SIMPLICITY
216Lord” in the Gurmukhi language), is the
formless and genderless creator of the
universe who is the eternal truth (ad
sach).
Sikhs believe in reincarnation and
seek to overcome the painful cycle of
death and rebirth (chaurasi) by following
the teachings of the Sikh Gurus. Ulti-
mately, it is only God’s grace which may
allow one to attain mukti (liberation),
but one should strive to become more
Guru-oriented (gursikh) and less self-
oriented (manmukh). The name Sikh
itself means “disciple” or “learner.” Sikhs
stress the importance of nam (the Name),
dan (giving), and isnan (keeping clean).
They believe in the equality of all people
and reject the hierarchy intrinsic to the
caste system, offering langar, a free meal,
to all who come to their houses of
worship, which are known as gurudwaras
(literally, “Gate of the Guru”). Sikhs view
religious diversity as a gift from God,
understanding different forms of worship
and religious traditions as contextual
articulations of the one universal truth.
In the Dasam Granth, Guru Gobind
Singh wrote, “Recognize all human kind,
whether Muslim or Hindu as one. The
same God is the Creator and Nourisher
of all. Recognize no distinction among
them. The temple and the mosque are the
same. So are Hindu worship and Muslim
prayer. Human beings are all one.” Today,
there are about 20 million Sikhs in the
world, most of whom live in the Punjab
region of India.
SIMPLICITY. See DIVINE
SIMPLICITY.SIN. The concept of sin is principally
found in theistic traditions and refers to
a violation of God’s will or commands.
In traditions without a Godhead, such as
early Buddhism, there is little room for
the concept of sin. In theistic traditions,
sin can be grounds for punishment or
blame by God (even if sin is not a suffi-
cient condition for a civil magistrate
to impose punishment) and sins can be
removed or covered (no longer constitut-
ing a barrier to relationship with God) by
divine and human forgiveness and mercy.
See also ORIGINAL SIN and SEVEN
DEADLY SINS.SINCERITY. Sincerity is closely associ-
ated with truth-telling. One fundamental
sense of sincerity focuses on congruence
between motivations and other internal
states with external speech and action.
The connection with truth is that one’s
speech or action is a true reflection of
motivations or other internal states.
Sincerity is not identical with truth in a
wider sense (one can be sincerely mis-
taken). Another sense of sincerity has to
do with congruence among or between
internal states. This sense emphasizes
that one is not internally conflicted with
contradictory mental states which are
allowed to exist as they are. In both of
these senses of sincerity, related terms