Table Of Contents For 'A Modern Guide to Practice of Sikh Faith - A Knowledge Compendium for the Global Age' Book By Surinder Singh Bakhshi

Foreword To Book  'A Modern Guide to Practice of Sikh Faith - A Knowledge Compendium for the Global Age' By Surinder Singh Bakhshi

In the year 2008, Sikhs commemorate the trecentenary of the investment of eternal spiritual guardianship of their faith in Guru Granth Sahib by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and last Guru. Guru Granth is the living embodiment of Sikh Gurus. Guru Gobind Singh ordained the Sikh faith a self-governing nation with belief in equality of all people regardless of race, religion, caste, creed or status. The notion of equality of all under the authority of God has produced a united Sikh faith unhindered by doctrinal or social conflicts.

Sikhs are deeply conservative but their genius for absorption and adaption makes them an enlightened society.

Guru Nanak Dev, founder of the Sikh faith, visited, in search of universal truth, seats of learning of Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist thought in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Arabia, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan in the sixteenth century. He made three great journeys lasting twenty-five years. He stayed for over a year in Baghdad, then the supreme centre of Islamic learning.

Japji, Guru Nanak's meditation on the unity of the creation, states that the abundance of nature on our earth is finite, however otherwise it may appear to us. Man is a mere grain of sand in the immense order of the universe. He is not its matter. If he abuses the abundance that nature provides him, he will be wiped out with no more than the flicker of an eyelid. While man will be forgotten, the earth will in time once more regain its pristine beauty. Written half a millennium ago, when Europe was still struggling to throw off its yoke of mediaevalism, these prescient words are today a warning to us all about the fragility of our earth. The only trust that counts, Guru Nanak further tells us, is the love that we have for each other in the service to humanity.To help those who need our assistance is to experience the presence of God within us. This is real. The rest is mirage.

Much doubt is expressed about the role and place of multinational cultures in achieving British cohesiveness in the twenty-first century. Sikhs do not lay claim to the superiority of their faith over others. Sikhs believe that a christian, a Hindu or a Muslim should rather become a better Christian, Hindu or Muslim than convert to another religion. No religion has a monopoly on truth. Nor can a religious tradition survive if it remains static. Those who reject progress do a disservice to their faith.

We live in a country which is proud of its hard won liberties. Adoption of these values enhances the relevance of our faith to Sikhs born and brought up in the United Kingdom. British Sikh is a proud lable to bear. It does not efface Sikh faith but strengthens it by combining two freedom-loving societies.

That indeed is the message of this book. It shows how living in harmony with other faiths has immeasurably strengthened the Sikh faith. More Sikhs attend their Gurdwara today than they ever did before. The 250 Gurdwaras in Britain are like mini states that provide an umbrella for Sikhs to look forward to a confident future.

Sikhs in the Diaspora: A Modern Guide to the Practice of Sikh Faith takes a contemporary view of Sikh faith. It is a role model for celebration of diversity in Britain. We commend it to all Sikhs and non-Sikhs who seek a fresh insight into how we can lead a better life together in harmony with each other.

Introduction To Book  'A Modern Guide to Practice of Sikh Faith - A Knowledge Compendium for the Global Age' By Surinder Singh Bakhshi

During 2008, Sikhs celebrated the tercentenary of the bestowal - by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth and Last Guru - of the title of perpetual Guru of the Sikhs upon Granth Sahib, was to provide them with spiritual, moral and temporal guidance. This obviated the need for a superimposed religious hierarchy.

How successful has been the Sikh faith, the youngest and the only worldwide religion established in the past centuries immemorial.

Sikhs thrive best in countries where rule of law is paramount. Unhindered by dogma and self-interest, its followers believe in equality and respect for all people of the world. Sikh faith is a way of life.

This book narrates the Sikh faith practices in a contemporary setting. It shows that the faith is compatible with living in the twenty-first century. Readers should benefit from a study of a faith arisen out of self-sacrifice but without enmity towards others.

About The Author Of Book  'A Modern Guide to Practice of Sikh Faith - A Knowledge Compendium for the Global Age' By Surinder Singh Bakhshi

Dr Surinder Singh Bakhshi was born in Tanzania in 1937. He received his medical School, Kampala, Uganda. Post-graduate studies took him to the United States, Scotland and England. He was appointed to a consultant post in Public Health Medicine in Birmingham, England in 1977. He was to manage in the city the last case of smallpox in the world in 1978. The World Health Organisation was to describe the control such that there never was any danger of its further spread. Dr Bakhshi was also fully engaged in community affair. He was a City Magistrate and School Governor, among other roles, before his retirement in 2002. Since his retirement he has written a book on tuberculosis. The current book is the first in a trilogy; the second one is a quest for Sikh identity and the third on the relevance of Guru Granth Sahib, not only to the Sikhs but also to the contemporary world. Dr Bakhshi also takes interest in a charity which offers free eye operations in Punjab.