My First Day Of Studying Sikhism

[Druhms 1]

short story ahead...

Howdy, I apologize if this is in the incorrect place or if I overstepped any boundaries.

As a monotheist (belief in the one and only god) I've tried to find a righteous way of life, one in which can please God/Allah/YHWH without going against my core values, and also one I can be part of a community with who have the same values... Honesty is something that I value so imma start: I am 18 years of age and about to become a freshmen at a 4 year university with pursuit of a degree in Music Business with concentration on Percussion instruments. I hung out with the wrong crowd for the last year... in which I spent a good portion of my paycheck on drugs, forgot about sports, and just simply messed up, just being alcohol and some reefer. However, recently I have had a change of heart. I found out a year ago that I had enlarged kidneys... I decided to finally take care of it and met my Urologist: A kind Sikh who explained to me that a procedure I must undertake is the insertion of a stent through a catheter (yall know where this is going ) due to a kink caused by an unnamed organ applying pressure to my left side vein. Anyway, I had it inserted a month and a half ago and had it removed two weeks ago (just imagine a string hanging out... actually, please dont...) I really liked the doctor, he had a good outlook on life and seemed like a very happy individual. But, I have decided that I need to take advantage of the life that God gave me and live as long as I can, so I can simply do good and be the best I can be... No alcohol, no tobacco, nothing that can harm my body. I know that our body is capable of healing itself, so I can only get better with abstinence, and due to short time frame I'm not really worried about too much damage as I can still run multiple miles without being out of breath. And of course the "enlarged kidneys" is never going to be healed but my doctor explained I'm in great condition right now.

After reading many articles on Sikhism, forum posts, pages of the Guru Granth Sahib ( I apologize if I pronounced any of this wrong, I'm completely new) and other information I would like to point out what really appeals to me and perhaps ask a few questions.

* Death of animals should be instantaneous (less painful way, no one deserves to suffer at all), in my opinion eating Kosher/Halaal food is supporting ritual slaughtering.

* Belief in ONE GOD (also shared by Islam) and all prayers should be directed to God, however, respect must also go to the prophets/gurus.

* Possession of a Kirpan... an representation for the defense of oneself and others (correct?)

I have a few questions:

What is the process of prayer in Sikhism?

What are the best ways to get educated on this subject?

From past experiences, many called 'Christian' friends (i am not targeting the entire religion! Just most of them from where I live, which is the middle of North Carolina) have taken advantage of my friendship, in form of lying, stealing, etc. I just can't stand this mainstream America... refusing to exercise, be happy, friendly, and supportive of other fellow americans.

I hope I didn't seem like a big rant, its just a few concerns and questions I have.

thank you :)

[m4ndy 45]

Hi!

I hope you get well inside soon.

well I don't really know how to start this because since your new and thinking of becoming a Sikh. However I can give you the basic information.

A Sikh must wake up early in the morning (it's a must for baptized Sikhs also known as amritdhari Sikhs) and recite japji sahib complied by Guru Nanak Dev Ji (founder of the Sikh religion) you would also need to recite jaap sahib (complied by Guru Gobind Singh Ji)

In the evening at 5:30 Sikhs recite Rehras sahib (complied by some of the Gurus)

There are many Sikh prayers that a Sikh should recite the above mentioned have to be done every day. Sukhmani Sahib ( complied by the 5th Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji) is a prayer of peace, if something in life is going wrong or a Sikh is very ill, then Sukhmani Sahib is often recited.

Sikhs believe in one god, the almighty creator of all. Any types of rituals are prohibted in Sikhism, as well as idol worship, superstitions and anything that leads you to a false sense of direction.

If you would like to know more information about Sikhism, you could visit a Gurdwara and request information from committee members, or you can browse through Sikh websites to get more information. You could also lean Gurmukhi/punjabi in college to gain more understanding.

