In my effort to sort out Orthodox from Naamdhari from Nirankare and understand how Sikhi evolved from the message of Guru Nanak to the situation I see in videos where it's hard to tell who is attacking who, I keep running into this statement that certain Sikhs are not really Sikhs because they say that SGGS is a book.
And I'm thinking, "But it IS a BOOK." So is that heresy? I mean, when I read and heard that Guru Gobind Singh put an end to the human Guru lineage and named the SGGS as the last Guru, I thought that meant that the SGGS was the final teacher, what brings one from darkness to light (as that is what I'm told the definition of Guru is). That made sense to me sense our sacred texts are our teachers.
But now I'm getting the idea that Sikhi (or some groups of Sikhs anyhow) actually believe that the SGGS is a living entity, the reincarnation of Guru Nanak. And thinking about that I immediately thought of the fact that many Sikhs also believe that Guru Nanak IS God.
So does that mean that SGGS IS God? Or is it the place we find the inspired word of God and since the knowledge it holds brings one from darkness to light, it can be considered "Guru?" Do you believe that it is actually a divine living entity or do you call it the Guru because it is now the only teacher the Sikhs have?
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And I'm thinking, "But it IS a BOOK." So is that heresy? I mean, when I read and heard that Guru Gobind Singh put an end to the human Guru lineage and named the SGGS as the last Guru, I thought that meant that the SGGS was the final teacher, what brings one from darkness to light (as that is what I'm told the definition of Guru is). That made sense to me sense our sacred texts are our teachers.
But now I'm getting the idea that Sikhi (or some groups of Sikhs anyhow) actually believe that the SGGS is a living entity, the reincarnation of Guru Nanak. And thinking about that I immediately thought of the fact that many Sikhs also believe that Guru Nanak IS God.
So does that mean that SGGS IS God? Or is it the place we find the inspired word of God and since the knowledge it holds brings one from darkness to light, it can be considered "Guru?" Do you believe that it is actually a divine living entity or do you call it the Guru because it is now the only teacher the Sikhs have?
More...