Description
Gracious Books Sikhism In the Context of Indian Spiritual Tradition by Parminder Kaur
India is the land known the world over for its spiritual traditions. Infact this constitutes the very foundation bedrock of all religious and philosophic streams that have flourished in this country. Spiritualism has two major dimensions: One deals with the nature of supreme Reality, the Universe or the Cosmos. The second dimension concerns the moral values and laying down the path of liberation. We may add yet another element which follows from the spiritual Tradition, namely, universal brotherhood. Spiritualism aims at evolving a society consisting of ideal men and women. So, on the one hand spiritualism has metaphysical element and the other concerning the individual salvation. We have selected some of the major Indian spiritual traditions for our study for creating awareness about the above said theme. We are passing through a phase where we as a nation and world on the whole are on the brink of destruction. Violence in all forms is rampant in 'every nook and corner of today's world. Modern war technology seems to threaten total annihilation of mankind. Taking into consideration our own country, we find collosal loss of sense of moral values. Divisive tendencies, regionalism, inter religious collisions are daily affairs. It is imperative therefore that we must find a way out to redeem ourselves from a situation like this. It is high time that we remind ourselves of our ancient wisdom and heritage which can give relief and peace to mankind. In our title we have made a special reference to Sikh philosophy in this context. It is because it shows the path, a practical way to mitigate the self- created suffering. Too much dose of materialistic civilization has to be combated one way or the other. Spiritual traditions are rich in their contents to show us the way and their teachings holdout hope and an assurance for the redemption of mankind. Contents Introduction 5 1 Towards a Creative and Purposeful Philosophy of Life 7 2 The Supreme Ideal in Traditional indian Perspective 16 3 Concept of Liberation in Sikhism 28 4 Social Suffering in Sikhism 43 5 Social Philosophy of Sikhism 54 6 Women in Sikhism 63 7 Spiritual Basis of Politics According to Aurobindo 81 8 Some Essential Features of Sarvodaya Philosophy with Special Reference to Mahatama Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave 88 9 Resume 98 10 Bibliography