commander

Looks like I missed this thread I'm 23 and residing near Las Vegas, Nevada/USA at the moment. I've been in the U.S. since high-school. I graduated with a Bachelors in Computer Science and I'm putting it to good use Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal!

I really don't understand your question. Will you elaborate, please?

Perhaps not the biggest, yet one of the most important is the lack of Sikhs my age.

I also have to say the website is very slow. Feels like I'm viewing it using a phone line connection!

Naven Saal Diyan Lakh Lakh Vadhiyan :yo: Now let's hear everyone's New Year resolutions!

I don't know which "arranged" marriages you've been witness to. Every single (Punjabi) "arranged" marriage that I have been familiar with involved letting the would-be couple see and talk to each other before deciding if they wanted to go through with it. The 20th century did not invent the concept of "love". If anything, it perverted it. In my opinion, the overwhelming majority of time "love" today is nothing more than lust in disguise. I don't claim to fully know what Love is or how many shapes and forms it takes, but I do wonder if this earthly love is in fact just a form of maya. Ok. So you're saying that a "love" marriage is different for caucasians versus the rest of humanity? We are discussing Sikh marriages here and not Indian or caucasion or anything specific to one culture. Again, let me remind you to stay on topic here - we are discussing Sikh marriages. Besides, doesn't the above happen just as much, if not more, in the so-called "love" marriages? Again, you're confusing the issue of Sikh marriages with Indian marriages. I am only concerned with the former. Stop shouting, please. To make it clear where I stand, I'll say this: I have no problems with Sikhs getting married however they please (arranged or otherwise). I just want to explore whether a Sikh may be better off with an arranged marriage (with a modern touch) than a "love" marriage. Further, I want to know whether there is such a thing as a "love" marriage as far as a Sikh is concerned. Of course, I realize that it is probably better for partners to get to know one another before deciding whether they wish to be married. I merely question the extents to which this interaction may go and whether it is appropritate for something to be called "love" when in fact it may just be the short-lived lust.

Just what exactly is this "love" marriage? It wouldn't be another name for "lust" marriage, would it? Ah, the 21st century with its 50% divorce rate. Is that the tradition you want us Sikhs to adopt now?

:shock: I think you did a great job handling the situation but I would have tried to ask him for his phone-number to check up on him/family.

Marriage should be a union of two souls (with the help of the Guru). As such, it will give you more strength to be a Sikh. Our Guru wants us to be married and live a "grasth" life. Besides, a Sikh cannot run away from his or her social and biological duties

It's quite simple really. The "Hindus" (India) and the "Muslims" (Pakistan) are using us Sikhs as a political tool and we don't bloody like it. We want them both to leave us the hell alone in this deceitful and disgusting game they're playing. First of all, religion is so much more than a just a belief (at least for us Sikhs). A Sikh's whole life is centered around his faith. The love of Guru is above everything else; The "love" of a man/woman is insignificant compared to the love of the Guru. A Sikh will never willingly "convert" for any reason whatsover and we hold people of other faith to the same standard. So when someone says they want to "convert" to Sikhi, I personally think of that person as being a traitor to their most sacred belief (it is ofcourse different if the person was religiously uncommited because then he wouldn't really be converting). The very idea of "converting" for the love of a man/woman is just plain ludicrous.

If it were upto the Sikhs to determine his fate then I'd sure hope that we would be more compassionate regardless of what he has done. But then we don't know what punishment the Iraqis are going to give him. On a related note, I have wondered whether giving someone the death penalty would be in-line with Sikh teachings. I always come up with the same answer: absolutely not.

I think a person may be 'detached' if he or she stops caring about this world/universe or the life in it. People will have different opinions on this however. For example, if you stop caring about 'maya', certain people will qualify you as 'detached' even though you're not.

He'll probably be put before the Iraqis and they'll likely sentence him to death. (been there, done that)

The guy's dead. End of discussion

Who the heck is "Osho" and why should Sikhs care what he says?

Yeah, the "independence" has been really great for us Sikhs :roll:

Wahe + Guru or Wah + E + Guru => Waheguru. Pretty self-explanatory I think.

No, we do not. That has to do with Punjabi culture and has nothing to do with the Sikh religion. No and no.

Everyone has different reasons (see the reply above for example). I do it for many reasons. For instance, when my matha touches the floor, I feel as if I'm touching the Lotus feet of my Guru. Every time I bow down to him, he takes away a part of my ego. I hope one day he will rid me of it.

Here are some ways: 1. Listen and contemplate Gurbani 2. Do simran during Amritvela 3. Find a hobby to take your mind off stressful things

What the heck, here are mine: 1. Sikhism (100%) 2. Reform Judaism (79%) 3. Orthodox Judaism (77%) 4. Hinduism (76%) 5. Jainism (66%) 6. Islam (66%) 7. Bahá'í Faith (63%) 8. Mahayana Buddhism (56%) 9. Neo-Pagan (54%) 10. Unitarian Universalism (54%) 11. Liberal Quakers (52%) 12. New Thought (47%) 13. Scientology (47%) 14. Theravada Buddhism (47%) 15. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (45%) 16. Eastern Orthodox (39%) 17. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (39%) 18. New Age (39%) 19. Roman Catholic (39%) 20. Orthodox Quaker (34%) 21. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (33%) 22. Taoism (32%) 23. Jehovah's Witness (32%) 24. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (31%) 25. Seventh Day Adventist (29%) 26. Secular Humanism (19%) 27. Nontheist (17%) Some of the questions didn't have answers that fit in with the Sikh philosophy though. Tried to do the best I could though.

You've made up your mind then? Khalsa includes women as much as men. What makes you think a Khalsa woman needs protection? Should she not be capable of protecting herself? A woman doesn't need to tie a piece of string on a Khalsa's wrist to remind him of this duty. Our beloved Nanak gave us a Kara. Why should we trade it for a piece of useless string? Maybe the men should also tie it on women's wrists then? After all, Khalsa doesn't discriminate, right? What does it say then? Is it a meaningless ritual then? You're contradicting yourself here. A Khalsa protects anyone that needs protection. If you say so.

Never heard of the cited website. Perhaps you can advise them that the said festival has nothing to do with Sikhi?

The only trouble with accepting them from a non-sikh woman is that you may be indirectly condoning the pratice, which we ofcourse do not.