Next to our church there is a Sikh Temple.
Sikhism is a religion founded primarily in fifteenth century Punjab, between Pakistan and India. Here are a few facts, gathered from pamphlets I was handed and the ever-wise Wikipedia.
Some of this sounds a bit familiar!
Baptised Sikhs are bound to wear the Five K's, or articles of faith, at all times.
The tenth guru, Gobind Singh, ordered these Five Ks to be worn so that a Sikh could actively use them to make a difference to their own and to others' spirituality.
The 5 items are: kēs (uncut hair and beard), kaṅghā (small comb), kaṛā (circular iron bracelet), kirpān (dagger), and kacchā (special undergarment).
The Five Ks have both practical and symbolic purposes.
The Five Thieves: The Sikh Gurus tell us that our mind and spirit are constantly being attacked by the Five Evils – Lust, Rage, Greed, Attachment and Ego.
A Sikh needs to constantly attack and overcome these five vices.
There are 600,000 Sikhs living in Canada.
Pardon my awful video-taking skills :\
Interesting stuff. I love me a good parade.
ReplyDeleteFascinating - and you are right - their Principles of Sikhism are very similar. Proving once again, that we need to focus on the similarities between faiths instead of the differences. Very colourful.
ReplyDeleteSikhs are so cool! They wear daggers and say that they are to protect the chastity of women. :)
ReplyDeleteFun! I've always been fascinated by Sikhism and the parallels between their beliefs and ours. Cool stuff. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's so interesting! The hair cutting thing perhaps explains the mole on the on the manicurist I saw in Seattle ;) It's cool how much overlap there is in a religion that we really don't know anything about.
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