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  1. Sometimes when I am rushing to work in the morning and don't have time to even go to gurdwara for ardas and matha tek (god forgive me) , I tend to do ardas in the direction of nearest gurdwara from my bedroom itself and do matha tek in that direction . Is this valid belief in sikhism ?
  2. NOTE: This post is a work in progress Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh! Often times I hear Non-Sikhs bring up common arguments against Sikhi, and as someone who likes to create a lot online resource hubs for Sikhs, I am taking it upon myself to create a list of Q/A's. I recently got a series of arguments (posing as questions) from an anonymous user on the Sikh Reddit who was allegedly Ex-Sikh. He frequently made references to Islam, and also claimed that he had done a lot of research on his "questions", yet the questions themselves seem as if they are taken from wikipedia or some anti-sikh site. Here are some of the arguments I would like to debunk: Q: If Sikhi is against the Caste System, then why are their Caste based Gurdwara's? A: Anyone can just create a "Gurdwara" and install their own beliefs into it, that doesn't make it valid. The key part here is that this cannot be supported by the actual theology of Sikhi, and all the main Gurdwara's still allow people of lower-caste to enter. All of these so called "caste Gurdwara's" are also not backed by the Akal Takth, and are not recognized by the Khalsa Panth. Q: Why were the Gurus themselves all from the Khatri caste and married within their own caste despite preaching against such barriers? A: The very premise of this question is incorrect, Guru isnt from the Khatri caste becuase the concept of caste itself is invalid. There is no evidence to suggest that caste was involved in the marrage decision, and neither was any proposal rejected due to caste. Furthermore, the Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji itself contains writings from people of different "castes" and backgrounds. When the Guru created the Khalsa Panth, the Panj Pyare were from different occupations, locations, and families, the entire concept of the Khalsa itself destroys the caste system. If the Guru was secretly supporting the caste sustem, he would have not created the Khalsa and passed on the Guruship. Gurbani itself is the Guru, and its anti-caste message is very clear, but it's some food for thought. Q: How about the succession of the Gurus? How do we go from the 4 first being chosen by merit and from different lineage, then suddenly it turns into a system of monarchy resulting in the succession of Guru Harkrishan Ji at such a young age who also passed away at a young age. A: "Nepotism" is defined as: The practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs. A lot of people like to accuse the Guru of being Nepotistic, and use it to bring down Sikhi by stating the successors of the Guru were not truly worthy of the title. The next Guru was never chosen on the basis of nepotism, and was always chosen based on Merit, the Guru tested each of his followers to see if they were worthy of the title of Guru. We are all just vessels filled with the same light, "family" is an illusion, we are all One. Although some of the Gurus did pass the Guruship on to their human sons, many did not, and even if they did, it was becuase their sons just happened to pass the test.If Sikhi allowed Nepotism, then why didnt Guru Nanak Dev Ji or many of the other Guru's pass it on to their children? Guru Nanak could have easily made Sri chand or Lakhmi Das the next Guru, the same applies with Guru Gobind Singh ji who did not have to let any of his sons sacrifice themselves for Sikhi, and could have asked them to not give Shaheedi. The fact that Guru Gobind Singh Ji established the Khalsa in 1699 before the death of all his human offsprings shows that he was going to stop the line of Human Guru's anyways. The ultimate argument against nepotism in Sikhi is the fact that the Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji & the Khalsa Panth were made the eternal Guru. Hypothetically, even if the Guruship was passed down based solely on Nepotism, I would have no problem with it becuase it is the Guru's decision and looking back at history and how each Guru lives his life, I can say the Guru made the perfect decision. As for Guru Harkrishan Ji, the reason the Guru chose the vessel of a young boy was to show that spirituality isnt affected by age, and even a child can attain liberation. The reason Guru Harkrishan Ji physically passed away at such a young age was to exemplify shaheedi, it makes no sense for the Guru to go around curing other people of small pox, yet die from it himself. Q: why has Sikhi remained confined for the most part to the Punjabi population? A: Sikhs dont go out and actively convert people like people of Abrahamic theologies do, the Sikh community is also generally very young compared to others. This issue is already starting to change, there are already hubs of non-punjabi Sikhs thriving in places like America, Indonisia, UK, Canada, etc, and we just need time. Q: Why did/are some Sikhs converting to other religions, if