Because Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is hot. Actually, the whole cast is hot. I’d almost switch teams for Keira Knightley or Parminder Nagra.
Obviously that was a typo anaamika.
Thanks for clarifying. By using the term “traditional” it sounded like that was what they (Sikhs) believed. But it sounds more like a cultural issue than a religious one.
I don’t, I guess…my choice of movies tend to be action or comedy, anyway. I like my books deep and movies shallow. 
Kalhoun, thanks for correcting me. Just a personal little thing for me.
What is 3HO?
Does Sikhism have dietary restrictions? Is there any kind of general agreement on the nature of God? How explicit does a passage in the Granth have to be to be recognized as applying to a situation? Is there a tradition of extrapolation, or is it strict literalism?
Wow - I’ll try to tackle the first question, if Mojave66 doesn’t mind. Never thought I’d see it on SDMB either, btw, even though I asked about it a while ago.
3HO stands for Healthy Happy Holy Organization (3 Hs and and O, see?). It was founded in 1969 by Yogi Bhajan, who came to the US (via Canada) in late 1968. YB began as a yoga teacher (Kundalini yoga), but gradually introduced his religion, Sikhism, to his students. I know this because I was a student and was in 3HO for a while in the 70s–during that time I was also a practicing Sikh. I don’t know that I should say much more about 3HO, which I did make a break with in 1977–but it also involved me leaving the Sikh faith behind. Pretty much my only connection with Sikhism was through 3HO, and unfortunately I just wasn’t that comfortable with the Punjabi Sikh community, although I did from time to time attend Indian Sikh Gurudwaras. The 3HO Sikhs are practicing lacto-vegetarians (they eat dairy but not eggs); many (but not all) are also Khalsa and have taken Amrit. It is still unclear to me if vegetarianism is a requirement, although tobacco and alcohol use are discouraged.
I would like to point out that women are still not allowed to do Seva in the Golden Temple, which is probably the holiest site of the Sikh faith (the equivalent of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to Catholicism is probably the nearest comparison). That’s being worked on, however.
I am glad you started this thread, Mojave66 - thanks! There is much that I learned and hopefully was able to take with me from my time as a Sikh–and much that I still am seeking. I especially miss listening to kirtan; this topic has made me think of going to a gurudwara again.
Bend it Like Beckham is actually a comedy, and I assure you women are in no way shape or form subordinated in that movie.
I just mentioned it because the family is obviously Sikh, and there is some underlying tension between younger practitioners and older traditions.
What factors favour Gora Sikhism becoming trendy, and what factors work against this?
No problem at all, Tarragon. Feel free to answer any question here!
No, although langar (a kitchen in a gurdwara that will feed anyone who comes to it) only cooks vegetarian food so that anyone can eat there. There are many Sikhs who do only eat vegetarian. The only restriction is that you can’t eat meat that has been slaughtered by religious ritual-- technically, the Sikh religion is anti-ritual although over the years they’ve developed a few of 'em themselves. But the bottom line is that Sikhs are to refrain from eating Halal or Kosher meat. However, some just want to eat meat that uses the most humane methods of life and slaughter, regardless of ritual.
The Mool Mantar (the first verse of the Sri Granth Guru Sahib) sums it all up nicely, keeping in mind that Punjabi to English translation is tricky enough but since the SGGS is written as poetry it just makes it that much trickier.
One God, truth is his/her(*) name. S/he is the Creator. S/he has no fear. S/he has no hatred. S/he is timeless and without form. S/he is the enlightened one, is beyond birth and death. S/he can be known through the Guru’s(**) grace.
- Later it is written that God has gender but is neither male nor female. I like to think God as genderqueer, although that’s probably a rather radical reading of the text.
** The Guru meaning Waheguru (ie God, the True Guru) him/herself. Again, my own extremely humble reading of this is that Waheguru can only be experienced subjectively, never discovered objectively-- ie, s/he is beyond the external senses.
Hoo boy. Let me reiterate that I am a very much the novice student of the Granth, and that I have only read the English translations-- there is much more richness to it in the original Punjabi, and again-- it is poetry. It would be like taking Rumi strictly literally. However there are some very explicit passages saying Sikhs should be householders, should contribute money to charity, should do voluntary service for the community, and should refrain from intoxicants and tobacco. There are also explicit passages that make it clear that all humans are equal and worthy of Waheguru’s grace, you should always be learning something, and that there is no one “true” path-- if you are Christian or Muslim or Hindu then be good Christians, Muslims or Hindus. A good example of “extrapolation” is a discussion I was involved in that concluded that athiests should be good humanists, it’s essentially the same path! That’s the other thing I love about Sikhism, since there is so little literalism and no one has the authority to hand down strict interpretations, there are wonderfully endless discussions about what it all means and no right or wrong answers to any of it.
So, being an atheist, I have a hard time with some of this…bear with me, please. Do you “worship” your god? Or do you simply understand that there’s something out there and leave it at that?
Sikhs are not supposed to cut their hair, any of their hair, on any part of their bodies. This applies equally to men and women.
My understanding is that, strictly speaking, the turban is not mandatory
They are fighting against the Indian government. They want an independent state.
I should add: ever. I should also add that there are growing numbers of Sikhs who are choosing not to strictly follow this rule. Many young Sikh women, for example, shave their legs, arms, and armpits.
I should put that in the past tense. They were fighting against the Indian government. The Panjab police force has managed to eliminate almost all the extremists in quasi-legal raids and shootouts.
If someone is named Singh, can you assume they are probably Sikh?
Maybe. There are plenty of Indians who have the family name “Singh” or “Sinha” who are not Sikh, but the ones you are likely to encounter most often usually are.
You can safely assume, though, that a man who doesn’t have “Singh” somewhere in his name (it can be used as a middle name instead of as a last name by Sikhs) is most probably not Sikh.
I have a midterm in approximately 2 minutes, then I’ll be at a conference this weekend. I’ll answer questions when I return. In the meantime, all thanks to Ascenra for answering!
(Sorry, make that AscenraY…)
re Uncut hair…If a Sikh has taken Amrit (the baptism ceremony), yes, they are bound to keep the 5 Ks. 3HO women wear turbans (dastaar), similar to the males; most Punjabi Sikh women do not, they simply wear a scarf called a chuni over their head. There’s been discussion regarding facial hair on women and if it could possibly be removed–imho, an Amritdhari Sikh would not shave/cut or otherwise remove it. For me personally, I don’t think I could stand not shaving under my arms! To this day, I don’t know how I lived with hairy underarms for nearly 5 years! laughs I’ve never had to shave my legs, though.
So what’s the end result if you die a good Sikh? What happens if you’re not/for non Sikhs?
Sikhism isn’t the kind of faith that rewards or punishes, at least not from my interpretation. Certainly there are no “consequences” for non-Sikhs, as it’s been pointed out that there is no ONE path, according to their beliefs. It speaks very much on the individual level, imho; it’s hard to explain especially since many westerners have little contact with the actual Sikh faith. The main focus of Gurdwara is Gurbani Kirtan, which is singing (accompanied by harmonium and tabla drums) the rags (poems) written in the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. As unusual as this may sound, many of the shabds (another word for the rags) have remained with me, even nearly thirty years after I left 3HO. I don’t know if this is making -any- sense; like I said, it can be a deeply personal experience. I would venture, though, that the “end” result for a Good Sikh would be to attain oneness with Guru. If you’re really interested, look for a gurdwara near you and go attend a service to see for yourself–the service will be very different from any western religious service you’ve ever attended, though, and afterwards please stay for the Langar (free meal)!
In this area, you’d be hard pressed to even find a synagogue, but thanks for the suggestion. What you’re saying does make sense. Are there any good websites or anything about this faith?