Our latest class was a basic overview of India's history. It was nice to learn about the history of the area I will be living in all summer. What it made me realize is I scarcely know anything about India's history. Sure, I've read a few books about India, but all that was recent history, primary British imperialism. I vaguely remember a fifth grade report I wrote on Inda, but besides that I am woefully ignorant. So, the next few posts will be the results of my attempts to educate myself. I will begin with the religions of India, namely Sikhism. Sikhism is a relatively new monotheistic religion formed in the 15th century. Sikhs are mainly found in the Punjab region (on the border of Pakistan) in India. It is the fifth largest religion with 25 million followers. Its was founded by Guru Nanak Dev and continued by ten successive Gurus. Sikhs view themselves as a saint-soldier. Their basic doctrines are faith and justice. Self control over vices is emphasized as well as pursuing worthy virtues. They must have the courage to defend all those who are persecuted regardless of race, religion or beliefs. I was inspired by the beauty of their beliefs. It seems the more I learn about other religions, the more surprised I am at how similar our teachings really are.
