sikh beliefs and practicessikh reht maryada, the definition of sikh, sikh conduct and conventionssikh religious conventions
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Chapter I: Sikh Defined
Article I Definition of Sikh
Chapter II:Aspects of Sikh Living
Article II Sikh Living
Chapter III: Individual Spirituality
Article III:Sikh's Personal Life
Article IV: Meditating on Nam and Scriptures
Chapter IV: Gurdwaras, Congregational Etiquette, Rites
Article V: Joining the Congregation for understanding of and reflecting on Gurbani
Chapter V: Kirtan
Article VI: Kirtan
Chapter VI: Taking Hukums - Other Items of Service
ArticleVII: Taking Hukum
Chapter VII: Reading of Guru Granth Sahib
Article VIII: Sadharan Path
Article IX: Akhand Path
Article X:Commencing the Non-stop Reading
Article XI: Concluding the Reading
Chapter VIII: Karhaha Prasahad
Article XII: Karhaha Prasahad
Chapter IX: Components of Gurdwara Service
Article XIII: Exposition of Gurbani
Article XIV: Expository Discourse
Article XV: Gurdwara Service
Chapter X: Beliefs, Observance, Duties, Taboos and Ceremonies
Article XVI: Living in Consonance with Guru's Tenets
Chapter XI: Ceremonies pertaining to Social Occasions
Article XVII: Ceremonies pertaining to Birth and Naming of Child
Article XVIIII:Anand Sanskar
Article XIX:Funeral Ceremonies
Article XX: Other Rites and Conventions
Chapter XII:Altruistic Work
Article XXI:Voluntary Service
Chapter XII:Panthic Life
Article XXII:Facets of Corporate Sikh Life
Article XXIII:Panth's Status of Guru-hood
Article XXIV:Ceremony of Baptism or Initiation
Article XXV:Method of Imposing Chastisement
Article XXVI:Method of Adopting Gurmatta
Article XXVII:Appeals against Local Decisions



living in sikhism, sikh religious scriptures, sikh religion living
Sikh Reht Maryada


Section Five
 

CHAPTER-XII


Voluntary Service

Article XXI

1. Seva (Voluntry Service) is a prominent part of Sikh religion. Illustrative models of voluntary service are organised for imparting training, in the Gurdwaras. Its simple forms are : sweeping and plastering the floors (In older times, buildings, particularly in rural areas had mud and not brick paved or cement floors. To give these floors firmness and consistency, they were thinly plastered with a diluted compound of mud.) of the Gurdwara, serving water to or fanning the congregation, offering provisions to and rendering any kind of service in the common kitchen-cum-eating house, dusting the shoes of the people visiting the Gurdwara, etc.

a. Guru Ka Langar (Guru's Kitchen-cum-Eating House) The philosophy behind the Langar (Guru's kitchen-cum-eating-house) is two-fold : to provide training to the Sikhs in voluntary service and to help banish all distinction of high and low, touchable and untouchable from the Sikhs' minds.

b. All human beings, high or low, and of any caste or colour may sit and eat in the Langar. No discrimination on grounds of the country of origin, colour, caste or religion must be made while making people sit in rows for eating. However, only baptised (Amritdhari) Sikhs can eat off one plate.


 
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