Respected Brother/Sister,
Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh!

In response to your question, the undersigned wants to say that first you need to understand as to what is Sikhi?

The undersigned wants to bring to your kind notice that Guru Granth Sahib teaches spirituality not religion. Its teachings are universal and are not limited to Sikhs. A person called Sikh is a student all through his life. A misconception has got created that a child born in a Sikh family is a Sikh. Please read the following:

1. “Sikh” is a “Seeker of Truth” and “Sikhi” 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 spiritual salvation/emancipation, during the life time itself, by getting rid of vices.

2. 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 and He is not in human form but resides everywhere and in every living being.

3. In his discussion with Yogis, the First Guru Person, Guru Nanak Sahib had made it very clear that his Guru was Shabad when he said ‘Shabad Guru Surat Dhun Chela’.

4. Further, Sikhi:-

(i) teaches to live life in the present, as per Hukam of Akalpurakh (Divine Law) and become a righteous/virtuous person (Gurmukh), as per teachings of ever living Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib;

(ii) teaches to earn an honest living, remain connected with Akalpurakh all the time and share his honest earning, with poor and needy;

(iii) expects a person to be compassionate, kind, tolerant and 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 person to serve the humanity, without any distinction of caste, creed and religion.

5. Guru Granth Sahib teaches a person to get rid of vices, become a righteous/virtuous person (Gurmukh). The goal of becoming a righteous/virtuous person was laid down by the First Guru Person Guru Nanak Sahib, in the first Pauri (stanza) of Jap Baani itself, when he said:-

Kiv Sachiara hoiey, Kiv Kude Tute Pal,
Hukam Rajai Chalna, Nanak likhya Naal.

6. Once a person/Sikh achieves the goal of becoming a righteous/virtuous person and becomes one with Akalpurakh and Shabad Guru, who are spiritually embodiment of each other, he will live a disciplined life and achieve the stage of spiritual equipoise and spiritual bliss. The final goal is to achieve spiritual emancipation/ salvation (enlightenment) in this life itself since there is no concept of salvation/ emancipation, after death in Sikhi.In other words, there is no concept of reincarnation, after death, which is a concept of Hinduism.

7. Imbibing the above teachings, of Guru Granth Sahib, is what is called Sikhi.

8. From what is stated above, you can very well see that Sikhi has nothing to do with rituals (Karamkands) and is nothing but carrying personal values, each and every moment of life, which one can carry while living anywhere in the world.

9. Now coming to the stage of becoming Khalsa. For becoming Khalsa, one has to take Pahul ( Generally called Amrit), from five Beloved Ones (ਪੰਜ ਪਿਆਰੇ, Panj Piare) and wear Sikh Kakars (i.e. Five Ks (ਪੰਜ ਕਕਾਰ Pañj Kakār), which are: kesh (unshorn hair), kangha (a comb for the kesh, usually wooden), kara (a bracelet, usually made of iron or steel), kachera (an undergarment), and kirpan (a small sword of any size, shape or metal) the undersigned wants to say that the Five Ks are not just symbols, but are articles of faith that collectively form the external identity and the Khalsa devotee’s commitment to the Sikh Rehni, ‘Sikh way of life’. A Sikh who has taken Pahul is required to keep all the five Ks, being the command of Tenth Guru Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib.

Besides wearing the Five external Kakkars, needs to improve his inner self, as per teachings of Guru Granth Sahib.

An effort has been made to summarise the same in the enclosed write up.

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
————-
Inner Sikhi identity of an Amritdhari Sikh, along with the outer Sikhi identity of wearing Five Kakars

The Sikh of the Shabad Guru needs to:

1. Be righteous/virtuous (Gurmukh) and whether there is happiness or sorrow, always remain in Akalpurakh’s command;

2. Know and love all the human beings of the world, regardless of country, nation, caste, tribe, etc., by adhering to the teaching of Ek Pita Eksa Ke Ham Barik (ਏਕ ਪਿਤਾ ਏਕਸ ਕੇ ਹਮ ਬਾਰਿਕ);

3. Sacrifice one’s entire being to alleviate the suffering of another person;

4. Respect the Gurmat principle of there being one Akalpurakh in all human beings and considering all better than onself (Manda Kis No Akhiye Ja Sabna Sahib Ek);

5. Remember Akalpurakh all the time, and refrain from wasting valuable human body in doing Jap, Taap and should eat such food which will not cause any vices in the mind or diseases in the body.

6. Keep examining oneself and should not be slow in admitting one’s mistakes;

7. Consider upsurping the rights of others, as equal to eating dead animals and take out a tenth of one’s honest earnings for spending to help the needy;

8. Live a life free from illusions (ਭਰਮਾਂ);

9. Consider looking at others’ wealth and women’s bodies with evil feelings, as equal to spiritual death and avoiding doing evil to anyone, not even thinking of evil;

10. Be soft and sweet-spoken but firm in speech;

11. Be a model of forgiveness and be ignorant of the feeling of revenge.