Jan-March 2006 - Institute of Sikh Studies

FROM CROWN TO THE CROSS-ROADS – SIKH HISTORY GOES FULL CIRCLE69as rituals, priests, fasting, churches, mosques, or anything else. Allother gods are human particularizations of the one God, that is, theyparticularize one aspect of God. So all religions are both legitimateand illegitimate.Perhaps the most radical of Guru Nanak’s teachings was therejection of caste or class. Since all human beings contain God withinthemselves, social distinction and inequality are externalizations ofhumanity’s sinfulness. The ideal community is one in which no socialdistinctions are in place at all. The early history of Sikhism underNanak and the first four Gurus is largely an attempt to build a classfreeand caste-free society.The core of Guru Nanak’s teachings involve three fundamentaldoctrines.– Nam: The Name. A direct, unmediated experience of God canbe attained by meditating on God’s name (Nam); this name,according to Guru Nanak, is ek , or “One.” Each human beingcan overcome his sinfulness and achieve a mystical union withGod by meditating on this name.– Shabad: The Word. God is revealed through the spoken word(shabad ) . The spoken word reveals the nature and name of Godas well as the methods by which one can meditate on the Nameand achieve union with god.– Guru: The Teacher. The Name and the Word are revealed throughthe Guru; knowledge of both only comes through the Guru. TheSikh concept of the Guru is different from the Hindu concept,for the Sikh Guru is synonymous with the Name and the Word.It is slightly inaccurate to say this, but it comes close to hittingthe mark: in many ways, the Guru is the voice of God speakingto humanity.The Guru is one of the foundational concepts of Sikhism, andbefore his death, Guru Nanak appointed his successor. He wasfollowed by nine more Gurus; the tenth and the last declared the officeto be discontinued and there has been no Guru since. While GuruNanak established the central teachings of Sikhism, each Guru whofollowed added significantly to the religion (which was one aspect ofthe office of Guru). The figure of the Guru gave Sikhism a stablecontinuity from its earliest and most volatile period; it also made it