Can someone who knows more about Sikhi than me educate me on a few things?

[Jacfsing2]

10 minutes ago, SinghPunjabSingh said:

There is no real concept of a Holiest place for Sikhs in the way Muslims pray to a black stone in Mecca. Otherwise why did Sikhs abandon the same to the terrorist state of Pakistan, if so? But in any case, the land of Pakistan is no more holy than east Punjab or the east coast of the States. What matters is our Shabad Guru and Dhan Dhan Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj which are omnipresent across the planet. So please whatever you do, please don't enrich the Pakistani terrorist regime under the guise of sharda via the pathetic Pakistan yatra! Spend your tourist dollars uplifting our own people in east Punjab instead. Thanks brother!

Mate, India and Pakistan government both hates us, are you going to call us to stop spending our tourist dollars in India? 

[SinghPunjabSingh]

12 minutes ago, Jacfsing2 said:

Mate, India and Pakistan government both hates us, are you going to call us to stop spending our tourist dollars in India? 

Out of the Sikh population in India and Pakistan combined 99.9% of Sikhs live in India so I would still advocate that if you are going on a trip to that part of the world that we as a Qaum focus our tourist dollars on east Punjab and uplifting our poor Sikhs in the process rather than enriching those who support the 1947 Pakistani Genocide of Sikhs in which 25% of the Sikhs there were killed.

Obviously the more money we as overseas Sikhs invest in east Punjab the faster we can lift many of our brethren Sikhs out of poverty.

[Jacfsing2]

10 hours ago, SinghPunjabSingh said:

Out of the Sikh population in India and Pakistan combined 99.9% of Sikhs live in India so I would still advocate that if you are going on a trip to that part of the world that we as a Qaum focus our tourist dollars on east Punjab and uplifting our poor Sikhs in the process rather than enriching those who support the 1947 Pakistani Genocide of Sikhs in which 25% of the Sikhs there were killed.

Obviously the more money we as overseas Sikhs invest in east Punjab the faster we can lift many of our brethren Sikhs out of poverty.

Having lots of Sikhs live somewhere doesn't make a place more holy than somewhere else, otherwise Patna and Hazur Sahib wouldn't be 2 of the Takhts of the faith. And you still have not denounced India for 1947-today, and until you do that, this is my last reply to you on this topic.

[Jacfsing2]

I will say this, we can't use present day political situations to judge how important certain parts of our faith are. We can't judge our culture as one of where Guru Sahib would be proud of. 

[BhForce]

On 4/7/2022 at 11:20 AM, californiasardar1 said:

Do Sikhs believe in "shrines"?

What do you mean by shrine?

On 4/7/2022 at 11:20 AM, californiasardar1 said:

Do Sikhs believe in pilgrimages?

What do you mean by pilgrimage? Do you mean a trip to a religious center? Or do you mean the belief that merely going to a religious center will grant you salvation?

On 4/7/2022 at 11:20 AM, californiasardar1 said:

Is Amritsar a "Holy City"?

Again all this stuff depends on what you mean. Sikhs consider the places that Gurus went to be holy.

ਜਿਥੈ ਜਾਇ ਬਹੈ ਮੇਰਾ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੂ ਸੋ ਥਾਨੁ ਸੁਹਾਵਾ ਰਾਮ ਰਾਜੇ ॥

ਗੁਰਸਿਖੀ ਸੋ ਥਾਨੁ ਭਾਲਿਆ ਲੈ ਧੂਰਿ ਮੁਖਿ ਲਾਵਾ ॥

Wherever my True Guru goes and sits, that place is beautiful, O Lord King.

The Guru's Sikhs seek out that place; they take the dust and apply it to their faces.

 

Guru Hargobind ji visited the places (such as Jagannathpuri) that Guru Nanak Dev ji visited.

This does not mean that if you live in Amritsar, you're automatically holy:

ਅਲਹੁ ਏਕੁ ਮਸੀਤਿ ਬਸਤੁ ਹੈ ਅਵਰੁ ਮੁਲਖੁ ਕਿਸੁ ਕੇਰਾ ॥

If God resides in one Mosque (Mecca), then whose is the other country?

 

[BhForce]

On 4/7/2022 at 11:20 AM, californiasardar1 said:

Is it important for a Sikh to visit Amritsar?

Is Harmander Sahib the "holiest shrine in the Sikh religion"?

Sure, for the reasons I listed above. You get in touch with Sikh history.

Also, some Sikhs believe that there is spiritual immense power in the physical places where Naam has been meditated upon:

ਜਿਥੈ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪੀਐ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਪਿਆਰੇ ॥ ਸੇ ਅਸਥਲ ਸੋਇਨ ਚਉਬਾਰੇ ॥

Where the Naam, the Name of God the Beloved is chanted, Those barren places become mansions of gold.

 

As far as "holiest", I don't think you need to get caught up in comparisons. It is certainly the headquarters of the Sikh faith.

Are you not an American if you've never visited Washington DC? No. But it's still the center of American power.

You should visit other places of Guru ji and Bhagats, too. To increase your desire for bhagti.

 

Guru ji instructs us to read Sakhis:

ਸੁਣਿ ਸਾਖੀ ਮਨ ਜਪਿ ਪਿਆਰ ॥ Listen to the stories of the devotees, O my mind, and meditate with love. ਅੰਗ ੧੧੯੨

So if reading Sakhis helps you to medidate, why wouldn't going to the actual places where the Sakhis occurred help in the same way? Some objects from those time periods are preserved.

 

Regarding the Amrit Sar and Harimandar Sahib it is written:

ਸੰਤਾ ਕੇ ਕਾਰਜਿ ਆਪਿ ਖਲੋਇਆ ਹਰਿ ਕੰਮੁ ਕਰਾਵਣਿ ਆਇਆ ਰਾਮ ॥

The Lord God has Himself stood up to fulfil the saints task and has Himself come to do their work. p783

[Premi5]

@californiasardar1 you won't like this

I searched google images and this is the first image that comes up (although the second one is better...)

[californiasardar1]

On 6/5/2022 at 9:56 AM, Premi5 said:

@californiasardar1 you won't like this

I searched google images and this is the first image that comes up (although the second one is better...)

 

I was hoping that I wouldn't be found out, but now my secret has been exposed ...