Seeking Sikhism

Yesterday, we were given the opportunity to go visit the place of worship of a religion other than our own. While others went to a Hindu Temple, Buddhist Temple, or a Muslim Mosque, I went to a gurdwara, a Sikh Temple. Some of you may be wondering what Sikhism is, but a common link to them is the turban that the men of this faith wear. I went into this day, not knowing much about Sikhs, and although I still do not know too much, I'll share what I have learned...


The place of worship is called a Gurdwara. Darbar Sahib is the main hall within a Sikh Gurdwara, similiar to what our sanctuary would be. This hall is where the holy text, the Guru Granth Sahib is kept during the day. To make a long story short- there have been 10 Gurus in history and the last of the Gurus before he died he made the text a "living" to represent the previous 10 Gurus, but also be a permanent Guru. Because of this, they treat the text like a person. They make meals for it and have clothes on hand for it and they even have a bedroom for it that is going to at night.
While we were there, a 48 hour prayer was taking place, so we went into the hall and sat down cross-legged for a little bit and ate Kara Parshad, which was a mixture of sweet flour and oil. We were there for a bit and then we saw all of the clothes that they keep for the Guru Granth Sahib.
The symbol to the left is called the Khanda and is the symbol of Sikhism, like the cross would be to Christians. The circle represents God and how he is everlasting without a beginning or an end. There are also 3 swords, the right one symbolizes freedom and the left one symbolizes justice. The double edged sword symbolizes the end to inequalities and keeping a personal balance.
The 5 "K's'  are symbols that Sikh men and women wear to show their faith. They have spiritual significance and practical use. The first "K" is the Kara. The Kara is a steel band that is worn on the wrist as a reminder to train yourself to do God's will. You would not want to do anything bad with the hand that is wearing this band, so it is worn on the dominant hand. The second "K" is Kesh. Baptized Sikh men do not cut their hair or trim their beard because it is a gift from God. They use the third "K", the Kanga, which is a wooden comb to keep their uncut hair tidy, and clean. They say that by combing their hair, they are also "untangling" the bad things in their life. The forth "K" is the kirpaan, which is a small sword that they used to carry as a sign of personal freedom. Nowadays, they have lots of problems trying to fly with it! The last "K" is the Kashera. These are undergarments worn by men and women and are also used as a reminder of self control in all they do.
My day with the Sikhs was very interesting and it has inspired me to really try to go to all of the different religions to learn about them. Within 36 hours, I went to a Sikh temple, attended an Anglican Sunday morning service and went to a "mega-church", Abundant Life Ministries. God is in all of these places...