First, the emergence of Sikhism and its basic teachings
Sikhism was formed at the beginning of16th century. It was during the reign of the Mughal Empire. The reactionary rule of Mughal aroused not only the opposition of Hindus, but also the opposition of Muslims, and people's uprisings broke out one after another. However, the contradiction between the two factions is very sharp, and sectarian conflicts often occur, which greatly hinders the struggle of the broad masses of the people against the Mughal Empire. Many people are committed to reconciling the contradiction between Hinduism and Islam, and the Hindu piety movement came into being. The leader of this movement is kabir (Kabir 1, 144C- 15 18), who was born in the lower caste and worked as a weaver all his life. He is not only a leader and thinker of the pious movement, but also an outstanding poet. He wrote many poems in the local language, some of which were compiled by Tagore into the Poems of kabir. His father is Muslim and his mother is Hindu. His philosophy is a hodgepodge of Indian Vedanta and Islamic Sufi mysticism. He thinks that the tallest thing in the universe is really Brahma (3) or God, and calls on Hindus and Muslims to unite.
Kabir's philosophy laid a theoretical foundation for Yekkism, which is the continuation and development of Hindu religious movement. The original religion reflected the feelings and desires of Shicheng's wealthy businessmen, craftsmen and loan sharks. Like the devout movement of Hinduism, Sikhism opposes all privileges caused by caste differences and caste system, condemns the abuse of power by Hindu and Islamic monks, and advocates equality before God. At the same time, it advocates the illusion of the real world, calls for non-violent action, and takes a resigned attitude towards the existing unreasonable system. This negative attitude won the favor of the Mughal Empire. Therefore, the founders of the Mughal Empire, barbier and Akbar, later encouraged Sikh activities, and Sikh teachers got a lot of fiefs from Akbar. The support of feudal rulers is one of the important reasons for the rapid development of Sikhism.
The doctrine of Sikhism not only inherits the Hindu theory of causal samsara, but also advocates meditation practice. Basically, it consists of three concepts: a god, a master (a Sikh teacher) and a name (the name of a Hindu god). Take the sacred syllable "Ba" as a symbol of God and read it every morning. Sikhism is called "the famous road", and believers often recite nanak's name. It is said that his name can purify the soul, eradicate the source of evil, eliminate desire, greed, anger, arrogance and persistence (the pursuit of earthly life), and obtain absolute happiness.
Second, the ancestors of Sikhism.
Although there are as many as ten founders of Sikhism, they still belong to monotheism. Only nanak is called a "real tutor", and other tutors are considered extra.
Nanak (1469—— 1539) was the founder of Sikhism. He was born in Talvan village (now nanak village) near Rajal, belonging to the czar caste and coming from a merchant family. He is a businessman himself and works as a small official in Lahore in dry years. In order to reconcile the contradiction between Hinduism and Islam, he founded Sikhism and personally served as a religious tutor. He traveled all over India and visited Mecca and Baghdad, the holy places of Islam. In his later years, he settled in Kataipur, Punjab, and engaged in religious missionary work.
The mentor of the second ancestor, Angad (1504— 1552), was a disciple of nanak. He invented the Grumman alphabet and wrote a biography of nanak. Under his leadership, Sikhism developed into a special group.
The mentor of the third ancestor is Amar. Das (1479— 1574), who is the uncle of Anjed's son-in-law. During his administration, Sikhs were assigned to 22 parishes for missionary activities, and women also participated. Each parish is led by a rector, who takes all the income of the believers for himself and owns the fief he obtained from the Mughal Empire. The privilege of the mentor in the Sect and the support of the Mughal Empire made them gradually develop into religious feudal lords. During the reign of Amadas, the number of Sikhs increased sharply and spread all over Punjab. He also persuaded the Mughal government to exempt Sikh parishes from rent tax.
Ram. Das (RAM。 DAS,1534 ——1581) is the mentor of the fourth ancestor. The first three founders mainly preached in the countryside, but ram dass laid the foundation of Sikhism in Lize, A Mu, and the Golden Temple in Lize, A Mu is a famous Sikh shrine. Ram dass opposes the martyrdom of widows, women wearing veils and allowing widows to remarry. He also wrote wedding songs, and the custom of Sikhs holding weddings and singing wedding songs continues to this day.
