Flashcards
Sikhism
Flashcards do conjunto (25)
- 1What does Waheguru mean?God or ‘wondrous enlightener’, there is only one God, who created everything. Waheguru must remain in the mind at all times and Sikhism is a way of life, so Sikhs’ beliefs reflect their actions on a daily basis and bring them closer to Waheguru. God is described in three ways; Sat Nam (True Name), Ik Onkar (There Is Only One God), and Akal Purkh (Eternal Being). Only Waheguru must be worshipped, there are no images of Waheguru. However, there are images of Ten Gurus found in the gurdwara, they are honoured and respected but never worshipped or treated like gods.
- 2What are the characteristics of Waheguru?The creator (creation was God’s will, known as Hukam). Ineffable (Waheguru’s essence cannot be described in words). Genderless. Self-revealing and Necessary (Waheguru is Sargun, which means having shape or form within the world, and able to have a personal relationship with creation. Yet, Waheguru is Nirgun, which means without form, and beyond creation, and unaffected by the world).
- 3What are the characteristics of Waheguru?Eternal (Waheguru is beyond the cycle of birth and death). Present in All Creation in the Form of the Divine Spark (the part of Waheguru that is the soul of all beings).
Revealed by the Grace of the Guru (Waheguru can be known through understanding and learning what each of the Ten Gurus contributed to Sikhism).
Knowable to All (Waheguru is knowable to anyone who dedicates their life to learning and understanding God). - 4What is the Mool Mantar?The Sikh statement of belief and contains the key beliefs about Waheguru. It is the opening text of the Guru Granth Sahib (Holy Book), which is the word of Waheguru so it is infallible. It is as followed; Ik onkar (one God), Sat Name
(eternal truth is his name), Kurtah Purakh (he is the creator), Nir Bhau (without fear), Nir Vair (without hate), Akaal Moorat (immortal without form), Ajooni (beyond birth and death), Saibhang (self-existent), and Gurprasaad (by the Guru’s grace). - 5Why is the first line of the Mool Mantar important?It is “Ik Onkar”, meaning “There is only one God”. This symbolises the importance of the belief in the oneness of God and the oneness of humanity, so everyone is equal. The symbol meaning “Ik Onkar” is seen in gurdwara and Sikh homes, to show that this is the most important belief in Sikhism and that it should always be in the mind of Sikhs. The symbol helps Sikhs to focus on Waheguru when praying and meditating.
- 6Why do Sikhs believe that Waheguru created the world and is part of this creation?Before the universe existed, there was only Waheguru, and it was because of 'the will of God' (Hukam) that the universe was created. He sustains the world and is responsible for everything in it, so Sikhs have a duty to respect and protect the world. The Guru Granth Sahib explores the nature of Waheguru’s creation rather than the origins of the universe. Many Sikhs accept scientific theories about the creation of the world.
- 7Why do Sikhs believe that God is separate from the universe?Waheguru is Nirgun (transcendent, beyond the world), genderless, and ineffable. Waheguru is outside time and space and therefore uncreated, and not affected or changed by anything. Waheguru is beyond any human explanation, but Sikhs use many different names to understand Waheguru’s nature.
- 8Why do Sikhs believe that God is part of the universe?Waheguru is Sargun (immanent, within the world) and everything in the universe has Waheguru’s presence in it, he is part of them in the form of the divine spark (soul). Waheguru cares for his creation and everything that changes and happens in the world is because of Waheguru’s Hukam, this enables him to reveal himself to human beings.
- 9What is the Guru Granth Sahib, the last Guru?A collation of many hymns, poems, shabads and writings from different scholars, including the Gurus and Hindu and Muslim writers. Every Guru Granth Sahib has 1,430 pages, and every copy is identical. It was completed in 1604 and installed in the Golden Temple. The Guru Granth Sahib is not just the holy scripture of Sikhism, it is also the living Guru because Guru Gobind Singh declared that it would be the Eternal Guru.
- 10Why is the Guru Granth Sahib significant?It contains the words spoken by the Gurus, known as Gurbani, meaning ‘from the Guru’s mouth’. It is the word of God and is infallible. It is written in Gurmukhi, the script the Punjabi language is written in. It is placed in the prayer hall within the gurdwara, any building with a copy is considered a gurdwara. It is considered as the Living Guru, because the Gurmukhi scripture is considered the word of God and treated with respect like a human.
- 11What is Compilation and Contents of the Guru Granth Sahib?Many of Guru Nanak’s hymns and prayers were preserved and complied by Guru Angad and Guru Arjan into the Adi Granth. The Adi Granth included writings from Hindu and Muslim writers who believed in the oneness of God, some of these writers were from lower castes reflecting the inclusiveness of Sikhism.
The original copy is written in different languages, reflecting its different authors. The first shabad is the Mool Mantra (statement of belief). The first line is “Ik Onkar”, meaning ‘there is only One God’. - 12In which ways is respect for Guru Granth Sahib shown?Sikhs remove their shoes, wash their hands, and cover their heads before entering the gurdwara. The Guru Granth Sahib is placed on a takht (a raised platform) under the manji (a bed for the Guru to be placed on). Above this there is the palki (a domed structure that covers the area that holds the Guru), this is covered by the chanani (a canopy made from decorated cloth known as rumalla).
