Jitt Duaare oobhre, titte leh oobhaar: On being and not being a Sikh

It is perhaps difficult to say who is a true Sikh. But it is easy to say who is not.

At the very start,one can reject any definition of Sikhism on the basis of  birth. The Gurus quite clearly disapproved of dynastic spirituality, or dynastic religiosity.
What one gains by birth is not religion or spiritual enlightenment, but a strong cultural identity and communal   consciousness. ( Communal= relating to community)

Cultural identity based on one's birth  is a very strong and, if put to creative use, an extremely powerful medium for personal and social/human growth.( I am against this birth-related  identity only in its negative and destructive avatar. Culturally, there is nothing wrong with having a certain creative consciousness of one's identity based on birth - in a  religious or linguistic community,a nation,  a state, a district or even a village) Creative consciousness, but not group or communal arrogance and vanity which inevitably breed hatred and petty jingoism.)

 At the other end of the identity band is something akin to the "bliss experience" of spiritual awakening. This is something profoundly personal, as opposed to the group of communal identity at its other end.

Talking about  who is not a Sikh,my mother gave me several easy to understand paths. One of these had this simple mantra: "The moment you find yourself counting reasons for the superiority of your own religion to the religion of others , you can be certain that you are moving away from the Guru. When Gurus said that all religions are equally worthy of our respect, they really meant it.. But do you really, REALLY believe that they actually meant it?  Don't be misled into believing that they were being merely courteous or polite."

And when mother would say this, I would often find myself thinking. "How can she always read my mind. How does she know that  I really  don't believe that they meant it?  I often  behave as if the Gurus' were  being merely  polite,and not seriously truthful, when they declared all paths to be  as  good as their own? How does mother always know my private thoughts all the time?"

But she knew always,especially my pettiness in matters like these. She knew about the intellectual arrogance of her son more than was good for him.

"Here was another difficulty:

The Gurus in fact declared that it is impossible to decide  which path is the most suited to any follower, moving even beyond the world of good and evil.  ( Ev bhi aakh na jaapeyi je kisse aane raas)  and that only one for whose inner universe Nature herself chose to illumine can be called " Devoted to Truth"  (Gur-mukh) " Nanak Gurmukh jaaniye ja ko aap kare pargaas")

Religious practices or what may even be called "religious living" is  at best  mere preparation for  that momentary "visionary gleam"  which happens of its own,  suddenly,defying all human beliefs,  beyond conscious  human effort or wisdom or learning. In a slightly different context, Colin Wilson refers to it as the  moment of  "the absurd  good news"( Poetry and Mysticism)

 A Sikh who does not consider the symbols of other religions just as much worthy of love and respect as the symbols of Sikhism  - well, I don't know whether such a one qualifies to be called a follower of the great Gurus who famously declared, "Jitt duaare oobhre, titte le ho ubhaar."

And as a proof of my religious stupidity, I often find myself declaring Sikhism to be better religion than other religions simply because  Sikhism  does not claim to be a better a religion  than other religions !

In a way, followers of all religions are guilty of this paradoxical idiocy: We are superior to you because we are the only ones who declare that we are not superior to you.
Proud of our humility, aren't we?

(And when I say "Sikh", I do not mean only a person born into a community associated with the Gurus. I mean anyone honestly committed to any path he considers virtuous and truthful.)
Paradoxical ?? Ajmer Singh Gurjeet Bains Amandeep Singh Dhaliwal Kawaldeep Singh

It is perhaps difficult to say who is a true Sikh. But it is easy to say who is not.

Talking about  who is not a Sikh,my mother gave me this simple mantra: "The moment you find yourself counting reasons for the superiority of your own religion to the religion of others , you can be certain that you are moving away from the Guru. When Gurus said that all religions are equally worthy of our respect, they really meant it.. But do you really, REALLY believe that they actually meant it?  Don't be misled into believing that they were being merely courteous or polite."

And when mother would say this, I would often find myself thinking. "How can she always read my mind. How does she know that  I really  don't believe that they meant it?  I often  behave as if the Gurus' were  being merely  polite,and not seriously truthful, when they declared all paths to be  as  good as their own? Ho does mother always know my private thoughts all the time?"

But she knew always,especially my pettiness in matters like these. She knew about the intellectual arrogance of her son more than was good for him.

"Here was another difficulty:

The Gurus in fact declared that it is impossible to decide  which path is the most suited to any follower, moving even beyond the world of good and evil.  ( Ev bhi aakh na jaapeyi je kisse aane raas)  and that only one for whose inner universe Nature herself chose to illumine can be called " Devoted to Truth"  (Gur-mukh) " Nanak Gurmukh jaaniye ja ko aap kare pargaas")

Religious practices or what may even be called "religious living" is  at best  mere preparation for  that momentary "visionary gleam"  which happens of its own,  suddenly,defying all human beliefs,  beyond conscious  human effort or wisdom or learning. In a slightly different context, Colin Wilson refers to it as the  moment of  "the absurd  good news"( Poetry and Mysticism)

 A Sikh who does not consider the symbols of other religions just as much worthy of love and respect as the symbols of Sikhism  - well, I don't know whether such a one qualifies to be called a follower of the great Gurus,who famously  declared "Jit duare oobhre,titte leh oobhaar - O lead us out of these flames (hatred and violence) that engulf human minds /  Lift us out through whichever path that leads out of here .)

And as a proof of my religious stupidity, I often find myself declaring Sikhism to be better religion than other religions simply on the ground that  Sikhism  does not claim to be a better religion  than other religions !

In a way, followers of all religions are guilty of this paradoxical idiocy: We are superior to you because we are the only ones who declare that we are not superior to you.

Proud of our humility, aren't we?

(And when I say "Sikh", I do not mean only a person born into a community associated with the ten Gurus and Sri Guru Granth Sahib. I mean anyone honestly committed to any path he considers virtuous and truthful.)

 Ajmer Singh Gurjeet Bains Amandeep Singh Dhaliwal Kawaldeep Singh