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!

Firstly, who's to say that love just means lust. So you're telling me that a person wouldn't feel that same way after seeing their arranged bride for the first time? Not exactly a good example, but you know what I mean....you can't simply correlate only a love marriage with lust.

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.

Secondly, please don't use that 50% statistic. It's so flawed beyond comprehension.

Ok.

You know why most love marriages end in divorce according to your statistic? That stat is taken mostly from a caucasion population where it is seen as a mostly acceptable action (except catholics blah blah, you get the point though).

So you're saying that a "love" marriage is different for caucasians versus the rest of humanity?

But in general, the argument is flawed because do you think that a culture which forces it's people into ARRANGED marriages would be accepting of DIVORCE? NO!!!!!!!! Exactly the point.

We are discussing Sikh marriages here and not Indian or caucasion or anything specific to one culture.

Tell me how many Indian women who have had arranged marriages to supposed Prince CHarmings, only to have them turn out to be drunk and abusive.

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?

Oh but WAIT, Indian culture doesn't look too happily upon this women divorcing her husband, no matter the circumstances...so she's inevitably STUCK

Again, you're confusing the issue of Sikh marriages with Indian marriages. I am only concerned with the former.

THAT IS WHY WE GET THE STAT THAT 50% OF LOVE MARRIAGES END IN DIVORCE! IT'S BECAUSE THE MAJORITY IF PEOPLE WHO GET ARRANGED MARRIAGES COME FROM CULTURES THAT FORBID DIVORCE, NO MATTER HOW DIRE THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

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.

Why are the majority of Sikhs against love marriages?

Just what exactly is this "love" marriage? It wouldn't be another name for "lust" marriage, would it?

Well, Sikhs in general don't really have a good reason for hating the idea if one finds their own partner. They just want to carry on the past traditions but they need to get over it, we're in the 21st century.

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.

WJKKWJKF

Is it important dat a sikh be married?

How abt single life and livin to rise above da five pasions and meditatin alone, wen u dnt have much responsibilty of kids, spouse and relatives?

Wouldnt life be much smoother and more chances of MORE spirtual progress?

WJKKWJKF

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

I still dont understand what the problem with this movie is. It is just a movie after all....

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.

Would it be any different if the roles were reversed and a Muslim girl fell in love with a Sikh and wanted to convert to Sikhism?

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.

Well... but i mean in the spirit of sikhi wouldn't you think one should deal with someone with a bit more humanity.... I mean everyone knows how harsh the Sharia laws are... I think that he would realize more if one should him respect and dignity than if we treated him like an animal.... we don't have to stoop down to his level....

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.

WJKK WJKF

wat is detachment?

how do u know if ur detached or r getin detached?

WJKK WJKF

ne sugestionz. plz keep it clean.

thankz

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.

So they finally caught him at last, what do u think should be done with him now...

I personally think he should be taken to an international court system and not have the biased Americans involved in it, but i doubt that'll happen.....

He'll probably be put before the Iraqis and they'll likely sentence him to death.

(as u can see i'm procrastinating from studyin physics....damn it!!! It's tomorrow... oh no :cry: )

(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.

...I want to know if Sikh also pray to the Cow.

No, we do not.

The reason I am asking this question is because I know Sikh people you eat meat but will not eat beef (cow).

That has to do with Punjabi culture and has nothing to do with the Sikh religion.

Does it say any where in the bani that sikh will need to pray to a Cow and not eat beef.

No and no.

im not sure what EXACTLY we bow down for.. maybe someone cud explain that to me...?? didn't our gurus say no worship or something, i mean i know we are not bowing at a "book", that we are bowing what is in the Guru Granth Sahib and its teachings, but still lil confused... maybe someone can clear things up for me....

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.

I think its okay to follow rakhi.

You've made up your mind then?

Rakhi means protecting your sister and if Khalsa wont protect then who else will?

Khalsa includes women as much as men. What makes you think a Khalsa woman needs protection? Should she not be capable of protecting herself?

So Khalsa is for the protection of the people.

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?

It is not a discrimination on sex

Maybe the men should also tie it on women's wrists then? After all, Khalsa doesn't discriminate, right?

...it doesnt say that women are low and they need protection from men.

What does it say then? Is it a meaningless ritual then?

It only says Brothers should protect there sister? Wont you protect your sister?

You're contradicting yourself here. A Khalsa protects anyone that needs protection.

Therez nothing wrong with Raksha Bandhan.

If you say so.

One of the prominent Sikh website states Rakhsah Bandan as Sikh festival... I wonder whom to follow... :roll: Just scroll down to the end of the webpage...

http://allaboutsikhs.com/basics/introduction.htm

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

I dont see anything wrong in tieng a rakhi by a non-sikh women... i think thats fine, what u think?

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.