Sikhi is supreme, then why would people leave it? A: The message itself is supreme, but the people themselves are not. The argument of people leaving/joining a certain religion can be made for any group. The larger abrehamic religions are the ones that generally have a higher turnover rate compared to easter Dharams. Q: why hasn’t history seen Gurus with a similar message in the West or other corners of the world? A: There are other people with similar messages, there's even some new relgion in the west called "Eckankar" which is very similar to Sikhi on certain aspects. Gurbani also contains Bani from a lot of people who lived before the physical arrival of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who's Bani is inline with Gurmat. Q: Why is Gurbani repetitive? A: I dont know if your reading the english translation or something, but in Gurmukhi the way certain words are used has a different meaning depending on the context. Furthermore, Gurbani is also multilayered, and speaks to the mind during its different states. As for repetitiveness in message, it's important becuase Humans learn from repetition, when you were a child, your parents had to constantly call you by your name so you remember it, etc. Gurbani is not like the abrehamic texts, it is not divided by chapters, but rather by Music. Gurbani does not have dedicated sections for certain topics, becuase as a Sikh our job is not to pick and choose what we want to learn, the Guru teaches us what we need, and the format Gurbani is written in ensures its multi layered and speaks to different people at different stages in their spiritual journey. The fact that there are other Bhagats whose Bani is inline with the Guru, reinforces the Oneness of the message of Sikhi. Q: Why did the Gurus have multiple wives? At least with Islam there is a specific guidelines prescribed, a lot of Sikhs like to argue based on emotion rather than historical evidence. A: The narrative that the Gurus were polygamists is highly contestable on the basis of historical analysis, not emotion. "The story of Guru Har Rai having married seven wives, who were all sisters, is found only in one MS of Suraj Prakash and is written on unpaged leaves which are clearly an interpolation. Unfortunately this copy became the basis of the editions nowadays in vogue. Other copies mention only one marriage. Mahima Prakash, which is much older than this book, also mentions only one wife. See on this point the annotation of Bhai Vir Singh on Suraj Prakash" -Dr. Ganda Singh, Baba Teja Singh; 'A Short History of the Sikhs,' vol. i, pg. 48. Here is a good post discussing this issue As for Islam, providing specific guidelines, I hope you realize that it also provides guidelines to beat ones wife, among many other things... Q: Why so much debate over a simple matter of canon scriptures (the Dasam Granth which oddly enough contains 2 of the prayers forming the Nitnem) A: There isnt "so much" debate over this. the Anti-Dasam granth crowd is a vocal minority, and the Dasam Granth is accepted by the Khalsa Panth as a whole, and even backed by the Akal Takth. Furthermore, the Debate that does happen isnt about the nitnem banis from Dasam Granth (Jaap Sahib, Tav Prasad Savaiye, Chaupai Sahib). Overall, Sikhs have still preserved their scriptures far better than many others, and the Quran itself was never even written down by Muhammad, Jesus never wrote the Bible, etc... Q: Why is there such a controversy over vegetarianism vs meat eating? Why didnt the Guru lay our a clear guideline? A: This wasn't really an issue before the start of the modern day meat industry, but we as a community have turned it into an issue. Sikhs historically ate meat, this is a fact, the reason there is a big vegetarian movement in the Sikh community is mainly due to the modern day meat industry and the idea that Sikhs dont really need meat anymore becuase they have so many more alternatives. As for the actual theology regarding this issue, its already clearly laid out by the Guru: Sikhs are to refrain from Halal Meat, if a Sikhs is to hunt or eat meat, then they must follow the Jhatka Maryada set up by the Guru. More information and sources can be found at jhatkamaryada.com Q: Why are Sikhs encouraged to be critical thinkers, yet told not to ask questions? A: People are getting two concepts confused: its ok to question the Guru similar to how a student questions a teacher, however its discouraged to question for the sake of trying to create an arguement or disruption. Final Thoughts A deep underlying issue that motivates a lot of these arguments is the idea that if Sikhi is true, then why would it not also temporally reign supreme, and why would "bad things" happen to Sikhs if they are morally correct? The answer to this is the simply: Hukam, and the fact that "good" and "bad" dont really exist. However, the issue here is that others will see this as a cop out. I am interested in developing a more indepth response to this strain of thought. Any recommendations? Feedback If you have any suggestions, please let me know any way you can, you can also email me at TheTurbanatore@gmail.com or contact me via Reddit at reddit.com/u/TheTurbanatore
