Nirbhau) (No Fear);
ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ (Nirvair) (No Enmity or Hatred),
ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ (Akal Moorat) (Image of the undying);
ਅਜੂਨੀ (Ajuni) (Beyond Birth);
ਸੈਭੰ (Saibhang) (Self-existstant);
ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ (Gur Parsad) (By Guru’s Grace).
Therefore, the First Guru Person, Guru Nanak Sahib, himself had made it very clear, in the very beginning of the Guru Granth Sahib, that there is one creator God.
Hope it helps. If you have any further questions, please do ask. If you find any deficiencies, please point out the same, for improvement in future.
Regards,
Your Brother
You wrote ‘Sikhism considers polygamy holy?’ The question mark amounts to asking a question. Hence, the reply was given by the undersigned.
Yes, I was the one who asked the question about Sikhism being holy based on a misunderstanding of what the OP was implying. Thank you for your answer!