Diff btw Sikh, GurSikh and GurMukh

[Nidhi]

Written by an enlightened soul, a real GurMukh!

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ik oankar satnaam gurprasad||

Are you a Sikh? Or a GurSikh or a Gurmukh? Or do you like to add

Khalsa to your name? All these words tend to get used

interchangeably, but from a spiritual point of view they signify

different states of spiritual progress.

In short,

Manmukh : is one who has no interest in God just himself.

Sikh : believes in God and Gurus, but lacks solid commitment

GurSikh : makes a commitment to the Guru eg getting initiated or

coming under guidance of a Sant and practising whatever gurbani says

GurMukh : has defeated the 5 thieves, becomes enlightened.

Read about it in more detail below. Written by and Enlightened soul,

one who has become Gurmukh and been through the stages.

The Difference Between Sikh, Gursikh And Gurmukh

================================================

By An Enlightened Soul

SIKH

A Sikh is a person who has :

• chosen a path that leads to the discovery of the Truth,

• started to pursue the path to salvation,

• aimed to get out of the cycle of life and death,

• aimed to meet the Guru and Akal Purakh,

• started to work to becoming a Gursikh, then a Gurmukh and

then eventually reach a level of spirituality, which will lead him to

Sach Khand (God's Highest Realm Of Truth).

A Sikh is a person who has chosen to:

• win over the five vices (pride, anger, greed, selfish

attachments, lust)

• win over worldy hopes, desires, slander, gossip and back-

biting,

• overcome the effects of the mammon snake (Maya Nagni)

• kill his ego and become an utmost humble person,

• kill his doubts and distractions of mind,

• leave the life of hypocrisy (Pakhandi) and to become merged

in Truth (a Sach Khandi),

• love everybody and all His creations

• never spread any hatred

• spread and give love to others,

• share other's griefs,

• help the poor and down trodden people,

• completely surrender to the Guru,

• get the blessings of the Guru and

• move on the path to Truth and then become a Gursikh.

Spiritually a Sikh is a person who is in one of the first three

spiritual realms described in JapJi Sahib (Dharam Khand – realm of

following religion,

Gyan Khand - realm of divine knowledge

and Saram Khand – realm of making serious efforts to reform one's

self).

One who calls himself a Sikh of the Guru, the True Guru,

shall rise in the early morning hours and meditate on the Lord's Name.

Upon arising early in the morning, he is to bathe,

and cleanse himself in the pool of nectar.

Following the Instructions of the Guru, he is to chant the Name of

the Lord, Har, Har.

All sins, misdeeds and negativity shall be erased.

Then, at the rising of the sun, he is to sing Gurbani;

whether sitting down or standing up, he is to meditate on the Lord's

Name.

One who meditates on my Lord, Har, Har,

with every breath and every morsel of food

- that GurSikh becomes pleasing to the Guru's Mind.

That person, unto whom my Lord and Master is kind and compassionate

- upon that GurSikh, the Guru's Teachings are bestowed.

Servant Nanak begs for the dust of the feet of that GurSikh,

who himself chants the Naam, and inspires others to chant it. ||2||

SGGS 305

And thereafter:

The True Guru cherishes His Sikh.

The Guru is always merciful to His servant.

The Guru washes away the filth of the evil intellect of His Sikh.

Through the Guru's Teachings, he chants the Lord's Name.

The True Guru cuts away the bonds of His Sikh.

The Sikh of the Guru abstains from evil deeds.

The True Guru gives His Sikh the wealth of the Naam.

The Sikh of the Guru is very fortunate.

The True Guru arranges this world and the next for His Sikh.

O Nanak, with the fullness of His heart, the True Guru mends His

Sikh. ||1||

SGGS 286

GURSIKH

When a person moves up on the spiritual ladder and is blessed by the

Guru and Akal Purakh in to the fourth spiritual realm (Karam Khand –

Realm of Grace) then that person becomes a Gursikh.

Gursikh – means a true servant of Akal Purakh. "Gur" means Akal

Purakh and "Sikh" means a true servant. A Sikh is a person who is

committed to become a pure and pious heart (hirda). And Akal Purakh

is the Truth. Satnaam is the Truth. Paar Braham Parmeshwar is the

Truth. Everything else is perishable and is in the cycle of life and

death.

Therefore, a Gursikh is a person who

• serves the Truth

• is trying to become a completely truthful person – Puran

Sachyara

• has been elevated spiritually to a level where other's are

blessed by his company. For example, if a normal person applies the

dust of the Gursikh's feet and goes into the Sangat of Gursikhs,

then they too will become a Gursikh. Eventually they will also

achieve salvation – Jivan Mukti. They will also be released from the

cycle of life and death.

The Sikhs of the Guru accept and obey the Lord's Will;

the Perfect Guru carries them across.

O Lord, please bless me with the dust of the feet of the GurSikhs.

So that this sinner will be saved.