After the 4th ancestor, the Sikh patriarch became hereditary, because ram dass appointed his youngest son Arjan (1563- 1606) as the heir. Arjun has outstanding organizational skills. He organized Sikhs into a government-like organization, implemented a "Commissioner" system, and collected rent from his followers. Under his leadership, it laid the foundation of Sikh feudal dynasty. Arjun's followers are mostly jat caste, that is, landless peasants. He also compiled 1604 Sikh holy book Grant, which has 1400 pages. It is the only worship of Sikh religion, written in many dialects, and the content is the poetry collections of Sikh teachers in the first five generations. Arjun's political and religious activities aroused the hatred of King Chahanjie and was sentenced to death.
Since then, Sikhism has ended the road of peaceful development and developed into an armed religious sect under the leadership of Gobind, son and heir of Arjun (1595- 1645). During his reign, he used the title of "King of Truth", symbolizing the dual rights of religion and secularism. Hal Gobind is a militant man, and his followers hold a double-edged sword. They often fight against the private enemies of government troops, Muslims, Hindus and Sikh teachers. During his administration, Sikhism developed rapidly. Due to Arjun's economic policy and Hal Kobinder's armed system, Turkism formed an independent small kingdom within the Mughal Empire.
Hal Corbin appointed his grandson Hal. As his successor, Rai (1630- 16 1), who was only fourteen years old, hired a consultant to assist him in administration because he was too young. Hal Rai inherited his youngest son Hal. Krishan (1656- 1664) died of smallpox in Delhi. Before Tiger died. His uncle Bahadur (162 1- 1675) was appointed as the ninth owner. His original name was Tigh Marr, and because he won many battles against the Mughal government, he got the title of "Dege Bahadur", which means "Brave Sword". Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor, bought off the high-ranking figures of the Yeke Sect in the battle, so that the Yeke Sect was defeated in the battle, and Bahadur was captured and sentenced to death in Delhi.
The last owner is gobin. Singh (1666- 1708), son of Degba Dur. He established Singh's theocracy, and the philosophical basis of religion remained basically unchanged, only in appearance and ceremony. At this time, the peasants and the urban poor accounted for the majority of the Tok people. They strongly opposed the privileged position of the feudal elite of the Tok Sect, which led Kobinder Singh to announce that the highest religious and secular power previously concentrated in the hands of the "living god" (that is, the hereditary tutor of the Tok Sect) was handed over to the Tok Sect commune. In order to show a complete break with orthodox Hinduism, Sikhs are required to hold a special baptism-sprinkling water with a double-edged sword. In order to show the strict distinction between Hinduism and Islam, the following regulations are made: the name of male believers is added with "Singh" (lion), the name of female believers is added with "Kaul" (princess), and the initiation ceremony is called Pachur. Their slogan is "Long live the master". Christians must pay attention to the memory of master nanak and his successors, and ask them to do five things. According to Hindi, everything is necessary. Namely: long hair, hair comb, short shirt to knee, iron bracelet and sword. Single men live together before marriage, devote all their energy to fencing fighting, protect the weak, be ready to fight at any time, and recognize Corbinde Singh as their parents. Goth Singh criticized the "non-violence" advocated by his former mentor and called for a resolute struggle between swindlers and the Mughal Empire. It also often struggled with Islamic feudal lords and Hindu feudal lords. Mosaic troops defeated the joint forces of Mughal Empire and Hindu king many times, and finally Kobinder Singh was assassinated.
The above ten founders are all recognized by Sikhs. Later Sikh leaders were no longer called "founders" by Corbin, but were only called "founders" by some sects, but were not recognized by Sikh.
