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Guru
Granth Sahib’s Grace
I J Singh
 Sikhs worldwide are celebrating the 300th anniversary of the
installation of Guru Granth Sahib, Sikhism's living Guru and central
holy text.
When I came to this country in 1960, perhaps 3 or 4 Sikhs lived in
New York City. There were none in Oregon where I spent several years
as a student. No major metropolitan area in North America is now
without a sizable Sikh community.
Most Americans back then had never seen a Sikh, not many know about
us even now. I conclude this from the post-9/11 reality when the
bearded, turbaned visage of the Sikh is often mistaken on the street
for a follower of Osama bin Laden, despite the fact Sikhs have
nothing to do with Islam or with bin Laden. It gets us the most
unwelcome attention.
When I came here I was a Sikh but with little feeling for Sikhism.
My interest in it was driven largely by the fact that I lived in
North America in an entirely non-Sikh milieu, and by the innumerable
invitations to churches, synagogues and Bible study groups that came
my way. And when non-Sikhs asked me questions, I had little to say
that made sense to me, much less to others.
To
me, Sikhism speaks of a reality that the senses cannot perceive and
the intellect cannot fathom, but with which our inner self can
commune. This reality transcends anything that science and
technology can measure or formulate.
As
in many other spiritual traditions, the "Word" is God. Our scripture
- Guru Granth -- opens with an alphanumeric devised by the founder
of the faith, Guru Nanak. "Ik Oankar" combines the first primal
number "one" with "Oankar," a word that stands for Creator or Doer.
Thus it postulates one God, -- not a partisan Jewish, Christian,
Muslim, Hindu or Sikh God, but one that embraces all creation.
If
I can see the oneness in the creator and creation, there is then
absolutely no room for distinctions in race, caste, creed, gender,
color or national origin. Differences between "them" and "us"
vanish. Equality, liberty, fraternity and justice are inherent in
that oneness. And, then, as the Guru Granth says, "I see no stranger
or enemy."
Guru Granth is both timeless and universal, so it speaks to me today
as it did to countless Sikhs centuries ago. It deliberately shies
away from historical events, and absolutely refrains from dispensing
specific edicts on particular moral choices, such as abortion,
reproductive rights or other bioethical issues.
The
idea is not a God who micromanages our existence. In life, many
dilemmas test us and new issues of life and death will demand our
attention. Our response will evolve with time and technology in a
changing world.
Guru Granth does not provide me a sin quotient for every infraction
committed or contemplated. It gives me not cut-and-dried solutions
as in a catechism or an easily-swallowed pill, but an ethical
framework rooted in spiritual values within which to navigate my
way. This places all responsibility and accountability squarely on
the follower.
To
me, Guru Granth has moral clarity and the vocabulary to express it
without maudlin oversimplification or self-righteous hubris. It
gives life an inner centering, reverence, reason, hope, and calmness
in action.
Even though the best prayer is honest self-effort, the results are
pure grace (nadar), like manna from heaven.
Faith, to some, is panacea; to others it is placebo. To me, it is
embracing the uncertainty that is life, while knowing in the gut a
visceral universal presence and oneness. This, then, becomes walking
in the shadow of God, or a life in "hukam".
Sikhism asks of us a productive family life of honest effort and
sharing its rewards with others, while holding on always to an
awareness of the Infinite within us.
Much of the Guru Granth is in verse that is sung to the strains of
classical Indian musicology. The poetry remains some of the most
romantic, and speaks of a reality that transcends our puny
existence.
My
faith and engagement with the Guru in the Granth remains
everlasting. Sikhism is now inseparably integrated into everything I
think, do or feel -- at work or at play.
After almost half a century of living in America, I see that just as
it is possible to be a good Jew or a good Christian and a good
American at the same time; it is similarly possible to be a good
Sikh and a good American. Despite some disquieting post
9/11experiences, the two ideas are not mutually exclusive.
 I.J.
Singh is a professor of anatomical sciences at New York University.
He is the author of four collections of essays on his journey as a
Sikh in North America:Sikhs and Sikhism: A View With a Bias (1994,
1998); The Sikh Way: A Pilgrim's Progress (2001); Being & Becoming a
Sikh (2003); The World According to Sikhi (2006).
Courtesy:www.sikhchic.com
22 October 2008
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