302
Both Sikhs and non-Sikh visitors
are welcome to join in communal meals
at Sikh temples. Everyone, whatever
their race, class, or sex, sits on the floor
to eat, to emphasize the equality of all.ALL MAY ENTER
OUR GATEWAY
TO GOD
CLASS SYSTEMS AND FAITH
S
ikhism is one of the most
egalitarian of all religions,
quite free of division or
discrimination by race, class, or
sex. All are welcome in gurdwaras
(Sikh temples) regardless of faith;
there are no priests—decisions are
made by the community—and
both men and women may read
from the Sikh holy book. This
inclusiveness can be traced to
Sikhism’s origins, when Guru
Nanak (p.301) received a revelation
from God, and announced: “There
is no Hindu or Muslim, so whose
path shall I follow? I shall follow
the path of God.”
Disillusioned about the existing
religions of India at that time, and
by the social divisiveness he saw in
all religions, Guru Nanak considered
that, from the divine perspective,
religious labels—such as Hindu
or Muslim—were irrelevant. In their
place, Guru Nanak offered an
alternative, all-embracing faith
based on devotion to God rather
than the observance of ritual and
reverence for individual holy men.A legacy of equality
Guru Nanak’s teachings were
consolidated by subsequent Sikh
gurus, and when the 10th guru,Guru Gobind Singh, established
the Khalsa order, into which most
Sikhs are initiated (p.299), he
made the order open to everyone.
Controversially, for the time, he
denounced the caste system and
gender discrimination. He also
abolished the priesthood in
Sikhism, which he felt had become
corrupt and self-serving—guilty of
the very vices the faith seeks to
overcome. Instead, he appointed
custodians of the holy book, the
Guru Granth Sahib, at each temple,
while also permitting all Sikhs,
male or female, to read from it in
worship at the gurdwara or at home.IN CONTEXT
KEY FIGURE
Guru NanakWHEN AND WHERE
From 15th century, IndiaBEFORE
From 1700 BCE The Vedic
scriptures divide society into
four varnas, or classes, with
brahmins (priests) at the top;
this rigid social hierarchy
pervades Indian society to
the present day.AFTER
c.1870 Indian sage Sri
Ramakrishna advocates
religious tolerance, stating
that all religions may lead to
God via a heightened state
of consciousness.1936 Indian philosopher and
political leader Mahatma
Gandhi propagates the notion
of sarvadharma samabhava,
the equality of all religions,
and speaks out against the
Indian caste system.