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Sikhism
is a Universal Faith. All thinkers & philosophers
who have done a comparative study of different religions
thought the world, have come to this conclusion that
Sikhism is the only religion which can bring lasting
peace to the world & give all round guidance to
all humanity without any discrimination of caste,
creed, sex, race, country or language.
Miss Pearl S. Buck, a Nobel Laureate, while reading
the translation of Guru Granth Sahib wrote following
comment:
"I have studied the
scriptures of the great religions, but I did not find
anywhere else the same power or appeal to the heart
and mind, as I find in these volumes. There is something
strangely modern about these scriptures and this puzzled
me until I learned that they are in fact comparatively
modern, compiled as late as the 16th century... They
speak to a person of any religion, or of none. They
speak to the human heart and the searching mind."
Guru Nanak Dev and his successors brought about a
set change in the character of the people during 239
years (1469-1708) by practically living a life of
an ideal human being. The thinking, the physique,
the life style, the character of the person went through
a revolutionary change and the end product came out
to be so attractive that the Tenth master himself
was forced into exclaiming 'You are my own image'
. He went on praising the complete Sikh, the Khalsa,
to such an extent that he called the Khalsa his complete
guide (Mero Satgur Poora).
The question arises that such a Faith which has been
praised by all, including followers of different religions,
and which has demonstrated its merit so convincingly
in the past, why is it not finding its rightful place
in today's world. In fact, fears have been expressed
by some that the followers of this faith may be extinct
within a short period in the future.
We cannot deny the fact, that the present condition
of the Sikh Faith is not satisfactory. This is despite
the fact that to propagate this religion, many of
its followers accepted getting sawed alive, being
boiled in cauldrons, getting cut into pieces or being
scalped alive but did not even for a moment consider
forsaking their faith. Contrast this with the present
state of many followers who are forsaking their faith,
most of them doing so because of total ignorance about
their glorious heritage.
Many disjointed efforts have been made, in the past
but no lasting effect of any programme is visible.
Although the attempts were made by people with sincere
and honest intentions but many of them were themselves
ignorant of the principles of the Faith. Some of the
thinkers who made good suggestions were not given
the support they needed. The Gurdwaras could have
been used as effective centers for propagation of
the Faith. But we have to sadly accept the fact that
our community has shown tremendous enthusiasm for
building large number of Gurdwaras but most of them
have become centers of discord. They have miserably
failed to protect the Sikh traditions and are under
the influence of brahmanical rituals which were specifically
forbidden by the Gurus.
The Sikh educational institutions were established
to ensure the inculcation of Sikh principles in the
younger generation . But in most places because of
a lack of religious commitment among the teachers
& the managements of the schools they are producing
more communists than enlightened Sikhs. The professors
of the universities have converted the study of Sikhism
into a means of getting degrees without caring for
preserving the fundamental principles of the Faith.
There is a lot of confusion about the correct interpretation
of the Gurbani . Most Sants & Dera wallas have
manipulated the meanings to support their own personal
guruship. The splinter movements like radhasoamis,
namdharis & nirankaris etc. have contributed their
own to add to the confusion.
As such there is a small percentage of the sikhs who
have been baptized. Even among these there is a division
based on different Sants, Jathas & Deras. Those
who proclaim to have been baptized by Guru Gobind
Singh 's Amrit are only a fraction of this lot. The
Sikh way of life, the Sikh character, the Sikh personality
which turned even bigoted foes into admirers is a
rare thing today.
To stem the rot described above, it is essential that
we must arrange to prepare trained and committed missionaries
. They should be well versed in understanding of Gurbani,
the correct history and the traditions of Sikhism.
They should also have knowledge of other religions
of the world and should have the capability to demonstrate
comparative merits of the Sikh Faith.
Sikh Missionary College has taken up the project of
enlightening the Sikh youth by opening Study circles
in various cities and is providing thorough knowledge
of the principles of Sikhism, its traditions and history.
It has opened a full time Missionary College at Anandpur
Sahib too. For those who can not be present in the
Gurmat classes / study circles, a two year Sikh Missionary
Correspondence Course has been started . With this
anyone can learn the Sikh religion within his home.
The main purpose of this programme is to prepare young
learned preachers in large numbers who can propagate
the Sikh Faith in their spare time without having
to forego their routine occupation. It will be a great
service for the 'Charhdi Kala' of the Panth.
The Features of the Correspondence
Course:
-
Consistent (and free of contradictions ) presentation
of Sikh philosophy through carefully prepared lessons.
- Objective
type questions with each lesson.
- Regular
and careful scrutiny of the answer sheets.
- Personal
contact arranged with the students periodically,
where in addition to solving their problems, the
students are given practical training of Lectures
and Katha.
- A
comprehensive list of books other than the course
material is also provided for widening their knowledge
base.
Admission:
Any Gursikh who is interested in getting
knowledge of Sikh religion, history and culture may
take admission in this course.
Medium of instruction:
Presently, the medium of instruction is Punjabi (
in Gurmukhi script). As soon as possible, Hindi and
English medium Courses will also be started. However,
the students may send their answers in any of these
three languages.
Personal contact with students:
Every quarter, a personal contact programme will be
arranged in selected cities. The teachers of Sikh
Missionary College will interact with students, solve
their problems, and also train them in Katha/ Lecture.
Answer sheets of students:
It is compulsory for all students to send their completed
answer sheets. These will be evaluated and recorded
in the office of the College.
Monthly
magazine:
Sikh Phulwari, the monthly magazine of Sikh Missionary
College may be subscribed to by the students for augmenting
their knowledge. The present subscription is Rs. 60/-
p.a. in (India), Foreign Subscription :US $15.00 per
year.
Fees:
The entire 2-year Course can be obtained for Rupees
400/- from our Head Office.
Certificate:
After successful completion of the course, the students
will be given Certificate by the College. Those who
excel in Kirtan / Katha / Lecture will be given Special
Merit Certificates.
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