Sikhism: core beliefs
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Flip to reveal answersWho was Guru Nanak, and when was he born?
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Question
Who was Guru Nanak, and when was he born?
Answer
The first of the ten human Gurus of Sikhism, born in 1469 in the Punjab.
Question
What does Guru mean in Sikh teaching?
Answer
One who takes away darkness — spiritual ignorance — and brings light, spiritual understanding.
Question
What happened to the line of human Gurus?
Answer
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, ended it and installed the scripture as the Guru — the Guru Granth Sahib, which Sikhs consult for all spiritual matters.
Question
What is ik onkar?
Answer
The symbol standing at the opening of the Guru Granth Sahib, representing God as one.
Question
What does nirguna mean?
Answer
God as one and formless.
Question
What is jot?
Answer
The divine spark or light Sikhs hold to be within every person.
Question
Distinguish maya from haumai.
Answer
Maya is the delusion that what is passing is what matters. Haumai is ego-centredness — living as though the self were the centre.
Question
Name the five vices.
Answer
Kam (lust), lobh (covetousness), moh (attachment), krodh (anger), ahankar (pride).
Question
Distinguish manmukh from gurmukh.
Answer
Manmukh is the follower of the ego; gurmukh is God-centred, living by the Gurus' teachings and reached through God's grace.
Question
Name the three daily duties.
Answer
Nam japna (continual meditation on God's name), kirat karni (earning an honest living), vand chhakna (sharing one's earnings with those in need).
Question
What is sewa?
Answer
Altruistic service to God and to humanity, regardless of birth or gender.
Question
What is sach khand, and how is it reached?
Answer
The realm of truth, where Sikhs hold God to be present — the last of five khands. Sikhs hold that a person may progress by effort but enters it through gurprasad, God's grace.
Question
What is langar?
Answer
The free communal meal served in a gurdwara, open to anyone regardless of background.
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Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism
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