Hello there.
I'm fairly new to anything related to Sikhism (was only made curious by a video regarding the Golden Temple's kitchen, and have been digging in to as much reading as possible in the last few days as a result), and I have some questions. I'm sure that, with enough time, I could find the answers myself, but I'm hoping some of you wonderful people can help me speed the process.
How, exactly, does Sikhism consider the Gurus? Are they similar to Jewish or Islamic Prophets? Are they to be worshiped? Are they considered to be above other humans?
Something I read early on, but haven't seen referenced since, is that Sikhism has a search for "The Truth", which I believe was used to refer to looking beyond the subjective and perceptual illusions of human life and finding, or becoming closer to, God. Is this actually a focus or part of Sikhism, or a misinterpretation by a Western source? If it is a focus/part, does it trump other things in the religion (ie: does Truth come before Discipline, or Charity, or Community)?
And finally (at least for now): I've heard much of Sikhism's tolerance, yet while cruising the net (and even this forum) I've seen things that cast a bit of a shadow on that. Most prominently the arguments regarding the Kesh, and statements declaring those with short hair to be "disgusting", not "real Sikhs" and various other things. Are these statements of condemnation a minority, or a majority of opinion?
Thanks in advance.
More...
I'm fairly new to anything related to Sikhism (was only made curious by a video regarding the Golden Temple's kitchen, and have been digging in to as much reading as possible in the last few days as a result), and I have some questions. I'm sure that, with enough time, I could find the answers myself, but I'm hoping some of you wonderful people can help me speed the process.
How, exactly, does Sikhism consider the Gurus? Are they similar to Jewish or Islamic Prophets? Are they to be worshiped? Are they considered to be above other humans?
Something I read early on, but haven't seen referenced since, is that Sikhism has a search for "The Truth", which I believe was used to refer to looking beyond the subjective and perceptual illusions of human life and finding, or becoming closer to, God. Is this actually a focus or part of Sikhism, or a misinterpretation by a Western source? If it is a focus/part, does it trump other things in the religion (ie: does Truth come before Discipline, or Charity, or Community)?
And finally (at least for now): I've heard much of Sikhism's tolerance, yet while cruising the net (and even this forum) I've seen things that cast a bit of a shadow on that. Most prominently the arguments regarding the Kesh, and statements declaring those with short hair to be "disgusting", not "real Sikhs" and various other things. Are these statements of condemnation a minority, or a majority of opinion?
Thanks in advance.
More...