Look Learn Understand & Respect. One Welcome and sharing are Sikhs make people welcome. Sikhs welcome everyone They worship in a Gurdwara

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1 Sikhism About the topic In this topic pupils will learn about their Sikh sisters and brothers, how they live as a family and how they worship Where this topic fits in This topic will be taught discretely but will follow two of the CHURCH topics: domestic family, and either local community or universal world Key words Guru Nanak, river, experience, God, kindness, blessing, prayer, Seva, amrit, Kaur, Singh, langar, Creation, nature, respect, Guru ing outcomes One Welcome and sharing are Sikhs make people welcome. Sikhs welcome everyone important They worship in a Gurdwara Two (a) Special place of worship Inside the Gurdwara Worship in the Gurdwara Two (b) Important things we Parents bring up their children in the Aspects of the Sikh faith believe Sikh faith. Three dimensions: 1 remember God 2 earn your living 3 share with the poor Three (a) Faith changes your life The story of Guru Nanak, his call; Implications of God s journeys; teaching stories; keeping call for Sikhs God in mind constantly; prayer that changes daily living and outlook Three (b) Commitment in life Integrating God s own attributes into Implications of faith one s life; earn your living, a moral commitment for Sikhs duty and duty to God; service in bringing up a family; sharing even giving up one s own needs; practical and spiritual commitment Four (a) Some symbols and their The Khalsa and the 5Ks; story of the Outward signs meanings founding of Kalsa. Meaning of the demonstrate inward symbols; New Year belief and commitment Four (b) Special places The Gurdwara designed to Special places of symbolise the oneness/wholeness of worship for Sikhs God. Amritsar golden temple. Community at worship and individual prayer Three: Other faiths: Sikhism 1

2 SIKHISM Three (a) Lesson 1 Key words: Guru Nanak, river, experience, God Faith changes your life What we believe in has an effect on our lives? What do you believe is important? Have you ever had an experience which made you see things differently? E.g when you have been praised it helps you to do well again and believe in your talents. The story of Guru Nanak, his call, journeys, teaching, stories keeping God in mind constantly prayer that changes daily living and outlook Guru Nanak founded Sikhism in 1469 near Lahore in the Punjab which is now in Pakistan. He was a Hindu but he worked for a Muslim. He was searching for a way to understand and follow God. One day when he was 30 he had an experience which told him what God wanted him to do with his life. He went to the river to bathe before praying. Whilst he was bathing he disappeared from view. His friend who was with him was worried. Everyone searched for him and thought he had drowned. Three days later he re-appeared at the very spot where he disappeared. He told no one what had happened but said I know now I shall follow God. He began to travel around praising God and encouraging others to do so as well. Other Gurus followed him, they were religious leaders and teachers who succeeded each other and gave the people guidance. After the 10th Guru there were no more human gurus as the 10th guru decreed that the Holy Book was to be the Guru Granth; that is the Sikh communities final teacher. Find Lahore on a map. Imagine you are interviewing Guru Nanak about his experience. Implications of God s call for Sikhs Guru Nanak was called to follow God. 2 Three A: Other faiths: Sikhism

3 SIKHISM Three (a) Lesson 2 Key words: Guru Nanak, kindness, blessing Faith changes your life Recall the last lesson about Guru Nanak s call from God. When something good has happened to you, you want to share it with others. If you have had a good holiday, day out, school journey you want to tell others. The story of Guru Nanak, his call, journeys, teaching, stories keeping God in mind constantly prayer that changes daily living and outlook After Guru Nanak came out of the river, he wanted to tell everyone about God and how they could follow him. He travelled through many countries for 22 years, preaching God s message of the one God and the unity and equality of all people. Guru Nanak taught people by telling stories. Here is one: Guru and his friend Mardanna came to a village where the people were rude and not welcoming. They did not offer them any food. The Guru prayed that God would bless them and that they should remain happy and contented in their village. At the next village, the people were helpful and kind. When they left Guru prayer that God would bless and scatter the villages far and wide. Mardanna asked Guru why he had done that to the kind villagers. Ah, said Guru, it is better that the first villagers don t leave their village and spread their bad ways with others. Do you agree with the views of the Guru? How can we spread goodness to others? Do you agree that helping others is a way of serving God? If you were the Guru what message would you take to others? Implications of God s call for Sikhs The message of Guru Nanak is important to Sikhs. Three A: Other faiths: Sikhism 3

4 SIKHISM Three (a) Lesson 3 Key words: prayer, Seva Faith changes your life Recall the teaching of Guru Nanak. It is important that we mean what we say. What about the person who says you are my friend but then doesn t play with you? The story of Guru Nanak, his call, journeys, teaching, stories keeping God in mind constantly prayer that changes daily living and outlook Sikhs pray to God remembering the qualities of God described in the holy book (Guru Granth Sahib). It is important to understand the words and to act upon what they teach. Guru Nanak said that words alone do not make a prayer, a prayer should come from the heart. Sikhs are expected to spend time reading and thinking about the Gurus and their teachings. Thinking about God is called meditation. Many Sikhs spend time everyday meditating about God and repeating his name Waheguru True Name, wonderful Lord. Meditation allows some self-reflection. Throughout a busy day Sikhs remember God s name, and this is called seva (sewa). It can also mean doing selfless work or good deeds for other people. Make a list of something you could do during the week and then at weekend which would help others. How do think reading holy books and thinking about God helps Sikhs to help others? What do you think selfless work means? For Sikh prayer leads to good actions For Sikhs prayer leads to good actions. 4 Three A: Other faiths: Sikhism

