Basic tenets of Sikhism

The Basic Tenets of Sikhism can be summarised as follows:

There are three requirements for a Sikh of the Guru:

*Nam Japna - Rise in the Amrit Vela(Early Morning) and meditate on God's Name.

*Dharam Di Kirt Karna - Earn one's living righteously by the sweat of the brow or the industry, effort and conscientiousness of the mind.

*Vand Chhakna - Share what one has with others

In addition, a Khalsa Sikh is required to:

Maintain the 5 K's:

*Kara – Iron Bracelet,
*Kesh – Long, Uncut Hair,
*Kanga - Wooden Comb
*Kaccha - Special Underwear (boxer shorts with tied waist)
*Kirpan – Sacred Sword

Life of Dedication to God

The Twin Pronged Approach by carrying out:

*Simran - repeating spiritual song aloud or silently with each breath throughout one's waking hours, during work and play.

*Seva - giving one's time in selfless service.

These two duties for the Sikh have to be carried out in equal parts to make sure that ones spiritual understanding is enhanced. Look at these two – Simran and Sewa as the two wings of a Bird. You must have equal strength in both the wings for the bird to lift off. Similarly, one must practise and carry out both Simran and Sewa if one is to take off in Sikhism.

Lead a Disciplined Life

*Bani - recitation of sacred prayers

*Bana - spiritual dress

Conquer the 5 Thieves

It's every Sikh duty to defeat these 5 thieves: Lust (Kham), Anger (Krodh), Greed (LobH), Attachment (MoH), and Ego (aHankar). Within each person live these 5 thieves and it’s the duty of every Sikh to subdue and control the behaviour of these emotions and enemies.

Attack with 5 Weapons

A Sikh must always be armed with the following virtues:

Compassion (Daya), Truth (Sat), Contentment (Santokh), Humility (Nimrata) and Love (Pyare)