Naam Japna
Is
the rememberance of God by repeating and focussing the mind on His
name. The names given to God primarily refer to the attributes of the
Almighty and His various qualities. The guideline in the Rehit Mariyada
of Guru Gobind Singh demands that the Sikh engages in Naam Simran as
part of his or her everyday routine.
This concept is also permeated in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib as the way
in which humans can conquer ego, greed, attachment, anger and lust,
together commonly called the Five Evils or Five Thieves and to bring
peace and tranquillity into ones mind. The Sikhs practise both the
quiet individual recitation of Naam in ones mind and this is commonly
called Naam Simran while the loud and communal recitation of Naam is called Naam Jaap . However, this is not a strict definition of these phases and variations are found among the different Sikh communities.
The term Naam refers to the various names given to God as used by the
Sikhs . Naam Japo refers to the meditation, vocal singing of Shabads or
hymns, from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib or the chanting of the various
Names of God , specially the chanting of the word Waheguru , which
means Wonderful Lord. Singing of hymns with musical accompaniment is generally referred to as Kirtan.
This act of meditation, singing and chanting is a one of three main
pillars of Sikhism and is the term used to refer to this very important
activity in the everyday life of a Sikh – the singing, quite
meditation, listening of sacred text or sacred words. Critical
importance is given to meditation in the SGGS. The other two pillars
are Kirat Karni and Wand kay Shako.
Kirat Karni
To work and earn by the sweat of the brow, to live a family way of
life, and practice truthfulness and honesty in all dealings. Both of
the above terms mean to carry out good deeds and earn a honest, pure
and honest livelihood by exercising ones God given skills, abilities,
talents and hard labour for the benefit and improvement of the
individual, their family and society at large. This means to work with
determination and focus by the sweat of your brows and not to be lazy
and to waste your life to time. To do these things without 'personal
gain' becoming your main motivation. Make Simran and dedication of the
work to God your main motivation. To perform Kirat is like saying a
prayer or performing meditation. It is equal to your ‘Sunday Service'
attendance at your place of worship.
Wand kay Shako
Wand
kay Shako is one of the three main pillars of the teaching of Guru
Nanak Dev , the founder of the Sikh faith. The other two pillars are Naam Japo and Kirat Karni . The term "Wand kay Shako" means to share ones wealth with others in the community, to give to charity , to distribute in Langar (free Kitchen) and to generally help others in the community who need help. A Sikh is expected to contribute at least 10% of their wealth/income
called Dasvandh to the needy people of the world or to a worthy cause.
This concept acknowledges the fact that everything that one receive is
by God's Will or Hukam. And when one receives more than one can
consume, then this gift must be shared with the community especially
people who are needy and have much less than you. Alternative
spelling: Vand Ke Chakna - To share the fruits of one's labor with
others before considering oneself. Thus, to live as an inspiration and
a support to the entire community.
(Text taken from www.sikhiwiki.org) |
