EcoSikh 9-14-2015

14, September 2015               EcoSikh

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Sikhs, the 5^th largest religion in the world, are at the forefront of eco-friendly responses to climate change guided by the teachings of the Sikh Gurus. But first a short history of the Sikhs and how they emerged to be such a powerful tour de force in India and abroad.

But first a short history of the Sikhs:

Sikhism was founded in Punjab by Guru Nanak in the 15th Century and is a monotheistic religion. Sikhs believe religion should be practiced by living in the world and coping with life's everyday problems. The origins of the faith may be traced back to a part of Punjab which is located in modern day Pakistan. Guru Nanak began to challenge the myriad of rituals which were prevalent at the time and indeed continue in modern day India. He spent countless hours in deep meditation to seek guidance from the divine. After many such long periods of meditation he came to the realization that, contrary to the prevailing belief system, there is only ONE GOD. He assigned the name TRUTH to this universal entity. Guru Nanak lived at a time when superstition and myth was commonly practiced. He excoriated the caste system as inherently unjust and evil and idol worship as totally misguided. When coming of age he refused to participate in the coming of age Hindu thread tying ceremony. Although he was born a Hindu, he established a close relationship with a Muslim bard, Mardana, whose poetry goes deep into Sikhism's origins. This may partially explain why Hindus and Muslims both revere Guru Nanak.

The three basic tenets of the Sikh Faith and Fundamental Principles are:

1. Naam japna, remembering God through meditation:
2. Kirat karo, earning an honest living:
3. Vand chakko, selflessly serving others, especially the poor and disadvantaged and donating

part (a minimum of 10% - 15%) to charitable causes.

This includes SEVA, serving others as epitomized by the langar (food served in all Sikh temples throughout the world). Volunteers perform all the menial work in Sikh temples and serve free meals. 

Sikhism preaches complete gender equality.

The five evils that human’s must resist are:

Kam – lust  Krodh – anger, wrath    Lobh – greed  Moh – attachment      

Ahankar – ego,pride

Conversely, Five Virtues are:

Sat – Truth, Santokh – Contentment,  Daya – Compassion,  Nimrata – Humility,

Pyare – Love

Following the death of Guru Nanak, nine other Gurus followed with the realization that such radical social changes in Indian society could not be accomplished in a single generation. The tenth Guru assigned the identifying uniform, the 5-K’s, which set Sikhs apart from the Mughal invaders who were determined to convert Hindus to Muslims by the power of the sword. The most notable of these symbols is the unshorn hair and turban.

This concludes the basic tenets of Sikhism.

A brief description of EcoSikh follows.

EcoSikh was founded in response to climate change and a profound concern for the survival of the planet and all its inhabitants.

EcoSikh connects Sikh values, beliefs, and institutions to the most important environmental issues facing our world. They draw on the rich tradition of the ten Sikh Gurus to shape the behavior and outlook of Sikhs and the world, ensuring that their deep reverence for all creation remains a central part of the Sikh way of life.

First a short quotation from the holy book of the Sikhs, The Guru Granth Sahib.

…Please bless me with the rice of truth and self-restraint, the wheat of compassion, and the leaf-plate of meditation. Bless me with the milk of good karma, and the clarified butter, the ghee, of compassion. Such are the gifts I beg of You, Lord…”

The Gurus encouraged Sikhs to develop our relationship with God by engaging in the world around us. By taking care of the environment we learn more about our Gurus’ relationship with the natural world, and reconnect with a part of the Sikh spiritual identity that the first embodiment of Divine Light, Guru Nanak laid the foundation for.the Sikh religion.

Eak Bageecha:  is a compilation of shabads (poetry) sung to music which enjoins its followers to care for God’s beautiful earth and ensure its survival for all future generations. It’s a stark testimony on the visionary nature of the Sikh Gurus and offers a poetic blueprint for our daily activities, namely we at all cost be must responsible custodians of mother earth and all its inhabitants.

A stanza from the fifth Guru translated by Albel Singh.

This poetry is set to musical measure by the fifth Guru, Arjun Dev Ji (Ji is usually appended to all the Guru’s names as a mark of respect and reverence)

There is a garden.
It has so many plants created within it.
And each bears the sweet-neutered
Naam as its fruit.

Consider this, O wise one,
In this garden you may seek the means by which to attain eternal bliss.
O brothers and sisters of Destiny,
This garden has dark pools of poison here and there,
But it also contains the ambrosial nectar within it.

There is only one gardener who tends it.
He takes care of every leaf and branch.
He brought all these plants and planted them there.
They all bear fruit – none is without fruit.
The one who receives the ambrosial fruit of the Naam
From the Guru – O Nanak,
Such a servant has a way to pass over the ocean of illusion

NOTE: The ocean of illusion denotes the physical world meaning the only reality is that which is timeless unbound by time and space, that is GOD.

A Gurbani Compilation on the Environment: The Gurus encouraged us to develop our relationship with Waheguru (God) by engaging in the world around us. By taking care of the environment we learn more about our Gurus’ relationship with the natural world, and reconnect with a part of the Sikh spiritual identity that the first embodiment of Divine Light, as espoused by the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak