Year of Faith

So there’s been a few hiccups this past week.

First off, there was a problem on the site and people were not able to leave comments.  Sara was good enough to identify the problem and fix it, so comment away!  You all have no excuse.

However I do, because my computer in the past few days was in a kind of limbo.  There were a few points where I thought I would lose all my data, but thanks to my father’s quick and knowledgeable tech-support everything is a-ok, and I even have more disk space!  Yay.

We will now be getting back to our regularly scheduled updating.  I’m off to Victoria for a couple of days soon, so I’ll try to check out the Sikh community there and have some updates prepared.

Still digging my teeth into the GGS, and still haven’t woken at dawn.

But I’m doing my best to put a smile on my face and be optimistic about life.   For such is the way of chardi kala, a peaceful and rather bouyant frame of mind that all Sikhs are advised to adopt.  It’s a fine way to look at life, no matter your faith.

The other day I came across a passage in the GGS that seemed at first to be contrary to the message of Sikhism. At the outset it seemed to show God as distant and uncaring. But looking back on it, especially within the context of the section as a whole, I think I may understand it now, and it isn’t what I had first supposed. Here is the whole section, the passage in question is in bold:

My self! why art fallen into this brooding? The Lord Himself on thy behalf is making endeavor: in rocks and stones has He created living creatures, whose sustenance He there provides. Cherished Lord: those joining holy company are saved: by the Master’s grace attain they the supreme state, and shriveled blocks of timber blossom forth. Mother, father, neighbors, sons, wife- none to any other is a prop.

The Lord for each has provided sustenance- why bear fear in mind? The mother crane that flies away hundred of kosas (roughly a mile), leaving her brood behind, unprovided, famishing- by her remembrance of them they are fed and filled. All the treasures and eighteen accomplishments, in the palm of the Lord are held. Saith Nanak, servant of God: Should I be a sacrifice to Thee a hundred times, still they greatness remain unencompassed.

I’m sure you can see, by just focusing on that one passage, that God can seem rather uncaring, and very distant, and certainly not very personal. But the first section spells out the context of the crane analogy. Even though you cannot see God, or don’t believe that It is there, It is present in the world around you, in your sustenance and the joy you get in life. It created the world in which you partake, and by remembrance of that fact, one is reflecting on God. God has given the means of devoting ourselves, and of having faith.

When one is suffering, when you are hungry, alone and scared, it is easy to lose sight of this fact. Thus the crane story can remind us that although doubt and darkness can cloud our faith, God is found in all things, at all times, and we are never truly separate from It. This message can be empowering, and uplifting, and combined with the charity inherent in Sikhism, it can sometimes amount to a real life-saver.

But one should not interpret this too strictly. In addition to reading the GGS, I have also been reading god is not Great: How Religion Poison Everything by Christopher Hitchens. It is, needless to say, very critical of religion, and it often cites how people in power and the preistly class often use religion as an excuse to allow suffering. After all, one may be in such a deplorable state because of their well-earned karma, or because suffering can build faith and a religious character, or because they have not prayed enough and lack faith and devotion. All of these, Mr. Hitchens argues, are tools used by the religious in avoiding the problem, and keeping aloof of their humanitarian responsibilities, all the while milking the underprivileged of their hard earned income. If one were to put too much stock in this story about the crane the temptation is there to do the same, to use one’s lack of faith or religious devotion as an excuse for not helping one’s fellow man: Why fear for the livelihood your family if you are living in squallor? Surely solace can be found in remembering God in your life, that It is present in all things and that It created this world for your benefit.

I find it hard to believe that any honest Sikh would get away with this interpretation of the GGS, especially considering their charitable and innately humanistic practices. But the same can be said of many of the world’s religions, and history has shown us that it is only a matter of time before it becomes an excuse for atrocities as well as benevolence.

An aside- you may have noticed that I am trying to use the pronoun ‘It’ when referring to God this month. This is because God in Sikhism is genderless, and is referred to without preference to gender in the GGS. However, when translated to English, this cannot be maintained whilst still being intelligible, so the standard though tired male descriptors are used.

The Granth Sahib consists of hymns of devotion to God, inspired reflections on the Divinely-ordained cosmic order, the vision of the higher life and exhortation to man towards lifting himself to the state of spiritual peace and the attainment of liberation.

-An Introduction to Sri Guru Granth Sahib, by Gurbachan Singh Talib

I think this is a very good summation of the contents of the Guru Granth Sahib (GGS), at least the parts that  I have encountered so far.  The translation is a bit awkward in some cases, and it perhaps often denotes meanings that are ambiguous where perhaps there ought not to be ambiguity.  Nevertheless I’m sure I’ll have exploring the meanings and ideas present in this text.

The GGS starts in a manner that is very reminiscent of other holy texts that I have read this year.  There is the courteous and appreciative nod to the many other religious traditions of the day, and also a nod to the various forms of worship.  It is at this point, however, that the standard holy text usually turns and proclaims that while all the other religions and practices are well and good, this one is the best, and only this one is the truth.  They go through all the trouble of making the other faiths feel at home, but really, it is simply an acknowledgment of their existence, to be followed by a condemnation of their falsity and inevitable uselessness.

But the GGS doesn’t do this, at least it does not seem overwhelmingly so at this point.  It acknowledges time and again that there are many ways of worshiping God, and it’s  all good because really it’s the same God.  It is not seem hostile in any way towards other forms of worship or religion, though it does seem to criticize them:

Holy bathing, austerities, compassion, charity- all are approved if they bring even a grain of merit in God’s eye.   True merit lies in absorbing holy teaching, faith and devotion- in these take the holy purifying bath of the soul.