Cobinder Singh was succeeded by Banda, who called himself "the king of truth" and claimed to uphold justice and punish Mughal. 1710-1715 years, the Sikh army fought against the Mughal army many times, and the Sikh army was defeated repeatedly. Banda was finally executed in Delhi in 17 16. An important reason for the failure of the Sikh army is that due to religious fanaticism, it is unable to unite the vast number of Hindus and Muslim farmers, and its strength is very thin. Since then, Sikhs have won the battle with Afghans, and Sikhs have occupied most of Punjab. 1765, the Sikh military leaders' meeting declared Punjab independent. Sikhism is divided into twelve samurai societies, led by chiefs, and gradually developed into a feudal organization of theocracy.
Under the leadership of ranjit. Singh (1780- 1839), Sikhs rectified their internal affairs, reorganized their troops, confiscated the land of feudal lords in Punjab, greatly strengthened their economic foundation, and hired experienced European officers to train Sikh troops, thus creating a regular Sikh army and greatly strengthening the Sikh army. Ranjit Singh led the Sikh army to fight and win many times with Afghans and British, which greatly expanded the territory of Sikhs. Since then, the Sikh army has fought two wars with the British invaders. The first one is 1845- 1846, and the second one is 1848- 1849. Both wars ended in the defeat of Sikhs. 1849 March Chater Singh and Schell Singh surrendered to Britain, and Zoc troops were reorganized. At that time, Sikhs accounted for less than 2% of India's total population, but in World War II, 20% of British Indian mercenaries were Sikhs. Sikhs also came to Shanghai with the British invaders, and the locals called them "Red-headed Sam".
Third, the Sikh Reform Movement.
Under the rule of British colonialism, many rules of Sikhism were destroyed, many people devoted themselves to the reform of Sikhism, and four Sikh reform movements appeared successively.
The first is the Nirankaris movement, founded by Baba Daillere (1783-1854) and headquartered in Dyal.ear near Peshawar. They regard God as an invisible spirit and seek liberation through meditation. Regard Sikh ancestors as his savior. In order to be different from Hinduism, they don't engage in cremation. In order to be different from Islam and Christianity, they don't engage in burial, but engage in water burial.
The second reform movement was Namdhari movement, which literally translated as "Shenpai" or "Shenpai". Because the male and female believers of this Sect often shout "Thank God" when holding religious ceremonies. It is characterized by the mixture of religious reform and bourgeois democratic thoughts, which has certain influence among small businessmen, craftsmen, soldiers and farmers. Because most of the people in Tolis are in the army, it has a great influence on the Sikh "five-man army" that holds power. The founder of this school is Perom, who was a soldier in the era of ranjit Xinluo. After the Sikh army was disbanded, he studied religion from Baba Ram Singh. Like Baba Daler, the leader of Nyirangali Movement, Baba Ram Singh advocated restoring the original characteristics of Sikhism, attracting many people to become his disciples. His disciples called him the eleventh ancestor of Sikhism and Perom the twelfth ancestor, but most Sikhs did not admit this view.
Anatolian faction inherited the fighting spirit of Kobinder Singh. 1863, according to Cobinder Singh's proposition, Perom made a wide-ranging interpretation of Sikh teachings, advocated moral perfection, praised simple living, severely criticized the actual caste division in Sikh religion, resolutely opposed child marriage, opposed cattle killing, strictly vegetarian, gave up drinking, and refused to eat meals cooked by non-Tories. Pei Ram Singh also asked his followers not to engage in usury, not to serve the British regime, not to send their children to government-run schools, not to go to court in England, not to wear clothes made of foreign cloth, and not to use the post office run by the British. By the 1960s, the number of Namtoli believers had increased to more than 50,000. Every district in Punjab has deputies and assistant deputies, and every village has a priest. Originally, I only paid attention to the religious reform and restored the original characteristics of Sikhism. Later, he advocated the fighting spirit and publicly called for overthrowing the British government, holding military training among believers and opening schools with Punjabi as the teaching language. In order to show the "charity" of Sikh religion, a free porridge factory was set up.