- 13In which ways is respect for Guru Granth Sahib shown?The sangat sit on the floor in the Darbar Sahib to ensure their heads are not higher than the Guru. Sikhs make offerings to the Guru when they enter the prayer hall and never turn their backs on the Guru. A granthi is a person appointed to read the Guru, and when it is being read, a chauri (a special fan made from yak hair), is waved above it. The Guru is put in a separate room at night.
- 14What are the key messages of the Guru Granth Sahib?Everyone in the world is equal, men and women should have equality. There is only one God of all religions. Sikhs should live and speak truthfully, and avoid the five vices; anger, greed, lust, pride and attachment to material possessions. To reach contentment, Sikhs should accept that the world is created because of God’s will and that everything in the world happens because of Waheguru. Sikhs should practise the virtues of truth and truthful living, compassion and patience, love, humility and self-control, contentment, and wisdom and courage.
- 15How can Sikhs break free from the cycle of Samsara?They must lead a life that is gurmukh (God centred), not manmukh (self-centred). To do this they must; accept God’s grace and love, focus their mind on Waheguru at all times, meditate on Waheguru’s name (Nam Japna), earn an honest living (Kirat Karna), give to charity and help others (Wand Chakna), and perform selfless service (sewa).
- 16What are Sikh beliefs about Life after Death?Sikhs believe that life is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth (samsara). Sikhs believe that when humans die, they are reborn into a new body (reincarnation). There are over 8.4 million different possible life forms that they might have to experience before they are liberated from the cycle of samsara.
- 17What is the Atma?A soul or divine spark that is given to all beings by Waheguru, it is a part of Waheguru within them. At death, the atmas of humans and animals are reborn into a new body as part of the cycle of rebirth. The body that the atma is born into is determined by the karma gained in its previous life, the highest possible being on Earth is a human. The cycle of samsara repeats itself until the atma has been liberated from the pattern and is reunited with Waheguru in mukti.
- 18What is Karma?The consequences of a person’s actions and words. Moral actions lead to good karma (being born into a human body), and immoral actions lead to bad karma (being born into an animal body). Karma in a previous life directly impacts the atma in the next life. Humans can develop and move closer towards liberation by building up good karma through accepting Waheguru’s grace and love, and performing good deeds, such as Kirat Karna (working honestly), Wand Chakna (giving to charity) and Nam Japna (remembering God's name).
- 19What is Mukti?It means liberation, and is the ultimate goal for many Sikhs, as they wish to be reunited with Waheguru. In order to reach mukti, a Sikh must rid themselves of all bad karma and focus on gaining good karma. Mukti is ineffable (cannot be explained) because no one can describe what it would be like to be united with Waheguru. Mukti can be achieved while someone is alive (jivan mukti).
- 20How can Sikhs reunite with God through mukti?Sikhs must develop the virtuous characteristics that enable them to become gurmukh by removing barriers the five barriers to mukti. These are known as the Five Vices; lust (kama), greed (lobh), anger (krodh), attachment (moh), and pride (ahankar). Also, they must remove the barriers of; the illusion that material possessions that are temporary and unimportant are permanent and valuable (maya), being egotistic (haumai), and being self-centred (manmukh).
- 21What are the Virtues?Throughout their lives, people should develop different virtues through their actions, which are important characteristics of a person that will help them reach mukti. They are; truth and truthful living, compassion and patience, contentment, humility and self-control, love, and wisdom and courage. Sikhs must also perform sewa (selfless service), and the three foundations of Sikhism; meditating on Waheguru’s name (Nam Japna), earning an honest living (Kirat Karna), and giving to charity (Wand Chakna)
- 22What is the belief of the Oneness of Humanity?All humans are equal and should be treated respectfully because they were all created by Waheguru, who is present in every individual as the atma or divine spark. Sikhs should not try to convert other people to Sikhism (egalitarianism) because all faiths are inclusive and all paths lead to the one true God.
- 23What is the Hindu Caste system that Guru Nanak rejected?The belief that every individual is born into a hierarchical group that is determined by their family’s work. The higher castes contain individuals whose jobs require intelligence, such as teachers, priests and doctors. The lower castes perform the more manual work, such as farming. These castes are for life and Hindus do not often mix with other castes.
- 24What does Sikhism teach about the Oneness of Humanity?All creatures were created by God’s Hukam and must be treated with respect and dignity. Humans are different from all other species as they can make moral judgements because they have the divine spark within them, given to them by God.
All humans are ‘one’ and of equal worth.
There are many different paths to God, and these are seen in the form of different religions, and every individual can find their way to God. - 25How is the Oneness of Humanity reflected within the gurdwara and the Sikh community?There is no distinction between men and women, they can take part in all aspects of worship, and can lead worship by reading the Guru Granth Sahib and playing music. All individuals are equal within the sangat. Anyone who wishes to can be initiated into the Sikh faith and become part of the Khalsa by taking part in the Amrit Sanskar ceremony and becoming an Amritdhari Sikh.
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- Religious Studies FlashCards sobre Sikhism, criado por Miss Rogers em 27-05-2020.
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