Definition of a Sikh
After reading the debate on the definition of a Sikh on the Sikh-Diaspora Yahoo
group, I though I'd say something about the comment that to be a Sikh all you
need is a good heart. A good heart is a good start.
Sikhs live in a dichotomy of this world and the next. The Gurus understood
this from the beginning. When Guru Nanak founded the religion, he understood
that the sprit and the understanding of a Sikh is held internally. However,
to preserve the knowledge and let the future generations bathe in the glory
of the teachings, the temporal world has to be addressed otherwise it is lost
for ever. Guru Hargobind understood this well and instituted the concept of
Miri-Piri. You cannot be a Sikh without embracing this concept. What the Guru
Granth Sahib deals with is primarily Miri or the spritual development of the
soul. Piri deals with the temporal relationship of the teaching in the material
world which is outlined in the Rehit Maryada. These are the worldly attributes
that define a Sikh. To do one or the other results in an incomplete definition
of a Sikh. You must do both.
There have also been debates about what is a Khalsa and a Sikh. In my mind
the only difference is the taking of Amrit and formalizing your personal commitment.
That does not mean that Sikhs have the option to follow the Rehit Maryada. Followers
of Sikh teachings that either keep the outward appearance but are weak in sprit
and those that are strong in sprit but do not keep their outward appearance
are incomplete. To call them Sikhs is inaccurate. Waheguru and I accept them
regardless. But call them a Sikh? I think not.
In numerous cases where Sikh rights have to be defended in the US, a non-Kesh
dhari representative of a Gurdwara will be called to defend the wearing of the
Kirpan or Kesh. How can an individual defend our religion when he/she does not
comply? Courts will not accept this as a valid argument and attribute a Sikh's
outward appearance as radical rather than the norm. This is a modern day example
of how Sikh thoughts and culture are being diluted around the world.
Like in the times of the Mogul emperors that the Gurus lived in, we are called
upon everyday to live the life Waheguru gave us. Unlike those times, our people
give up Sikhi based on trivial excuses or lack of effort. I sometimes wonder
how many people that call themselves Sikh would renounce Sikhi if they had a
gun to their head.
Those that live in Sikhi everyday and will defend it at all costs are my heros.
These are the people that are most like the Gurus; yes all 10 of them at last
count.
- Y. Singh