N E W S
Symposium Emphasizes Guru's Teachings

June 18, 2003: VA

The teachings of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib were described as ideal for the metamorphosis of the human mind to god consciousness at the Second Annual Seminar on Sikhism held near the nation's capital in Richmond, Virginia, on May31- June 1, 2003.

The symposium was sponsored by the Sikh Association of Central Virginia and held at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Richmond for the academic part and at the local Gurdwara the following day for the religious part. Participants came from as far as California, British Columbia and Quebec.

Cliff Edward, Dean of Religious Studies of Virginia Commonwealth University, inaugurated the seminar with complements to the Sikh communities which have provided knowledge of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib to American universities.

Gurbax Singh (Kalaafghan) of Singh Sabha International emphasized that all of the Sikh Gurus expounded the same philosophy of universality by producing the eternal scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib. This scripture was complete and final; Sikhs do not need any other writings for their guidance.

Kuldip Singh, Chairman of Educational Task Force of World Sikh Council, said that there was no place for personality worship in Sikhism. The followers were directed to get the guidance from the "Shabad" that is contained in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

Harbans Lal, President of the Academy of Guru Granth Studies, said that the Infinite Wisdom (Vaheguru) revealed the sacred words of the Sikh faith to Guru Nanak on the day of the full moon in September-October 1499. Further revelations to him, his successors, and selected holy men constitute the text of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. He described the Sri Guru Granth Sahib as having the formula to elevate the human mind to god consciousness.

Devindrer Singh of Alberta, Canada, spoke on the concept of huqam or divine will in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. He described it as the laws created by God to manage the whole universe.

Kulbir Singh spoke of the uniqueness of Guru Nanak's hymns. No one before him had written against the fraudulent clerics of all religions, as well the hypocrisy of many religious practices.

Devinder Singh, President of the Institute of Understanding Sikhism, defined the term Guru and its relation with Sabad. He further proposed to respond to a question as who is Guru in Sikhism and how is Gurbani defined in Sikhism.

Jasbir Singh who is president of Humbhi urged the Sikh community to preserve the sanctity of the guruship and take corrective measures of any catastrophic malaise.

Gurbax Singh of the Shromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee, Amritsar, spoke of the teachings of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib by saying that, do not divide people into Hindus and Muslims (into different religions). They are all children of the same common God, hence equal; they should, therefore, live as brothers and sisters. No one is high or low by birth (or by race, country, status, etc.). No prophet or community has sole rights or a monopoly on God. Anyone who loves God realizes God. He further stated that Gurbani is the only scripture which respects the human rights of women and gives them a respectable status.

Avtar Singh of the Tri-City Sikh Association, Johnson City, Tennessee, said that Gurbani emphasizes Creation as a part of the Creator (God) and, according to God's 'Will' it has occurred several times.

Kulwant Singh spoke of how the Sikh holy hymns guide humanity to promote good citizenship both for this world and for spiritual uplift. He further narrated the place given to women in the Sikh society.

Hardev Singh, Editor of the Sikh Bulletin, described how the Sri Guru Granth Sahib's teachings changed his life. There is no aspect of human endeavor that the SGGS does not touch upon.

Harbans Lal, President of the Academy of Guru Granth Studies, released the Guru Granth Reference Library on Gurbani CD and honored its creator/author Kulbir Singh. The CD contains the original Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Gurmukhi with transliteration in Hindi and Roman. It contains translations in English, a dictionary and some exegeses along with electronic tools for research.

The scholars speaking at the conference were honored at the end by Harmohinder Singh, Chairman Board of Trustees of the Sikh Association of Central Virginia.

The event continued the following day in the Richmond Gurdwara. Hardev Singh spoke of the need for a new renaisance movement among the Sikhs. Kuldip Singh warned Sikhs against many inroads of those who are really not well wishers of the Sikh community.

The Seminar and the CD were dedicated to the Quad-Centennial Celebration of the First Compilation of Guru Granth in 1604. The Seminar Proceedings will be edited and published by the Sikh Association. A copy of the abstracts is available from Baljit Singh (Email: bsidhu0221@hotmail.com).

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