  3. Just watched this , done very well but points everything out that's wrong in our gurdwara
  4. Why are white Sikhs opening their own Gurdwara?
  5. VJKK VJKF Sangat Ji, I live in London and have done my whole life and don't know anything the Manchester area. I'm going to be in Sale, Manchester soon and I wanted to know if there are any Gurdwaras in that area or just any Gurdwaras in Central Manchester Ji. Thank you Ji. Vaheguru Ji.
  6. Guest

    original Karah Prashad

    Hi, this is not to rake up any controversy, just out of general interest. I was wondering about the original recipe of Karah Prashad. To my knowledge, the western Gurdwaras today use: wheat, butter, brown sugar. these are convenient, though processed foods. They are also modern variants. So what were the ingredients used in Guru ji's times? For example, it must have been whole wheat. And ghee I presume? And Gurr (indian red sugar)? Also, I presume it was cooked in an iron pot? Can any history buffs help with this?
  7. GRIFFITH – The Land and Environment Court has sided with the Riverina’s Sikh community in rejecting a development alongside Griffith Sikh Gurdwara. READ FULL STORY.. http://singhstation.net/2017/07/court-rejects-industrial-development-griffith-sikh-gurdwara/
  8. Hello to you all. I am a white british man and I would like to know what preparations I should undertake before entering my local Gurdwara. I was christened when I was a baby but I have never been religious, I never attended a church other than for weddings, funerals etc. There is a beautiful Gurdwara near me that stands out in the sky like the fabled star in the tale of the 3 wise men travelling to meet the baby Jesus and while I always thought it was an impressive building, only recently have I seriously considered entering. I know that the temple will be welcoming to all but I'm looking for somewhere I can seriously attain sot eme spirituality. I have searched for a long time, in the past using drugs and whatnot and have come to a conclusion that one of the biggest problems in the UK is the lack of spirituality. We have not been overly religious in the UK for centuries but church would still be attended by most and certainly our heads of state/government were informed heavily by their religion. It is well documented (though rarely discussed) that the people of the UK lost their spirituality and firm belief in the creator around the years 1914-1918 and had this destruction of faith reinforced between 1939 and 1945. When I was growing up, almost no-one attended church and to do so was seen as almost barbaric, something people did in th epast as now we have telephones and televisions, we didn't need religion. God was dead and he wasn't coming back. We had technology which kept progressing to mobile phones and laptops and internet. Incredible. Now our time is filled and we can communicate and lean and be happy knowing that we have more knowledge at our fingertips than was contained in the library of Alexandria! Within seconds we can speak with someone on the other side of the world or we can watch the mating ritual of birds of paradise while simultaneously watching a Bengal Tiger stalk its prey. Now we see the results of our labour. The bubble has burst and since the 70s there has been a clear slide of people towards hating themselves and the world they live in. There is no purpose anymore, no meaning. Yes we can get drunk or take drugs or have sex, but in the morning we will ask ourselves why are we doing this? What is the point? These questions cannot be answered by Physics or biology. Evolution explains so much to us and gives us great knowledge but it does not explain where it all came from. Quantum physics tells us that the world we see or touch may not be real at all, it may be best described as a computer simulation or a fevered dream. Particles are popping in and out of existence and nothing stays the same, yet we experience the world as we do. Our consciousness seems to separate humans from all other species, yet anyone who has tried LSD or Ayuhuasca or DMT will say that there is a world beyond ours. All the religions from all over the world say something similar. There is something else beyond this material world. Beyond even the observable universe. I now firmly believe that this