Befriending my Sikh neighbor

[IronLion]

Hello,

I am new to Sikhism. About 5 months ago I found Sikhism and developed a strong faith in it, but bounced back to Buddhism (which I had been for about 11 years) when I got some backlash from my fiance, but have recently in the past several weeks come back to Sikhism due to meeting the same issues I had before with Buddhism. Coinciding with my renewed faith in Sikhism, I moved into an apartment. The day that I moved into our apartment I saw a Sikh man (assuming he is a Sikh based on his dastar and beard). He lives across the park lot from me. I have seen him many times and spoke with him very briefly once while we passed each other walking our dogs. There is also one other Sikh man in the building next to mine. I think there is meaning behind my move into this apartment (it is temporary and circumstances were abrupt for it) in that I am now living very close to two Sikhs (I live in Florida and not a lot of Sikhs in my area) coinciding with my renewed faith in Sikhism. Seeing these men inspire faith in me. For a couple reasons I do not keep Kesh or wear a dastar at this time. I don't know if it is appropriate, or how I would go about it, but I would like to discuss Sikhism with my neighbors. I would be especially interested to know if they go to a Gurdwara, as I have not found a local Gurdwara when I search the internet for one. Any thoughts on this matter would be appreciated. Thanks!

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

-I.

[BhForce]

23 minutes ago, IronLion said:

I don't know if it is appropriate, or how I would go about it, but I would like to discuss Sikhism with my neighbors

Well, the way to go about it is simply, the next time you see him, say Hi again, talk about your dogs, then ask, "Say, are you a Sikh?". Once he says yes, go on from there. After chatting for a few minutes, you can say that you are very interested in the subject, and would he like to come to your apartment to continue the conversation over coffee or whatever.

25 minutes ago, IronLion said:

For a couple reasons I do not keep Kesh or wear a dastar at this time.

No problem, you should keep learning and work through your doubts/questions before taking a step such as that, and also be able to answer all/most of the questions your non-Sikh neighbors are likely to ask you.

26 minutes ago, IronLion said:

Any thoughts on this matter would be appreciated.

Well, one more thought is that though I appreciate the desire for a personal and real connection to an actual living Sikh who is your neighbor, note also that it's not necessarily the case that your particular neighbor will be a hugely knowledgeable Sikh who can answer all your questions in a satisfying way. Anotherwords, please excuse human fallibilities. It's also possible your Sikh neighbor may lead you astray.

You can always double-check by posting your questions here.

[GurjantGnostic]

3 hours ago, IronLion said:

Hello,

I am new to Sikhism. About 5 months ago I found Sikhism and developed a strong faith in it, but bounced back to Buddhism (which I had been for about 11 years) when I got some backlash from my fiance, but have recently in the past several weeks come back to Sikhism due to meeting the same issues I had before with Buddhism. Coinciding with my renewed faith in Sikhism, I moved into an apartment. The day that I moved into our apartment I saw a Sikh man (assuming he is a Sikh based on his dastar and beard). He lives across the park lot from me. I have seen him many times and spoke with him very briefly once while we passed each other walking our dogs. There is also one other Sikh man in the building next to mine. I think there is meaning behind my move into this apartment (it is temporary and circumstances were abrupt for it) in that I am now living very close to two Sikhs (I live in Florida and not a lot of Sikhs in my area) coinciding with my renewed faith in Sikhism. Seeing these men inspire faith in me. For a couple reasons I do not keep Kesh or wear a dastar at this time. I don't know if it is appropriate, or how I would go about it, but I would like to discuss Sikhism with my neighbors. I would be especially interested to know if they go to a Gurdwara, as I have not found a local Gurdwara when I search the internet for one. Any thoughts on this matter would be appreciated. Thanks!

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

-I.

It's been my experience Keshdari are really approachable. @BhForce Veer Ji's advice is probably better, to ask if they are a Sikh first, but I've only ever gotten a genuine and positive response just sayin Sat Sri Akal to start. 

They would probably love to talk to you and would know if the Sangat meets somewhere if no Gurudwara is around. 

[singhbj singh]

Here is a list of Gurdwara's in Florida.

Get in touch with an official & request a guided tour.

Name	City	Ref
Govind Sukh Sagar	Clermont	[10]
Govind Sukh Sagar	Orlando	[11]
Nanaksar Thath Isher Darbar	Kissimmee	http://www.gurdwarananaksarflorida.com/
Tampa Gurdwara	Thonotosassa	http://www.tampagurdwara.com/
Sikh Society of Central Florida	Oviedo	http://www.orlandogurdwara.com/
Sikh Society of Florida	Southwest Ranches(South Florida metropolitan area)	http://www.miamigurudwara.org/
Sikh Society of North East Florida	Jacksonville	http://www.jaxgurudwara.org

[IronLion]

Thanks everyone. Your approach makes sense BhForce, I was just unsure of the etiquette about asking one if they are Sikh and wanted to get a go ahead from others. 

Thanks again!

-I.