Here we get a glimpse of what on the outside would seem like a contradiction.  If the GGS gives value to other forms of faith, then shouldn’t they gain God’s merit?  This passage seems to suggest that they do not, that they are really a waste of time.  However, I think that what the author is really getting at is that actions such as compassion and charity are useless if they are not the result of devotion to God.  If one is giving to the poor for one’s own sake and not in the service of God, then that action has no merit.  One is simply looking for a pat on the back, for recognition for their deeds, instead of acting in accordance with the divine.

This is a much more charitable and accurate interpretation, I think.  But it begs the question that if one can only have God’s merit (ie- do genuinely good deeds) if one does things whilst always being conscious of God, what room is there for atheists or unbelievers to do good deeds?  Not much, it seems:

Inexpressible if the state of faith; whoever attempts this, shall in the end regret his rashness.  This state pen and paper cannot record, nor cogitation its secret penetrate.  The great immaculate Name of God may only be realized by one whose ming in faith is firm fixed.

Implicit in the raising up of devotion, faith, and religious tradition is the calling down of unbelievers, and their tools of reason and logic, as opposed to faith, to get at Truth.  This is, I suppose, fair enough.  The GGS states many times the importance of personal experience of the divine and devotion to God through faith.  One is not going to get there by pondering the idea, only through strong belief.  This passage does not necessarily call down those who do not believe in God, but being as I am one who feels somewhat out of place without pen and paper at the ready, and can hardly read a book without something with which to make notes in the margins, I feel a little put out.

If one doesn’t believe in God, who does good deeds not for his or her own sake, but for the sake of something higher, are they not worthy of God’s merit?  I have trouble believing that a divinity so highly praised would really be able to commit such a sin as vanity and prudishness.  God, clearly, is more than that.

Neither in contemplation nor in austerity or self-discipline have I engaged; Nor practised injunction of religion.  King of the Universe! the holy have I not served.  Saith Nanak: Low are our actions.  Succour Thou one, with Thee seeking shelter.

I was pleasantly surprised to read this in the Guru Granth Sahib today.  It was as if the book was giving me a well-deserved brow-beating.  I managed to finally grab a copy a few days ago from the university library (the local library is on strike), along with a small introductory guide, and I was surprised it came in four volumes.  Though to be fair, it is formatted in large, easy to read verses, so the bible would probably be just as huge if it wasn’t all crammed together.  Needless to say I just picked up the first volume and hoped I would get through enough to give me a good idea of what it’s all about.

What I have found so far is that the Guru Granth Sahib is unlike other holy books in that it doesn’t detail any myths, histories (both true and imagined), biographies or anything like that.  It is all just poems and prose dedicated to God.  That’s it, really.  Just hymns, prayers, and praise.  It’s kind of nice, actually, though it has started to get a little tedious.

Anyway, here is a link to an online version, for my long-lost cohorts:

Sri Guru Granth Sahib Online.

And a link to a nice PDF version you can download and read at you leisure:

Sri Guru Granth Sahib PDF.

I recommend that you read, at the very least, the Japuji, which is the first section and the daily prayer.  It sums up the Sikh position on God and religion pretty nicely.

I have already come across a few interesting sections so expect to be see my comments int he coming.

And to anyone reading from the lovely LJ Sikh community, thank you all for your feedback.  I will be sending out emails with more questions and such soon!  Promise!

Now to find myself an iron (not steel, like I had originally said in the intro) bracelet.

The concept of growing out my facial hair for a month is new and strange to me. I grew it out a couple of years ago to see how it would look, and I quickly realized that full facial hair was not my thing. But it did result in my philosopher goatee, perfect for stroking sagely whilst pondering deep questions such as “Where shall we eat?”

I canvass part-time right now for a wilderness organization, so personal appearance is kind of important to me right now. I’m also looking to be hired for another part-time job, so I don’t want to look too shaggy. It would be nice if I could shape it and keep it tidy, but that kind of defeats the purpose. I’m supposed to be doing this in acknowledgment that God’s creation is perfect, not because God’s creation is good but would be better with just a little bit off around the edges. It also symbolizes my place in the Sikh religion, and doesn’t allow me to just blend in with my peers.

However, this is a new and invigorating experience and though it seems daunting I am looking forward to it. It won’t be the first time I will be required to grow a beard. I shall be repeating the process in October when we get to Islam, as they have the same prohibition.

I wanted to post some pictures of my ever-increasing stubble, but my camera is somewhat busted and I’m not happy with how they are turning out. Perhaps I’ll get Andrew to take some of the both of us. He is the resident photographer-person, after all.

Wow. Here we are. Our eighth month and eighth religion. Has it really been that long? It doesn’t seem like it. It seems like we have barely begun, like we have barely scratched the surface. Even though we have covered a lot of ground so far, the depth we can reach has been somewhat limited.

Hopefully this will change in the months to come, because starting this month we are coming to the most popular and well known religions- Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity, with memberships that reach into the billions. We will also be coming to the primary Abrahamic religion, Judaism, in September, and this month we shall be studying Sikhism: the ninth largest religion in the world, and the third largest Dharmic tradition (which includes Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism). There will be plenty of ideas and history to cover, so there will be no reason why this site shouldn’t be brimming with activity.

Right? Right.

Ok, let’s get some things straight for this month…

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