The activities of Anatolian faction made the British colonial authorities seriously uneasy and tried their best to provoke the relationship between Islam and Sikhism. 1870, the British colonial authorities ordered the establishment of a slaughterhouse in Lize, A Mu, so that Muslim butchers could slaughter cattle. This move triggered a serious armed conflict between Islam and Sikhism. Sikhism was defeated, many Christians were imprisoned, and Ram Singh was exiled to Yangon, Myanmar, and never allowed to go home. Since then, Anatolia has been declared illegal. By 1922, the government recognized it in order to use it against orthodox Sikhism. Under Padpa's leadership, this sect forbids drinking and eating meat, extravagance and waste, quarreling, unity, hard work and self-reliance. The political view of this school is: loyalty to the government and cooperation with the establishment.
The third reform movement was the Singh Congress movement which appeared at the end of19th century. It advocates studying the original teachings of Sikhism and restoring its purity, opposes Hinduism and its Aryan society, and advocates that Sikhism should become a politically and legally independent social group. Under the influence of this movement, in 1873, Li Zecheng of A Mu established the Sri Guru Association (hereinafter referred to as the Auspicious Mentor Association) to translate, annotate and publish the most important Sikh religious, historical and literary works in Punjabi, popularize education among Sikhs, and take Punjabi as the teaching subject of Oriental College. 1879, Singers Association was established, and the following year, Srikulu Singers Association and Singers Association merged. By 1886, due to serious differences between the leaders of A Mu Lize Branch and Rajer Branch of Singh Association, the association was divided into two independent groups, each with its own branch in other cities in Punjab. In 1980s and 1990s, these two associations mainly used Punjabi to carry out publicity and education, publishing and charity. 1892 "Singers Association" opened a comprehensive "Carissa College" in Leeds, A Mu. The moderate attitude adopted by the Singers Association in politics won the appreciation of the British colonial authorities.
The last reform movement was the Acali Movement (Aka 1i, meaning Immortality Movement) launched in the early 20th century, which initiated the occupation of Sikh temples, set up temple management committees, and managed Sikh primary and secondary schools, colleges and hospitals. Take a tough attitude towards the British colonial authorities politically. On the basis of this movement, a military organization called Sikh Army, namely Akali Party, was established, with Tara Singh as its first chairman and its headquarters in the approximate temple in Lize, A Mu. The top leader of Acali Party is the chairman, who is elected by a general organization composed of about 400 representatives from various branches. Its activities are funded by Sikh capitalists in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Camp. Its purpose is to "protect the church" and "protect the rights of Sikhs and ensure that Sikhs continue to exist as an independent entity."
At the beginning of 1923, Akali Party was severely suppressed by the British colonial authorities. Since then, there have been serious differences of opinion within the party. Most members follow the Congress Party to engage in a "non-cooperative movement", while others engage in educational activities, regardless of politics. The most radical of them set up their own organization-"Lions Club of Acali", which literally translates as "Immortal Lions". They distributed leaflets calling on Sikhs to take up arms.
1955, the Acali Party launched the Punjabi slogan campaign, which was suppressed by the Congress Party government, and about1.20 thousand people were arrested. From 196 1 to 1962, it organized a Punjabi-speaking national movement, and another 30,000 people were arrested. 1966, the Indian government was forced to divide Punjab into Punjab with Sikhs as the main population and Haryana with Hindus as the main population, and recognized Acali Party as the ruling party of Punjab, Sikh tutor as the state chairman, and Punjabi as the standard language of the state. Punjab is known as the hometown of Sikhs.
Although Sikhs are small in number, they have great influence in Indian political life because of the support of big capitalists. In the former Indian government, two ministers were Sikhs: Surjit Singh Banala, Minister of Agriculture, and Dana Eingel Gurshan, Minister of State of the Ministry of Education.
Vedanta is one of the most important schools of Hindu philosophy, which advocates idealism monism, and holds that there is no other reality except the highest Brahman in the world, and the material world and all its phenomena are an "illusion" of Brahman. Advocating the unity of individual soul and the highest Brahma is the main way of religious liberation.
(2) Sufism is one of the important factions of Islam, influenced by Platonism and Indian Buddhist yoga. It holds that the phenomenal world takes Allah as the noumenon, and people can be integrated with Allah through meditation.
(3) Brahmā is the universal soul advocated by Hinduism.
④ See Sinha and Ban Naji: A General History of India.