is where the idea of God comes from. From the most ancient peoples we know of down to the present dy the idea of god has always persisted. I always thought it was a simple explanation and as human as anything, think of the religions as an commercial enterprise, in order to get more currency/followers they must make claims about truth and power, knowledge and love, feelings and thoughts. I think that if we strip away most of the teachings and teachers from these religions we see a common denominator. A sense of a supernatural being who is beyond time and space who supervises our world and probably all worlds. Now I will never understand this of course, it is like they speak of in science when they talk of a fourth dimension, it is not something I will ever know. Perhaps though, I can get a sense of it, perhaps through meditation and work I can open up the part of my mind which will let Gods power in. My basic understanding of Sikhi leads me to believe that what I believe and what Sikhs teach is similar. I understand that the gurus have the power of god, that he uses his power through them and in turn can enlighten followers. I know it is more compliacted than this and I haven't read enough to pretend that I understand your religion but I am looking for truth. I have always looked for truth through philosophy and science, eventually through drugs and meditation and what I have learned is that I don't want to use drugs, I don't want to keep reading philosophers and science (as they are written by man and thus their ideas are often obstructed by their ego). I'm asking you honestly, can I become a Sikh and how should I do it? There is a beautiful Gurdwara near me where I know I would be welcome as is the custom of all Sikhs but I do not want to go there as an observer, I wish to genuinely know if I can become a Sikh as I see it as the best chance at uncovering the truth I crave. I don't expect to ever know the truth, but based on the Sikhs I have met, those I have seen fighting for what is right, this is the only religion I know of that I would be willing to commit my time to. The only one I would fight for. Will I be welcomed?
  9. Are there any gurdwara sahibs in india where maharaj or gursikhs have done bachan to do ardaas to find a marriage partner?
  10. This makes me laugh because it subtle touches on a white elephant in the Sikh room. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4514688/Boris-Johnson-blunders-election-trail.html
  11. Shocked to see this latest news apparently Police have demolished a gurdwara in Indore , after beating and swearing at sangat including women and children
  12. In Somerset road in Handsworth Wood is Singh Sabha Gurdwara. Unfortunately, some people are paying the landlord for property to open a meat shop. Now the soon-to-come meat shop is crazily close to the Gurdwara. The Gurdwara has told the landlord about how this affects the Gurdwara and he understands, but unfortunately he needs money and the people are willing to open the shop there. What are your views on this?
  13. Given our maryada of acceptance of humanity , where and how should we draw the boundaries at Gurdwarey to ensure safety of sangat ? http://katu.com/news/local/police-man-asked-to-use-bathroom-at-sikh-temple-attacked-woman-inside
  14. http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/charity-commission-appoints-interim-manager-sikh-temple-charity/governance/article/1422670
  15. Dear Sangat Ji, A Muslim attacker proclaiming Muhammad Rasool Allah has today attacked Sangat and angs of Maharaj at a Gurdwara in London UK. The Muslim attacker tore angs of Guru Sahib and attacked Sangat. Fortunately the Muslim attacker was caught by brave Singhs and handed over to Police who arrested him. Whole incident was caught on Camera and the Muslim attacker wore shoes and burned torn angs of Maharaj with the lighted cigarette he came in smoking with. Message to Sangat please increase security at your local Gurdwara!
  16. Guest

    How to open up a gurdwara

    VJKK VJKF ji I have a question how can i open up a new gurdwara in the uk? Where can i buy a bir of the guru in the uk or do i have to get it from india ? And do i have to talk to a sikh council or something? And how much do small gurdwaras usually earn can they afford the bills?
