One of the most amazing day occurred June 13, 2009. Ralph invited us to the Sikh Temple in Chiang Mai. Sikhism was started in India in 1604A.D. The religion has 9 Gurus (prophets) from which the religion's teachings and doctrine is founded upon. The Guru Granth Sahib, which is the holy book is the tenth and finally Guru. This scripture is the only one in the world which has been compiled by the founders of a faith during their own life time. Sikhism accounts for 2% of India’s population.
In normal Thai style we arrived 45 minutes late to the temple. We were graciously greeted at the entrance. We took off our shoes and placed them in a cabinet. We did not explore the first floor because we were late to breakfast. Every Saturday, it is the Sikh Temples’ responsibility to feed whoever comes to breakfast. The breakfast is a vegetarian style meal. The prophet was waiting for us in the dining hall. We skipped the meal in order to hear as much of the private sermon as possible with our limited amount of time.
Sikhism is a practical religion- a faith of hope and optimism. Its ideals form a large part of the more progressive elements in humanity today. It shows mankind how to lead a worth and useful life in the world; which elevates it to the status of Universal World Faith. The word “Skikh” means a disciple. A Sikh is a person who believes in Waheguru and teachings of the Ten Gurus enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib.
Since we arrived late we missed the Holy book being awakened. The Holy Book is put to rest at night and awoken in the morning; this is done because it is a living book. At the Harmandir Sabib in Amritsar the Holy Book is read 24 hours a day. I am going back to the Sikh Temple with my mom and sister to see this ceremony.
A lovely Sikh woman escorted us to the third floor. Before entering the holy room the ladies put a scarf around our hair and the boys put a bandana on their heads. We entered the room and sat on the floor. During the last year the Temple has undergone renovations. The room was beautifully accented with a lot of gold. The Indian woman quickly taught us about the 5 ‘K’. She spoke excellent English but at times the accent was thick. She was wearing a beautiful green outfit and her hair touched her butt. Kesh is one rule in Sikhism, men and women are not allowed to cut their hair, any of their hair. I thought that the assistant to the prophet had a short beard but upon closer inspection, he had it neatly combed under his chin. “Keeping hair is the most important symbol. Living in harmony with the will of God; shaving of hair may construed as interference in nature’s way and consider oneself wiser than God.” Kangha is a comb; Sikh must always keep hair clean and tidy. Kachehra is an undergarment that symbolizes chastity. Kirpan is a sword that symbolizes courage and self-respect. Kara is a steel bracelet and is a symbol of restraint and gentility. I want a steel bracelet now!
After the lecture with the woman, we gathered on the floor around the podium. The prophet and his assistant lectured about the history of Sikhism. They shared a lot of information and spiritual wisdom. They invited us to ask questions. They gave us a nice book with a plethora of information on Sikhism. As Ralph reminded them of our time constraint; they began to speak very quickly. Their accents became very thick the faster they spoke. At times it was difficult to understand everything that was being explained; I think it was a combination of some words cannot be translated and the fast speech. We graciously said our goodbyes but not without some lovely pictures. I really enjoyed the scarf on my head and it was the perfect accessory to my outfit that day!!.. and my scarf matched my eyeshadow... I don't know I manage to be so fashion forward in the toughest of circumstances!!
One of the most moving moments at the Temple occurred once we walked out the door. The opening to a Buddhist Wat is in the small parking lot of the Sikh Temple. It is truly amazing to see all of the diversity and acceptance of religion. I wish that Utah had more options than LDS… Every religion is true and inspirational to its followers. I decide as I entered the Wat gates to start collection world religion books. I think by studying the world’s religions, I will inherently understand and come to love all of God’s creation. I have enjoyed reading my Buddha book, the Koran and now I am looking forward to reading the Guru Granth Sahib.
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