Sikhism - The Tenets

Sikhism is the 5th largest religion in the world and has been around since the 15th century. The Holy Book of Sikhism, known as Sri Guru Granth Sahib, is composed of 1,430 pages and contains the teachings of the ten Gurus on how to live a just and virtuous life. That is a lot of pages to read and understand. However, the essence of the message of Sikhism can truly be found in just the first nine phrases of the book.

1. Ik Onkar
   There is only one God and He is omnipresent
   God is omnipresent. This means that He is everywhere around us and even within us. Thus, if we believe in God and respect Him, we should treat everyone and everything with the same respect and kindness. We should not try to cheat people or be unjust towards anyone.
2. Sat Nam
   His name is true
   God’s word is true, and He would never lie to us. So, whenever He tells us to do something, He is looking out for our best interests. We should also never lie and cheat and follow in God’s footsteps on the true path.
3. Karta Purkh
   He has created everything and everyone
   God is the creator and builder of this world and universe and he is omnipresent in it. Thus, we should treat everything from our planet to the people with the same reverence that is reserved for God.
4. Nir Bhau
   He is without fear
   God does not fear anything, and since He is within us, we should also not fear anything, including Him.
5. Nir Vaer
   He has no animosity or hatred towards anything
   God loves everyone and everything, and we should do the same since He resides within us.
6. Akal Murat
   He is immortal
   Since He never dies, His teachings are eternal and can always be applied, regardless of place or time.
7. Ajuni
   God is beyond birth and death
   We should not worry about the afterlife and just live our lives to the fullest in the present since we are simply the essence of God poured temporarily into mortal vessels.
8. Sai Bhang
   He is self sustained
   God does not need anything from us to sustain Him. We are a part of Him and all He asks of us is that we follow His teachings to live just and virtuous lives.
9. Gur Prasad
   He is realized by following his teachings
   If we follow the aforementioned advice, by His grace, we can realize God.

I am not a learned scholar of Sikhism, merely a Sikh, i.e., a disciple. I wrote this article to provide an overview of the very simple and practical teachings of Sikhism that really make sense without being entrenched in controversies of scripture or revelations. If we live our lives according to the above tenants, the world will be a much better place.

I apologize for any mistakes on my part. Kindly provide feedback to correct them if necessary. Thanks!