  17. Like the title say's really, Walsall Caldmore Gurdwara's committee decided they didn't want MLSS preparing food in the Gurdwara kitchen for the homeless, I just came across this today and to say i'm little lost for word's is an understatement, absolute disgrace. http://dailysikhupdates.com/walsall-caldmore-gurdwara-fire-stopping-langar-seva/
  18. Guest

    Kids and gurdwara

    Can kids be taught to sit quietly in Gurdwara? I wanted to hear general suggestions of sangat.
  19. The Pokemon Go App has come under fire for labelling Gurdwaras as mosques. As many people will be well aware Gurdwara is the holy place of worship for Sikhs and mosques are of course attended by Muslims. The hugely popular new reality game uses GPS and allows players to search locations in the real world to find virtual little creatures. This embarrassing error was pointed out by the team at the Sikh Press Association this week. http://m.asianimage.co.uk/news/14679250.Pokemon_Go_labels_Sikh_Gurdwara_as_mosque/ Whether or not we should even be playing this game is a different concept, (most people Daas knows play it).
  20. Waheguru ji ka khalsa waheguru ji ki fateh, After doing much itihaas i have found it that the darshan of Sri Dasam and Sarbloh Darbar is of utmost importance for the sake of the chardikala of the Sikh panth alongside Satguru Granth sahib ji maharaj. What can be done in the uk and in sangats across the world to install sri Dasam granth and Sarbloh Granth as seen in Takht Sri Hazoor sahib were the maryada of the tisarpanth seems to be alive and well aswell as shastar darshan.Can those of us that believe this to be an important issue do anything to create change? The majority of non amritdharis seem to think that we only have one granth which sadness me. Our connection to Dasam pita seems to be cut when the majority of sikhs are ignorant on these traditions What can be done? Bhull chukk maaf karo, A manmukh.
  21. http://www.babushahi.com/view-news.php?id=39 (This is a late response, but still a response to the Pakhand, Gurdwaras have united to stop the Pakhand, despite differences).
  22. WJKK WJKF ! This post will be long so I apologize beforehand, but please provide some help. Prior to going to this Gurdwara, I had heard a lot about the committee and the granthis in the gurdwara. This includes people who have observed swearing and arguments bewteen granthis and committtee meemebers in the darbar hall in the presence of SGGSJi. I also found out that they do not do Rehraas at a set time and sometimes they do it at 7:30pm. In addition to this I heard the granthis and parthaan of the gurdwara chose to completely stop langar apart from Sundays, despite there being classes on some weekdays in the evening. Also, they use the sangats money to order pizza for the other granthis birthday but when the sangat came in they did not offer them anything and told them to eat the leftover sweets on the table. And finally, the most surprising thing, for once it was the committee members trying to fight for the correct running of the gurdwara but the granthis and parthaan shut them off. All of this spurred me to go investigate for myself.. So, about 2 weeks ago I visited a Gurdwara in the outskirts of the city center. It was midday on a Friday, so I didn't expect there to be much sangat as the Gurdwara is further away from houses. Now, when I arrived to the Gurdwara, I went in and sat in the presence of Maharaj Ji. There was a tape playing Shabads on quite low. So after a little while, the Granthi came in and told me to come and get Prashaad from the him, so I got up and put my hands together, the then proceeds to putting the Prashaad in my hands as well as fully touching my hands (he didn't know if I had washed my hands or not). Seeing as I had just got up, I made my way into the langar hall and waited for him to come out, once he came I asked him what time Rehraas in recited in the Gurdwara. He mirrored what people had told me beforehand, he said that there isn't anytime, they do it whenever they can, even 7:30pm, I was glad that he didn't lie, that was a start I guess, but how wrong I was.. I then asked him what they do after Rehraas, he said that they do the Ardaas and that's it. I asked them if they do Shabads or the Aarti after Rehraas, but he said no. I then asked about other classes and programmes that they have (at this point we were sitting in the langar hall). He responded to me saying that the sangat and naujawan are not interested in classes of any type. But he did say that they have yoga classes and Punjabi classes on, and that the turnout is not great. I told him that if I were to get a slot and gather sangat then would that be fine - he started to hesitate and