Devotional Practices

Sikh Dharma (Sikh = student of Truth, Dharma = Path of Righteousness) is a way of life combining freedom of expression and self-discipline:
" Naam Japanaa " chant God’s Name;
" Dharm dee kirat karnee " earn an honest living;
" Vandh chakanaa " share with others.

It is a way of life, a practical practicing reality, rather than a religion or philosophy. The guiding belief and faith of a Sikh is the unity of all things: that the Creator of the Creation is One. This is the opening declaration of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib: Ek Ong Kaar.

Rising in the Amrit Vayla

The Sikh’s first devotional practice is to rise before sunrise, in the Ambrosial hours of the Amrit Vayla, and to bathe or shower in cold water (to cleanse the body and stimulate the nervous system and circulation). Following this, she or he chants and meditates upon God’s Name, (in the Sadh Sangat"the Company of the Holy"if possible) sings God’s Praises and merges her or his consciousness with the Guru. This practice of Naam Simran (meditative remembrance on the Name of the Lord) serves to cleanse the mind of its limiting thoughts, and attunes it to the frequency of the Beloved, God.