Sikhism vs Hinduism Essay Example

Sikhism began in 1469 with the birth of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Guru Nanak began preaching the way of enlightenment and God after he had received a spiritual vision from god. After his death, he was succeeded by nine Gurus which are regarded as his reincarnations, these nine would lead the Sikh movement until 1708. At this time the teachings from all ten gurus were passed on to the Khalsa Panth and the sacred text. This text is known as Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, which was compiled by the tenth Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji consists of hymns and writings of the first ten Gurus, along with texts from different Sikh saints. The sacred text is considered the eleventh and final Guru. The main belief of Sikhism is faith in Waheguru represented by the phrase Ik Onkar, which means only one God. Sikhs also pray many times each day and are prohibited from worshipping idols or icons while pursuing salvation through discipline and personal meditation in the name and message of God. The similarities shared by Sikhism and Hinduism are very few. Hindu religious teachings have been highly avoided among all Sikhs since the beginning of Sikhism. That being said, both religions believe in the transmigration of the soul because there are countless cycles of birth and death. Reincarnation is a cycle that should be broken and one can only do so when he or she has merged with god, also known as mukhti. Maya is another thing the religions agree on, they feel that a devotee should look at the world as an illusion and not to get enchanted with this illusion because they will forget God. The third and final similarity the two religions agree on is karma, the belief is that karma will regulate the reincarnation and transmigration of the soul. There are many differences between Sikhism and Hinduism and this is do to Guru Nanak Dev Ji and other Sikh Gurus rejecting Hindu teachings. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion; Sikhs believe that