SGGS 1421

That is the reason why we are all being advised by Shri Guru Granth

Sahib Ji (The Divine Knowledge of God) to bow before such a person

who has attained all the qualities of a GurSikh. Bowing before such

a person will kill our ego and help us to become more and more

humble. And utmost humbleness in our heart (hirda) is the key to

God's Court (Dargah).

When I see a GurSikh,

I humbly bow and fall at their feet.

I tell to them the pain of my soul,

and beg them to unite me with the Guru, my Best Friend.

SGGS 763

The person who follows this Divine Wisdom (Braham Gyan) will

• go to the Sangat of such Gursikhs,

• bow before such Gursikhs,

• become very humble in the spiritual heart (hirda)

• eventually become a Gursikh himself

• achieve a high spiritual condition of his mind and hirda

and

• will achieve salvation.

Therefore, there is never any harm in bowing before GurSikhs who are

engaged in the service of the Truth. In the service to Akal Purakh

and service to the Sants, Bhagats, Sadhus, Braham Gyani and Satguru,

and service to the Naam.

If we think otherwise and don't like to bow before such spiritually

elevated souls, then that is our own mind's doubts (Dubidha) that is

not allowing us to follow the divine knowledge of Gurbani. If we do

not follow Gurbani then how can we achieve our spiritual goals?

Only the ones who have killed their mind's doubts (Dubidha) will

achieve salvation.

GURMUKH

Gurmukh is still a much higher spiritual condition than a Gursikh.

The Gurmukh is the person who :

• has completely surrendered himself to the Guru and follows

the Guru's Divine Wisdom (Brahm Gyan) and advice

• always has their face always towards the Guru - meaning who

is always committed to serve the truth,

• has a spirtual heart (hirda) and mind that are saturated

with Satnaam,

• has gone in to effortless and continuous remembrance of

Satnaam (Ajapa Jaap),

• has every bit of their body become Satnaam,

• is enlightened with the Light of the Supre Lord (Param

Jyot)

• has been blessed by the Guru and Akal Purakh in to Sach

Khand

• has become a completely truthful person,

• honours the Guru's words and advice.

The Gurmukh meditates on the Lord with every hair of his body.

SGGS 941

This spiritual condition happens only when a person reaches Sach

Khand. At this stage:

He possesses all qualities (SARGUN);

He transcends all qualities (NIRGUN);

He is the Formless Lord.

He Himself is in Primal Samaadhi.

Through His Creation, O Nanak, He meditates on Himself. ||1||

SGGS 290

Thereafter, when a Gurmukh

• continues his loving devotion (bhagtee) in God's Realm Of

Truth (Sach Khand),

• is recognized by the Guru and Akal Purakh as a completely

truthful person and ready to serve the truth,

• has won over his mind (Five vices, hopes, desires, slander,

gossip, back-biting),

• has risen over all the worldly ties,

• has conquered over Maya,

• has passed all the tests of God's Court (Dargah)

then he is elevated and accepted as a

Jivan Mukt (Dead While Alive),

a Sant and given the complete gift of Brahm Gyan (Knowledge Of

God).

The Gurmukh now has a true spiritual heart (hirda) – that hirda is

known as a Sant. That Sant has become one with Almighty. That Sant

hirda is blessed with supreme status (Param Padvi) by the Guru and

God's Court (Dargah). That Sant becomes the Khalsa that Guru Gobind

Singh Ji praised.

At this stage the Sant's job becomes serving

• the Truth,

• Satnaam (God's Name : "SAT"),

• Akal Purakh (Immortal Being)

• the Guru and

• the Gur-Sangat (Guru's Congregation).

We will very sincerely and most humbly request the Sangat to look

inside and make a truthful judgment about where we stand in light of

above descriptions. This will give us a motivation to move ahead. If

we are not yet a Sikh, then we should try to become one. If we feel

that we have achieved the level of a Sikh then we should try to

become a Gursikh. And if we are a Gursikh, then we should try to

become a Gurmukh.

If we are already at the level of a Gurmukh, then we should try to

achieve the Jivan Mukti and prepare ourselves for serving the Truth.

And if we are a Jivan Mukt then we should be serving the Truth, Akal

Purakh, Guru and Sangat.

If we make a sincere effort then we are confident that with Gurkirpa

we will be able to achieve our spiritual goals and

• make this Earth a worthwhile place to live,

• make this society a worthwhile society to belong to and

exist in,

• make the world full of true love for each other and end

hatred and crime.

[ms514]

Sat Sri Akal:

Brought to you by Surinder Multani...himself in much Dubidha.

"Sikh : believes in God and Gurus, but lacks solid commitment

GurSikh : makes a commitment to the Guru eg getting initiated or

coming under guidance of a Sant and practising whatever gurbani says

GurMukh : has defeated the 5 thieves, becomes enlightened."

Ummm...no. There is no difference. Gursikh and Gurmukh are used interchangably in Gurbani. A Sikh cannot be a non-Gursikh, as after taking Amrit, he/she is a Guru Ka Sikh, or Gursikh. Gurmukh means he/she who has turned towards the Guru and Sikh means a student of the Guru. How can one not be facing the Guru and be the Guru's student at the same time?