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The Canon · No. 059

Sikhism

Sikhi

1469 CE – present · Dharmic / Indian · Living · Punjab; large diaspora in the UK, Canada, US, Australia

V. THE MEDIEVAL WORLD — c.500 – 1500 CE

How many

About 25–30 million, the fifth-largest organised religion. Roughly 58% of Punjab.

Who began it

Guru Nanak (1469–1539), born in Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. After a disappearance of three days in a river he emerged and said: There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim. Nine further human Gurus followed.

What it is for

To realise God through honest living in the world — not through renunciation, ritual, caste or priesthood.

What it worships

Ik Onkar — one reality, formless, timeless, without gender, self-existent, creator, without fear or enmity, realised by grace. God is not incarnate and has no image; Sikh temples contain no statues.

What it holds

Radical monotheism. Total rejection of caste, of ritual purity, of pilgrimage as merit, of idol worship, of asceticism and of a priestly class. Equality of women is stated explicitly by Nanak, who asked why one should call inferior the sex that gives birth to kings. Three pillars: Naam Japna (remember God), Kirat Karni (earn an honest living), Vand Chakna (share with others). Five thieves to overcome: lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego. Sewa, selfless service, is central. The Guru Granth Sahib is the eternal living Guru — after the tenth human Guru, authority passed permanently to the book, which is treated as a living person: enthroned, put to rest at night, and carried with ceremony.

What it does

The gurdwara, open to anyone of any religion. Langar — a free communal kitchen serving anyone who comes, seated on the floor together regardless of caste, class or faith; the Golden Temple serves an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 meals a day. Kirtan, sung scripture. The Five Ks for initiated (Amritdhari) Sikhs: kesh (uncut hair, covered with the turban), kangha (comb), kara (steel bracelet), kachhera (undergarment), kirpan (a small sword, carried as an obligation to defend the defenceless). Initiation by Amrit Sanchar. No fasting, no monasticism, no clergy.

After death

Rebirth driven by karma, with human birth the rare opportunity to escape it. Liberation is mukti — merging with God like a drop into the ocean, described as ending the cycle rather than as arriving at a place. There is no heaven or hell as literal destinations; the Guru Granth Sahib treats them as states of mind and rebukes those who behave well only for reward. God's grace, not accumulated merit, is decisive. Sikhism explicitly holds that people of other faiths can be liberated.

Its texts

Guru Granth Sahib, 1,430 pages, compiled by the fifth Guru and finalised by the tenth. It contains the writings of six Sikh Gurus and, remarkably, of fifteen non-Sikh saints including the Muslim Sufi Baba Farid and the Hindu low-caste poets Kabir and Ravidas — a scripture that canonises other people's teachers. Also the Dasam Granth, attributed to Guru Gobind Singh.

Its branches

Khalsa and Sahajdhari (uninitiated) Sikhs; Namdhari; Nirankari; the Udasi order. 3HO in the West is regarded by many Sikhs as a separate movement.

Of note

Sikhism is the youngest religion on this list to reach world-religion status independently, and the only one whose scripture includes the writings of teachers from the two religions it emerged between.

Its timeline

  1. 1469 CE Guru Nanak born.
  2. 1499 CE His revelation and the beginning of his four long journeys.
  3. 1577, 1604 CE Amritsar founded; the Golden Temple built with doors on all four sides to signify openness to all; the Adi Granth installed.
  4. 1606 CE Guru Arjan martyred by the Mughal emperor Jahangir. The community begins to arm.
  5. 1675 CE Guru Tegh Bahadur executed in Delhi for defending the right of Kashmiri Hindus — not Sikhs — to practise their religion. Sikhs regard this as a martyrdom for religious freedom as such.
  6. <strong>1699 CE</strong> Guru Gobind Singh founds the Khalsa at Anandpur, initiating five volunteers and then asking them to initiate him. Surnames Singh (lion) and Kaur (princess) adopted to erase caste names.
  7. 1708 CE Guru Gobind Singh dies, declaring the Guru Granth Sahib the eternal Guru.
  8. 1799–1849 CE The Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
  9. 1849 CE British annexation of Punjab.
  10. 1919 CE Jallianwala Bagh massacre at Amritsar.
  11. 1947 CE Partition cuts Punjab in two; Sikhs suffer enormous casualties and mass displacement.
  12. <strong>1984 CE</strong> Operation Blue Star — the Indian Army assaults the Golden Temple complex. Indira Gandhi is assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards; anti-Sikh pogroms follow in Delhi and elsewhere, killing thousands.
  13. 2012 CE Oak Creek gurdwara shooting, Wisconsin.
  14. Present Turbaned Sikhs remain among the most frequent victims of anti-Muslim hate crime in the West, through mistaken identity.

Sources

Not yet checked against named sources. This entry is the house's reading; until it is checked, treat each claim as unverified. Correct it, with a source.

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