In summary Sikhism is based upon love and sacrifice. Its a universal religion, it's not just for Sikhs, the message of god is for the whole of humanity.

I hope I helped :D

[MS1NGH 35]

vaheguroo je ka khalsa, vaheguroo je kee fateh (the khalsa belong to god, all victory, is gods victory)

im sure some of my more knowledgeable posters will guide you in due time, but here are a few good websites to get you started :

http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/ - a wealth of information about sikhism

http://sikhitothemax.com/ - can read from sri guru granth sahibji online with english translation

there is a lot of ebooks in english available online, here is one site that you can read from http://www.sikhroots.com/docman/cat_view/67-resources

i would definitely recommend reading these ebooks

http://www.sikhroots.com/docman/doc_download/272-qse-kinehiyaq-sant-baba-harnam-singh

http://www.sikhroots.com/docman/doc_download/291-qbandginamaq-by-raghbir-singh-bir

theres lots of english katha (discussion/discourse) available on the internet where you can learn about the principles of sikhism. here is some to get you started, i would recommend bhai parminder singhs katha

http://www.ikatha.com/index.php?q=f&f=%2FEnglish_Katha

with regards to sikhs daily prayers, a practising sikh wakes up during amritvela (before sunrise) and firstly meditates on gods name (given by the guru when you take amrit (baptised)). At sunrise he then recites or listens to japji sahib, jaap sahib, tav prasad swaiyaea, chaupai sahib, anand sahib

in the evening we recite rehraas sahib

at night time we recite kirtan sohilla. throughout the day whatever we are doing, we try to remember god with every breath (difficulty but this is the stage we all aspire to reach)

you can listen to the daily nitnem (prayers) from here with english translation. Try to focus on the sound and meditate on it even if you dont understand it

japji sahib-

(i would recommend searching for all the daily prayers form username rajkaregakhalsa on youtube)

you can download the daily prayers from here

http://www.boss-uk.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=80

hope this helps

vaheguroo je ka khalsa, vaheguroo je kee fateh

[K Singh 82 54]

I'd highly recommend viewing http://www.sikhanswers.com/

[Beginner 95]

vaheguroo je ka khalsa, vaheguroo je kee fateh (the khalsa belong to god, all victory, is gods victory)

im sure some of my more knowledgeable posters will guide you in due time, but here are a few good websites to get you started :

http://www.allaboutsikhs.com/ - a wealth of information about sikhism

http://sikhitothemax.com/ - can read from sri guru granth sahibji online with english translation

there is a lot of ebooks in english available online, here is one site that you can read from http://www.sikhroots...ew/67-resources

i would definitely recommend reading these ebooks

http://www.sikhroots...ba-harnam-singh

http://www.sikhroots...ghbir-singh-bir

theres lots of english katha (discussion/discourse) available on the internet where you can learn about the principles of sikhism. here is some to get you started, i would recommend bhai parminder singhs katha

http://www.ikatha.co...2FEnglish_Katha

with regards to sikhs daily prayers, a practising sikh wakes up during amritvela (before sunrise) and firstly meditates on gods name (given by the guru when you take amrit (baptised)). At sunrise he then recites or listens to japji sahib, jaap sahib, tav prasad swaiyaea, chaupai sahib, anand sahib

in the evening we recite rehraas sahib

at night time we recite kirtan sohilla. throughout the day whatever we are doing, we try to remember god with every breath (difficulty but this is the stage we all aspire to reach)

you can listen to the daily nitnem (prayers) from here with english translation. Try to focus on the sound and meditate on it even if you dont understand it

japji sahib-

(i would recommend searching for all the daily prayers form username rajkaregakhalsa on youtube)

you can download the daily prayers from here

http://www.boss-uk.o...task=view&id=80

hope this helps

vaheguroo je ka khalsa, vaheguroo je kee fateh

Adding onto this, just listening and understanding the recitations of the Banis (prayers) counts as worship. You don't have to recite right away.