then changed the topic by saying 'well you'll have to pay for the ingredients for langar and then pay for the electricity and gas and cook yourself'. I was a bit surprised as this should be coming from the gurdwara's part as there was no talk of any akhand paath, wedding etc. I do kirtan and shabads in different Gurdwareh and I genuinely wanted to have a slot at that gurdwara too. So I asked if there was any way that on a weekday after Rehraas I could do the Aarti or on the weekend if I could have a 10 minute slot for a shabad and if I'm lucky then an hour slot so I could do english katha for the youth. But he laughed at me and said no, he said that they already have contracts with other ragis so it's not possible. So, i pushed him into giving me a time slot during a weekdays but even then he didn't let me. He also then said that no body other than the ragis and the granthis can go on stage, indicating that i can't do anything. I then very politely asked for half an hour to do simran only - and he had the adacity to say, why would you want to do anything here when there is no sanagat and that the darbar hall is empty. When he said this I was so shocked, I told him that it doesn't matter for the sangat as Maharaj Ji himself is present but even then he didn't take his words back. The conversation kept going back and forth and this point and i wasn't getting anywhere. I tried everything, but he laughed it all of. Now here is the bit which aggravated me, I asked him if he was part of the committee and he said he was. He then asked me why I asked him that and whether I wanted to join the committee. Now, I had no intention of joining any committee, but just to see what his answer was going to be I said that I did want to be part of the committee - you know what he did then, he laughed in my face and said 'well I'm sorry, but you can't'. I was shocked at this but I decided to laugh back and said 'Oh, really, is it because you think I am a child?' (I'm 21 btw). He then laughed even more and said no, that wast the reason, so i asked him what the reason was and with MASSIVE smirk he said it was because I was a female. I instantly tried to argue my way around this, telling him that this is going against what out gurus say. The worst part - he didn't give a !! He said why would females be on the committee when it consists of all males who are old. I always asked about arguments during meetings and he owned up saying that they have arguments etc in the darbar hall. So basically, i didn't get anywhere and i told him that i will be back lol. But truth is, I have no idea what I plan to do - all I know is that I want to and that I will do something about this corruption - but this is where i need all your help. I would like you guys to give me some suggestions as to what I can do - education-wise, I think I know enough to argue their points. I'm looking for action to take place. I genuinely appreciate all of you who have taken your time outto read this and offer advice.
  23. On another thread someone posted this : <<<< Not denying but increasing from that point , we are allowed to sing His bani but why don't we ? and why do committee types freak out when it happens ? >>> It got me thinking, without it being a thread of just nindhya, what specifically are the kinds of rules and restrictions the committees of our Gurdwaras impose? 1. We know they pick up money that the sangat has donated to raggies - daylight robbery. 2. If raggies do parchar of Amrit and becoming Khalsa, many committees do not like this and will pull the raggies to one side and tell them not to do this kind of parchar on stage.
  24. A Gurdwara In Pakistan Opens Its Doors For The First Time In Nearly 70 Years. The historical Gurudwara Sahib named after Bhai Biba Singh has been re-opened after over 70 years of closure, in which it was damaged by various earthquakes and abrasion. With ties dating back to Guru Gobind Singh Jis time, a Gurudwara was made by Maharaja Ranjit Singh when he discovered the location in Peshawar, Jogiwara. Sikhs are elated to have received the rights to the Gurudwara once again, after they began to work on restoration a few years ago. The Gurudwara was claimed and closed by the Pakistani Muslims, just before partition due to a dispute in which community held rights over the land, and at least one person each from the Sikh and Muslim community lost their lives in the feud. http://www.sikh247.com/uncategorized/video-beautiful-300yr-old-gurudwara-saved-re-opened-by-sikhs/
  25. SIKH MARRIAGE SEVA EVENT FOR GURSIKHS AND NON GURSIKHS, MIXED EVENT FOR EVERY SIKH. PLEASE SHARE THE POSTER WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY
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