Khalsa Sikh Essay

Khalsa Sikh Essay

1. What are the 5ks?

   • Kara- a bracelet that is never ending, symbolises that god has no beginning or end.
   • Kachera- Pants, to symbolise modesty
   • Kirpan- a sword, to defend and protect people, it is never used for something not serious
   • Kesh- letting your hair grow and never cutting it, it is a gift from God.
   • Kanga- a comb to keep the hair neat and tidy

2. What are the rules of being a Khalsa Sikh?

   • Only worship one God
     • Although a Sikh may learn as many languages as he likes, he must learn Punjabi and teach his children to learn to read it.
   • They will not believe in any other religious books apart from the Holy Guru Granth Sahib
     • Every male should add "Singh" after his name and every female Khalsa should add "Kaur" after her name.
     • They must never remove hair from any part of their bodies.
   • They will not believe in castes, untouchability, magic, omens, amulets, astrology, appeasement rituals, ceremonial hair cutting, fasts, frontal masks, sacred thread, graves and traditional death rites.
     • Khalsa men and women will not make holes in their ears or nose and shall have no connection whatsoever with those who kill their daughters. Sikh women will not wear a veil.
     • The Khalsa will pray to God before starting any work. This will be over and above his usual prayers.
   • The Khalsa will remain distinct by wearing the Five K's but shall not injure the feelings of others professing different religions.
     • Drugs, Smoking and Alcohol are strictly forbidden for Sikhs
     • Except for the kacha and the turban there is no restrictions on the dress of a Khalsa, but a Khalsa's dress should be simple and modest.

3. Spiritual Evolution

   • 1: a Manmukh- A person who is self-centered and only thinks about himself and the material world around him and is totally oblivious to God
   • 2: a Sikh- Anyone who sets out on the path of learning and meets the specific definition of a Sikh as appears in the Rehat Maryada (Official Code of Conduct).
   • 3: a Khalsa- Total dedication to Sikhism. One who has has shed his ego and personality and truly honours the memory of Guru Gobind Singh through his actions and deeds.
   • 4: a Gurumukh- One who has achieved mukhti (salvation) and is totally God-centered.

4. What is Khalsa Sikh?

   • A Khalsa Sikh is a Sikh who has total dedication to Sikhism and goes through the process of the Amrit ceremony.

5. How is a Khalsa different from any other Sikh?

   • The word sikh comes from the word "sikhsa" meaning learner or pupil. A sikh is a person who develops morality from a scripture, this is why people often say that they are sikhs of Guru Nanak: meaning they are learners of the morality that Guru Nanak taught. However, Khalsa is a possessive noun, a name for a particular group or organization. Khalsa translates to the word pure and in Sikhism, the Khalsa is considered to be the brotherhood of the pure and is an order of spiritual warriors or saint soldiers.

6. How might they try to fulfil their duty to God and the community?

   • Khalsa Aid is an international nonprofit charity who support those hit with crisis all across the world. This is an example of a serving to the community as they help without pay for the justice and right of the community.
     • Sikh spirituality is centred round this need to understand and experience God, and eventually become one with God. To do this sikhs must switch the focus of attention from them to God. To get to this state God must give it to them as a gift, it is not something you can earn. God shows people through holy books, and by the examples of saints, the best ways to get close to him.

7. How does Khalsa promote equality ?

   • Langar - Every gurdwara has a langar, it is a kitchen in which anyone regard the sex, gender or religion can enjoy a free meal. There are no rituals in the langar and everyone eats together. All of the food prepared in the langar is vegetarian to therefore not offend anyone groups religion.
     • There is a group known as Sikh Human Rights Group. They promote and protect human rights, as they believe that everyone is equal and that God made every one of us for a reason. The SHRG has members from many communities, and is open to all who agree with its principles, whether or not they are Sikh.
     • Guru Nanak Devi Ji (the first Guru) taught that everyone should worship the same God and that every person is equal and should be treated equally. He said that there is no Hindu and no Muslim because everyone is the same in Waheguru’s eyes.