Gurmat (Sikhi) and the School of Amritsar
Takeaways
- The perennial philosophy supported by Guru Nanak shows the bubbling of the Spirit into the physical world throughout history and in different places
- By declaring spirituality as true religion Guru Nanak started a revolution in human history
- By acting out these revolutionary implications Guru Nanak laid the foundations for a religion-less religion
In his debate with the Siddhas, Guru Nanak explained that his system “began with the first breath”. In other words, from the beginning of life there was Gurmat. One of the more telling features of Guru Nanak’s mission was the collection of the hymns of other saints. There are hymns from Muslims like Sheikh Farid and Hindus like Jaidev. In total, there are thirty-six contributors who are not Gurus. The hymns were compiled in a folio or granth in 1604 and checked over for accuracy by Guru Arjun, the fifth Guru. Sikh art should feature all of these knowers of the divine as a counterpoint to the Western imagination of Raphael’s, ‘The School of Athens’, featured above.
What may have been intellectually interesting became socially important as this Book of Light (the Guru Granth) was placed in a new building, the Darbar Sahib now popularly called the Golden Temple, that had been built between 1577 and 1604, just in time to house the Guru. By providing a venue for Muslims and Hindus to gather to worship as one harmony between faiths is improved. By insisting that they eat together boundaries are torn down. By ensuring that the food is vegetarian no one has to check what they are eating. All come as equals. By inviting women to take part in these gatherings religious taboos about pollution during menstruation and rejection of women as distraction from the spiritual life, hence, exclusion from places of worship or full veiling, were rejected. One God and one humanity became the distinct basis of the global society Guru Nanak started building 500 years ago.
The Gurus themselves enjoy a pantheistic vision in which they find God within themselves and all things. “One Light fills all creation. That Light is You” (Guru Granth Sahib, p.13). The implication of this is an attitude of meeri-peeri, mystic revolution, seeking God within yourself and serving God in others. The meeri-peeri ideology is formalized in the saint-soldier ideal of the Khalsa.
Guru Gobind Rai created the Khalsa and then became the first person to join it and became Guru Gobind Singh. Therefore, he is praised as being Guru and disciple. He showed that he would accept the will of the people, the Khalsa as his Guru. The rules of the Khalsa are made by consensus, the agreement of all members of the Khalsa, rather than voting. This is because rules are not just about intellectual debate and argument but also feeling the will of Waheguru. As the numbers of the Khalsa has increased, it is difficult to get everyone together and so different organisations and individuals represent people when making decisions.
Regarding what rules should be made, “From now: such is the Will of God: No one shall force another, no one shall take advantage of and use another. Everyone, each individual, has the right to look for and work for happiness and self-fulfilment. Love and persuasion is the only law of social cohesion.” (Guru Granth Sahib, p.74). Sikhs have an active obligation to disobey any law that violates its principles of freedom, e.g. Guru Nanak breaking the ban on music in Baghdad. Guru Hargobind commanding Sikhs to bear arms and ride horses in violation of Islamic law on dhimmitude is another example of an obligation to disobey a law that limits freedom.
Several of the Gurus took part in wars. The basic principle is that armed conflict is only acceptable when all peaceful methods have failed. No one should be attacked once they have surrendered since you are attacking oppression, not a person. This makes it important to distinguish between those who are fighting and those who are civilians and makes use of indiscriminate weapons, such as weapons of mass destruction, wrong. There is no enemy in the combat — what is being opposed is the oppression being resisted. Therefore, when any person is wounded they should be helped. Bhai Kannayya performed this noble service during the wars of the Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.
The Ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was martyred, which means killed for his beliefs, for leading a non-violent political campaign to protect Hindus from forced conversion to Islam. “The first human right is to secure for everyone freedom to worship” (Dasam Granth, p.54). “The second human right is to protect the respect of every person’s private and personal point of contact with God” (Dasam Granth, p.54). The third human right is to promote every good person’s right to pursue their own vision of happiness and self-fulfilment (Dasam Granth, p.54).
Equality is a basic principle, which is implemented in the langar. People of any race or religion are welcome to eat and seek shelter. Basic needs should be provided for all. Inclusion is an important principle: as God is in every person, everyone should be treated with respect and honour. Progress in the world will be based on the spiritual sovereignty of the individual.
Guru Nanak did not recognise any borders and travelled 30,000 miles to places including Tibet, Mecca and Sri Lanka. Waheguru is the owner of the world and we should be free to travel all over it. He combined styles of music and collected holy writings. We should be open to diversity and use it to create fresh combinations.