Can I, a white british man, become a sikh?

[Guest Ilikeyourbeliefs]

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?

 

[Guest Jacfsing2]

You can easily be Sikh, about being welcome, most Sikhs wouldn't really care if you were white.

[Not2Cool2Argue]

5 hours ago, Guest Ilikeyourbeliefs said:

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?

 

Hello,

I really liked ur post and agree with most of what you say. While science has helped us alot, it has not been able to answer or help ppl with internal issues. And society seems to have more problems than before.

In terms of becoming a sikh, i think you should take it slowly, first learn more about it and build a relationship with the guru. In our Gurudwara resides our 11th and eternal Guru: Guru Granth Sahib Ji. So when visiting ur goal should be to pay homage to the Guru, listen to his words, and communicate with him. I would suggest you go visit when there is not a big function/ceremony going on. Weddings usually happen on a saturday, main services on Sunday. So i would suggest, that you visit on Sunday night around 6/7 pm or on the weekdays. I personally love going on weeknights as the gurudwara is usually empty and i feel more peace then.

Im sure you are aware of the etiquette of visiting a gurudwara such as covering head with a bandana, taking off shoes before entering, washing hands, sitting on the floor, partaking of a free meal etc

Also check out basics of sikhi on youtube as well as nanak Naam. Also check out school of life, its a UK based channel that tries to help athiests with internal issues, i like some of their content, like why suicide rates are higher n other videos.

Also check out Srigranth.org or i think it might be sri granth .com....just google srigranth, there you can connect with our guru and wat he says.

 

 

[Wicked Warrior]

You don't have the punjabi heritage or language. These will make it a little harder but not impossible. When I was at university, I met a caucasian Sikh who was previously Christian. He never really bothered with religion but I think he too felt spiritual. He openly wore a dastaar (turban) and kept his beard whilst learning about Sikhi. 

He knew more about Sikhi than I did, despite my being born into a Sikh family and knowing what I had learnt over the years. 

[singhbj singh]

Visiting a Gurdwara

http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Visiting_a_Gurdwara

If you are looking for answers to Sikhism related questions select a category below

http://www.sikhanswers.com/faq/

[H908]

Yea I agreed with you on many points. Even Einstein had a concept of a creator and I think  science details the qualities of the creation . Ppl need spirituality and higher living because as of now ppl are ruining their minds and bodies with drugs,sex etc.

as for being a Sikh, you can there might be a language barrier but you can study first and you'll be welcomed. But you need to have a firm understanding and goal of what you want then seek the assistance. Then you could start practicing Sikh tenets

[puzzled]

yes, everyone is welcome. The town i live in has around 4 white people that regularly come. One is a amritdhari(baptized) . Two of them are very involved and even help with serving, cleaning etc and everyone knows them now. 

 

[TaksalDaSingh9771]

Waheguru ji ka khalsa waheguru ji ki fateh 

 

this should help 

[Guest Ilikeyourbeliefs]

Hello again, thank you all for the replies. I am aware there is a language barrier and more importantly a pronunciation barrier - I looked into possibly learning Punjabi last night and their are sounds in there that are very difficult for me to make naturally - much like how Indians have a different way of pronouncing many words in English.

From all of your responses and the research I have done myself, I will be studying Sikhi for some time. I have created an account on this forum now so I will be back to post about my experiences and if I have any questions or experiences to relate.

Again, thank you all very much for taking the time to respond, I am very grateful. It has been very helpful and I wish you all a very happy and fulfilling future. I have only ever met honest, helpful and happy Sikhs and this anonymous online forum has shown the exact same! You are incredible people given all the persecution you have faced previously and even today!

I will study and I will visit the Gurudwara following the Sikh custom. I feel a lot less nervous about going and I desperately want to volunteer some of my spare time to a charitable organisation and I don't trust large charities due to their similarities to big corporations. Perhaps the Gurudara is somewhere I can do a little good. Thank you all so much and I hope the following isn't wrong/offensive.

Shukria, sat sree akaal.

[TaksalDaSingh9771]

On 7/3/2017 at 4:24 AM, Guest Ilikeyourbeliefs said:

 

I will study and I will visit the Gurudwara following the Sikh custom. I feel a lot less nervous about going and I desperately want to volunteer some of my spare time to a charitable organisation and I don't trust large charities due to their similarities to big corporations. Perhaps the Gurudara is somewhere I can do a little good.

Also if you have any Sikh friends or know anybody who goes to the gurdwara often you should go with them. 

Sorry if I offended anyone 

bhul chuk maaf