I grew up around a lot of Sikhs. Canada, a lot of people are unaware, is home to the most Indians in the world outside of India. Seeing the men in turbans, with full beards bringing their kids to school as my dad brought me was a daily occurrence. I always loved the bright colours of the turbans and marvelled at how they always managed to get them so perfectly smooth.
But I didn’t really know anything much about Sikhs. I knew they weren’t allowed to cut their hair, which was why they wore the turbans, but I didn’t know why. I also knew it was part of their religion to care for their community, which is why you often see them handing out free food. That, I thought the first time I saw it, is more like it in terms of religious behaviour I would like to see.
I happened across a reel that explained what Sikhs actually believe and honestly, I love it. I love it so much that I’ve been thinking about it pretty much ever since. And thus, it’s my Weekly Hyperfixation, and now I must brain dump it onto you. You’re welcome. So here are 5 reasons that Sikhs are cool as hell and that we should all be more like them.
1. God is All of Us
So rather than believing in a deity, Sikhs believe in something called Ik Onkar, which basically translates to “God is one.”
Practically, this means that their concept of God is both immanent and transcendent all at once, which in turn means that God is in everything and everyone but also exists beyond the physical realm as the creator, sustainer and destroyer of the universe.
This is an important point, because it emphasises that we are all equal in the eyes of the universe and also, that we should live in a way that ensures care, love and harmony for all of us.
I vaguely believe that we are all just the universe experiencing itself, so I love this idea. It also ties into a second fundamental tenet of the Sikh religion, which is…
2. Everyone is Equal
Yes, everyone. Regardless of race, gender or social status. This ties into the first idea, that everyone is God and God is in everyone, so it makes sense. If we are all equal in the eyes of the divine, why wouldn’t we all be equal in the eyes of humanity as well?
This is a fairly radical idea for a lot of people even today. But consider that this religion began in the 15th century in India, which was then (and still is now, to some degree) highly patriarchal and also dominated by the caste system. This would have been an absolutely wild concept at the time. Untouchables equal to Brahmin? Women equal to men? Get right out of town!
From the very beginning, Sikhs advocated for equality in marriage and family life, and in open communication and acceptance via dialogue between disparate communities. This in turn means that they’ve always been highly intertwined with social justice movements. They believe in earning a just and honourable living, sharing one’s earnings with the less fortunate, and advocating for the rights of the marginalised, something they continue to do today. Y’know. All the things Christianity is supposed to do, but generally doesn’t. Or as Stephen Colbert put it:
If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that he commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don’t want to do it.
-Stephen Colbert
3. Seva or “Selfless Service” is Essential
The concept of seva or “selfless service” is a cornerstone of Sikhism – and I bet you anything you’ve seen it in action without knowing it. It’s considered an important part of their spiritual practice, a way to connect with God, cultivate humility and reduce ego.
The most prominent example of this, and the one you may have seen in practice is langar. I recently visited Sydney’s Little India (Harris Park) with some friends. We restaurant hopped (which was AMAZING by the way. Can’t recommend it enough if you are a Sydney local) and while we were driving down the main drag, noticed one venue that seemed to be doing a booming trade, even alongside all the other bustling spots. The line was down the block and around the corner. Later, we realised it was an open stall with Sikhs delivering a langar or a community kitchen – and they were doing it for a massive crowd, for free. Essentially, in every Sikh place of worship, you’ll find one of these community kitchens where anyone who asks will be given a free meal prepared by volunteers.
Besides delivering the langar, there are other examples of seva that include cleaning and maintenance of their places of worship (gurdwaras), hosting and assisting with religious ceremonies, festivals and community events and performing humanitarian outreach both globally and in their community.
More of this with every religion, please.
4. Daily Meditation is Encouraged
Look, as far as I’m concerned, meditation is a superpower everyone should at least try to cultivate. I say this as someone who has practiced this off and on for years, seen tangible benefits, and still been a lazy POS and stopped doing it. But I absolutely should make more of an effort and so should you!
Meditation has countless scientifically proven benefits. It reduces the stress hormone, cortisol, studies have shown that it helps to reduce symptoms of major anxiety disorders and depression, and improves cognitive performance and working memory. It also helps with emotional regulation, self-awareness, and empathy and compassion towards yourself and others.
Physically, it improves cardiovascular health, helps with pain management and leads to better sleep and improved immune function. It promotes improved neuroplasticity and has neuroprotective effects that keeps brains functioning better for longer.
In short - it’s fucking great and if you don’t do it, you really should (as should I). But you know who does do it? That’s right. SIKHS DO.
A meditation practice, simran, is built into their spirituality practice, referring to a meditative remembrance of God’s name and essence. It can be done through mantra repetition, silent meditation, devotional singing or scriptural study and is often part of their daily routine and congregational worship.
PS If you want to hear more about how beneficial meditation and mindfulness are, I recommend this book:
5. Superstition and Rituals? Not for Sikhs, thanks
Altars made of gold? Literally eating and drinking the essence of their god? Not for Sikhs.
The original Sikh guru and founder of the religion, Guru Nanak, observed that many of the religious around him seemed more focused on ritual and superstition than on an actual, concrete connection with their concept of God (as in the manifestation of the universe and our collective existence). To achieve this connection, all he thought was necessary was meditation, an attempt to live an honest life, and service to one’s fellow man. Thassit.
Subsequent gurus continued in this vein, espousing the importance of ethical conduct and social responsibility over empty rituals and superstitious practices. They reject the idea that anything other than one’s own actions and the will of God (or the universe) is responsible for what happens to you – so superstition is essentially a waste of time. Instead, they have urged a reason and common-sense based approach to life, with true worship, they believe, coming from the heart and mind and not from any ritual performance.
In short? You won’t find any Catholic indulgence or supply-side Jesus here. Thankfully.
So there you have it. Sikhs have some extremely cool, extremely reasonable beliefs and though I don’t align to any religion in particular, on a sunny day I could perhaps see Buddhism and Sikhism, or some homespun mishmash of the two from here.
Both of them seem to amount to - “try not to be a piece of shit human, be kind to others and enjoy your time on this wild and zany ride without being a dick about it.” And that is a concept I can very much get down with.
Bits and Bobs
I missed last week due to returning to work and being generally a lazy POS (because I don’t meditate!), but here is a catchup.
Reading: Lonesome Dove. I have a soft spot for Westerns and an even softer spot for sprawling historical epics, so anything that combines the two is guaranteed to delight. And it is!
Watching: I have already seen it once, but I am rewatching Ken Burns’ The Vietnam War, which is now on Binge for my fellow Aussies. I LOVE Ken Burns and this is his latest – and after traveling to Vietnam and visiting many of the war monuments and museums, it just hit so different. Great series.
Listening to: I just finished an audiobook of Nina Riggs’ The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying, which was beautiful and heartbreaking. Riggs was the great (great?) granddaughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson and chronicled her diagnosis with terminal cancer alongside her mother and best-friend’s subsequent cancer diagnoses. It’s honestly not as heavy as you might imagine. There are many beautiful, light and funny moments contained within. In it, she expresses admiration for Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air, which I also read, but IMHO, this is far superior.
That’s all for this week! Thanks as ever for reading. Be excellent to one another. Until next time!
Love Siri Xo
I loved reading this, thank you!