5 SIKHISM Three (b) Lesson 1 Key words: Amrit, Kaur, Singh Commitment in life We mark important events in our lives e.g. what happens in our families when a baby is born? Integrating God s own attributes into own life. Earn your living, a moral duty and duty to God service in bringing up a family; sharing, even giving up one s own needs; practical and spiritual commitment When a Sikh family has a new baby a prayer is read into the new baby s ear and then the baby is taken to the Gurdwara for a blessing. Many chose a name by having the Guru Granth Sahib opened and taking a name beginning with the first letter on the page. They give the baby a taste of amrit (usually of sugar water), the rest of the amrit is shared among everyone. The food is sweet as a sign of hope that the baby will be sweet. The baby girl s name is followed by Kaur which means princess and the boy s name by Singh meaning lion. This hymn is often recited at the naming ceremony: Dear child, this is your mothers blessing. May God never be out of your mind even for a minute. May God the Guru be kind to you. May you love the company of God s people. Compose a blessing for a baby What do you think that the qualities of a princess or lion are? Implications of faith commitment for Sikhs How Sikhs celebrate the birth of their babies. Three B: Other faiths: Sikhism 5

6 SIKHISM Three (b) Lesson 2 Key words: langar, Seva Commitment in life How do we know a good person? How can we tell whether a person is good? Integrating God s own attributes into own life. Earn your living, a moral duty and duty to God service in bringing up a family; sharing, even giving up one s own needs; practical and spiritual commitment This is what a Sikh boy said: No one made me a Sikh, not even mum and dad. I decided to be one. When I was little, I went with my family to the Gurdwara and I saw what kind of lives Sikhs were living and what they did. I could see all around me Sikhs serving people at langar, at prayers, and in the community. Nowadays I see my parents looking after other people s children and old people who are neighbours. Some Sikhs use their professions to help people. All this made me want to be a Sikh too. I wanted to know more about it. You can t force people to learn things they don t care about, it doesn t work. They just rebel. Bhagat Puran Singh is a Sikh famous for his care for others. His father was a rich banker whose business was ruined while Puran Singh was still a teenager. The young man went off to the city to find a job. Fortunately, he could lodge at the local Gurdwara where he witnessed its service to the poor. Puran Singh joined in the community s work by feeding the sick and taking them food from the langar. Later, Puran Singh went to the city Amritsar, where the golden temple is, but he carried on with his service of sick people. He became a familiar sight in the streets, carrying a sick or crippled person on his back to the pingalware a house for the sick and disabled which he set up with funding from fellow Sikhs. Most important of all was the loving care, which he gave to these poor and despised people, it was better then any medicine, although he gave that too. These are 3 ways Sikhs lead good lives: Remembering God Earning one s living by honest means and hard work Sharing with others who are less fortunate than oneself Make a list of things that Sikhs do to help other people. Then make a drawing of them to add to the classroom display. Implications of faith commitment for Sikhs Understand and respect the way Sikhs serve God in their lives. 6 Three B: Other faiths: Sikhism

7 SIKHISM Three (b) Lesson 3 Key words: creation, nature, respect, Guru Commitment in life What do we do to protect our environment? How do we make sure the earth and things in nature are not spoilt and destroyed? Do we care about it? Integrating God s own attributes into own life. Earn your living, a moral duty and duty to God service in bringing up a family; sharing, even giving up one s own needs; practical and spiritual commitment Sikhs are keen to protect our world because they believe God created everything. God s creation is limitless but our little earth is fragile and we are responsible for it. Guru Nanak said: God creates nature. Seated in nature, God watches the fullness of creation. (G.G.S. p.463) The Gurus taught people to work in God s creation for the good of all. Nanak went back to being a farmer when he finished his missionary journeys, and the Sikhs of the Punjab, in India, have made it the bread basket of India. The story of Guru Har Rai and the Flowers is told to make the point that all God s creation should be respected. Guru Har Rai, the 7th Guru, was strolling with some Sikh friends through some beautiful gardens full of trees, flowering bushes and all sorts of plants. They stopped to look at them, their cloaks blowing about in the wind. After a suddenly strong gust, the guru s cloak tassels got tangled in a shrub and some flowers were torn off, their petals strewing the ground. The guru was sorry that he had destroyed these living flowers, but his friends only said, Don t worry. There are lots more flowers all over the gardens these are only a few. But the guru said, We need to remind ourselves that no one has the right to destroy living things carelessly. We must respect all God s creation. Activity: In pairs, children perform an interview in which one of Guru Har Rai s companions is questioned and answers about the incident with the bush of flowers. Implications of faith commitment for Sikhs The Sikhs care for all God s creation which includes people. Three B: Other faiths: Sikhism 7