Gauracandra Posted November 18, 2002 Report Share Posted November 18, 2002 Birthday of Guru Nanak On our calendar, November 19 is the birthday of Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh religion. Sikhs worldwide celebrate by singing hymns and offering prayers. As Guru Nanak Day approaches, Sikhs often hold a continuous reading of the entire Sikh scriptures. Sikhism originated with Guru Nanak, who was born in 1469. He stressed hard work, charity, and constant mindfulness of god. Today there are nearly 20 million Sikhs worldwide, most in India. About 500,000 live in North America. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted November 18, 2002 Report Share Posted November 18, 2002 Gauracandra, Am I correct in thinking the Shiks to be personalists who also place much importance on God's name? Do they also use beads? Any other similarities? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahnava Nitai Das Posted November 18, 2002 Report Share Posted November 18, 2002 They are personalists who worship an inconceivable formless God, something like Allah. But His name is Govinda, Rama, etc. They also sometimes use japa malas in their worship. Their main worship is to the holy scripture, Guru Granth Sahib. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted November 18, 2002 Report Share Posted November 18, 2002 JNdas, I don't quite get that. Do they just reject material forms for God with no real conception beyond that or do they have a conception of the Brahman effulgence which they relate to as personal? Can you elaborate a bit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahnava Nitai Das Posted November 18, 2002 Report Share Posted November 18, 2002 They reject any material form for God, but don't have positive information about His spiritual qualities. They don't worship deities, as they consider these to be idols (material forms), but instead worship the holy scripture, which they call as Guru Granth Sahib. In that book, His divine names are sometimes glorified (Rama, Govinda, etc.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 18, 2002 Report Share Posted November 18, 2002 from what you say sikhism is a form of inpersonalism as oppossed to personalism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theist Posted November 18, 2002 Report Share Posted November 18, 2002 Sounds like they are influenced by Islam a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 18, 2002 Report Share Posted November 18, 2002 Haribol. Srila Prabhupada regarded Guru Nanak as authoritive and a worshipper of the Supreme Lord. Impersonalism is regarding the absolute truth as formless and without identity, nor separate from any other entity. Sikhs worship the person God, but His form is conceived as inconceivable. Our line also regards that way, we accept acintya beda beda tattwa, which is inconceivable oneness and simultaneous difference. Hare krsna, ys, mahak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 19, 2002 Report Share Posted November 19, 2002 "acintya beda beda tattwa, which is inconceivable oneness and simultaneous difference" In my opinion, this point has nothing to do with the Supreme Lord as personal/impersonal. Its to do with our relationship as the soul with the Lord in terms of being part and parcel of Him ,but He remaining independent of the soul. Its like a drop of water (soul/atma) merging into the ocean (God). The drop of water doesnt then become the ocean (ie doesnt become God, but is simultaneously one but different. The ocean is independent of the drop of water. But if ultimately Sikhism may follow it still considers God to not have a form (nirakar) where Vainava philosophy accepts the sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Jai Shree Krishna!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 22, 2002 Report Share Posted November 22, 2002 why is it ekadashi's certain pornima vary in calender ie swiminarayan and isckon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauracandra Posted November 26, 2002 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2002 Its my understanding that the founder of the Sikhs sought to reconcile these differences, and was told by Govinda that he was neither, he was Sikh. And thus was born their religion. Apparently in some biographies of Guru Nanak it is mentioned that he and Sri Caitanya met, and held kirtan together. It is my understanding that the Sikhs have always been protectors of the Vaisnavas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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