Rehat Maryada

[Guru_Da_Chella]

hi dilrubarb

This democracy and politics stuff, this was not really followed before the british arrived. Successors were usually chosen by the leaders before.

regards

are you familiar with the term panchayat?

yes I am

[Jarnail]

The SGPC are no authority. Some may believe that they are but this is not true. People should be gaining knowledge and guidance from the Guru Granth Sahib alone. Everyone is entitled to their opinions but we must move away from any form of hierarchy system. We all have the ability to understand the teachings with out the need for so called scholars input. Those of us that seek more knowledge can ask others but should always seek it for ourselves so that we can make up our own minds.

Meditating on God and having love in our minds helps us receive the knowledge in the most effective way. Those who have knowledge alone without union with god only know what should be but may never act or experience it. I personally find that those who act correctly show us the way more than those who have proven knowledge and that meditating on god can give all the answers we need in relation to conduct.

"Let spiritual Wisdom be your food and compassion your attendant" - Guru Granth Sahib

[Guru_Da_Chella]

I have to say though, it is very important to have a teacher to teach and guide you from the Adi Guru Granth Sahib bani.

[Traveller]

The SGPC are no authority. Some may believe that they are but this is not true. People should be gaining knowledge and guidance from the Guru Granth Sahib alone. Everyone is entitled to their opinions but we must move away from any form of hierarchy system. We all have the ability to understand the teachings with out the need for so called scholars input. Those of us that seek more knowledge can ask others but should always seek it for ourselves so that we can make up our own minds.

Meditating on God and having love in our minds helps us receive the knowledge in the most effective way. Those who have knowledge alone without union with god only know what should be but may never act or experience it. I personally find that those who act correctly show us the way more than those who have proven knowledge and that meditating on god can give all the answers we need in relation to conduct.

"Let spiritual Wisdom be your food and compassion your attendant" - Guru Granth Sahib

Reading the above was like seeing that ray of sunshine breaking through troubled clouds...

..it seems that on a few boards at least, as well as normal discussion Rehat Maryada is seen as controversial and definately sparks debate....debate is good in most respects, up to a certain point...

But so much emphasis is put on its justification by some people in this topic that it seems that their point is focussed on proving a point rather than a bigger picture.

If I wanted to develop as a sikh and learn about sikhi, where would I go? what would be my primary sources? would I have the tools to encompass sikhi in my life and therfore try to walk the path towards enlightenment without the need for the Rehat Maryada?

If the answer is yes, then why do people regard it so highly and become so defensive- unless there is a need for it or their sight of the bigger picture has become narrowed over time or through biased teachings?

If the answer is no, then why so?

I decided to read this topic because I didn't know a thing about Rehat Maryada but have been trying to learn as much as I can about sikhi, but the more I read I felt a concern...so much of Sikhi is there and unchanged....as people have stated the Rehat Maryada is evolving with the times...is that really a good thing for a religion which is so universally constant, that it is accompanied by a set of rules that are not?

Apologies for any misinterpretations or offence this post may have caused.

A member has a signature which is a quote about peace...its so nice, I hope I can 'steal' it also and put it on a poster somewhere for more to see

[jasleen k]

Reading the above was like seeing that ray of sunshine breaking through troubled clouds...

..it seems that on a few boards at least, as well as normal discussion Rehat Maryada is seen as controversial and definately sparks debate....debate is good in most respects, up to a certain point...

But so much emphasis is put on its justification by some people in this topic that it seems that their point is focussed on proving a point rather than a bigger picture.

If I wanted to develop as a sikh and learn about sikhi, where would I go? what would be my primary sources? would I have the tools to encompass sikhi in my life and therfore try to walk the path towards enlightenment without the need for the Rehat Maryada?

If the answer is yes, then why do people regard it so highly and become so defensive- unless there is a need for it or their sight of the bigger picture has become narrowed over time or through biased teachings?

If the answer is no, then why so?

I decided to read this topic because I didn't know a thing about Rehat Maryada but have been trying to learn as much as I can about sikhi, but the more I read I felt a concern...so much of Sikhi is there and unchanged....as people have stated the Rehat Maryada is evolving with the times...is that really a good thing for a religion which is so universally constant, that it is accompanied by a set of rules that are not?

Apologies for any misinterpretations or offence this post may have caused.

A member has a signature which is a quote about peace...its so nice, I hope I can 'steal' it also and put it on a poster somewhere for more to see

i think if the rehat maryada had evolved with the times, sikhs would be wearing baseball caps rather than turbans. i think, rather, it has been updated from the old "jungi" rehatnamas (designed for life as a nomadic warrior, constantly in battle and on the move, not really relevant for most householders). i hope i haven't offended anyone with this idea.

i think SGGS ji is obviously where we should be getting our spiritual wisdom. however, we also have a temporal code of conduct to follow, rules regarding care of SGGS ji, day-to-day mundane details of life and how to run a gurdwara, how to make prashad, etc... there are so many little life details which are not included in SGGSji, because they're less about spiritual wisdom and more about daily basics.

here's how i look at it. Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji is for everyone. anyone, of any faith, can take knowledge from Guru ji and apply it to their lives. and many do (see sindhis, sufis, etc). however, the rehat maryada ONLY applies to Sikhs. i mean, obviously, we don't expect sindhis to wear turban and keep kes, just because they appreciate the spiritual knowledge they can learn from Guru ji, right? but the Khalsa, is an army (whether a fighting army or a standing army depending on time and situation), and armies need rules in order to function seamlessly. that's where the rehat maryada comes in. right?

i hope i'm making sense and not offending people. and sorry if i did offend, it wasn't my intention.

[SunSingh]

rahit is actually constant. it's not changing all the itme.

Although the sgpc SRM, is the newest understanding of rahit. But rahit itself remains the same, as it is given to us by the guru, it does not change just b/c some people think it does. SRM is an understanding of rahit of one large group.

the newest iteration, the srm, was made to create a basic platform to smooth over differences between various groups rahits. In the majority of cases, the differences between rahits of different groups are surprisingly small.

[jasleen k]

rahit is actually constant. it's not changing all the itme.

Although the sgpc SRM, is the newest understanding of rahit. But rahit itself remains the same, as it is given to us by the guru, it does not change just b/c some people think it does. SRM is an understanding of rahit of one large group.

the newest iteration, the srm, was made to create a basic platform to smooth over differences between various groups rahits. In the majority of cases, the differences between rahits of different groups are surprisingly small.

thanks veerji, you make a very valid and important point.