Ethics and moral conduct

There is no systematic manual of ethical practice and laws governing all Sikhs; these are to be discerned by meditating upon the Guru Granth Sahib.

It acts as a manual for Sikh behaviour, covering the organization of gurdwaras and rites of passage. Khalsa Sikhs promise to obey it in their daily lives.

The equality of humanity, the divine creation of the world, and behaving honestly in daily life.

Schools of law and a class of jurists. Sikhism has no priesthood or jurists, and directs Sikhs to the scripture for spiritual matters and to the Khalsa for temporal ones.

Because Khalsa Sikhs promise to obey it, so its authority over an individual rests on an undertaking they made — which is why breaking a kurahit is dealt with before the Panj Piare.

The guide calls them an outward expression of some ethical beliefs — most clearly the kirpan, from kirpa (grace) and ana (honour), symbolising the duty to protect the weak and vulnerable.

A random opening of the Guru Granth Sahib, taken as God's guidance — one of the ways Guru Gobind Singh told Sikhs to consult it.

The cost is that a new question may receive several Sikh answers; the gain is that no mechanism exists by which a ruling could harden into something the scripture would not support.

An outward expression of some ethical beliefs — most clearly the kirpan, from kirpa (grace) and ana (honour), symbolising a Sikh's duty to protect the weak and vulnerable.

Righteous war theory, developed by Guru Gobind Singh to LIMIT both when war is permitted and conduct during war. Its purpose is restraint.

Hinduism: dharma yuddha in the Bhagavad Gita. Christianity: just-war theory. Sikhism: dharam yudh, framed as a limit. Buddhism: no equivalent at all.

He is remembered as having died defending the religious freedom of Hindus rather than Sikhs — showing what protection of the vulnerable means, and connecting to the teaching that God may be found in other faiths.

The five Ks worn; langar, where everyone eats the same food seated together; sewa, performed by everyone; kirat karni, honest earning; and vand ke chakna, sharing what is earned.

That Sikhs believe in equality of humanity regardless of birth, gender or religion, but caste and gender issues do arise — and it asks about the degree to which the teaching is manifest.

The teaching at full strength; the gap the guide itself names; and the fact that Sikhs are the ones pointing at the gap, citing the Guru Granth Sahib against the practice.

A symbol can be worn without the conduct it stands for, and they are worn by initiated Khalsa Sikhs — so they describe a committed core rather than the whole panth.