Devotion to God: Selections from Sikhism’s “Hymns of Guru Nanak,” Part 1 of 2

Compassion and humility: These were the hallmarks of the great enlightened Master of Sikhism, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji (vegetarian), born in 1469, in Talvandi, now renamed Nankana Sahib, in the state of Punjab in present-day Pakistan. His teachings were simple: find God within, do honest work, meditate, and share with others.

Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) has spoken on more than one occasion of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s wisdom. In a talk given on February 26, 2007, in Hsihu, Taiwan (Formosa), She affirmed His spiritual attainment and revealed the mission of His travels. “He went to Mecca as a Sikh. A Sikh Master, a founder of a great religion went to Mecca to pay homage to the Muslims’ holy shrine. Why does he do that? (I think He’s enlightened.) He’s enlightened. So, from this we know Guru Nanak definitely is enlightened. Because the first thing an enlightened person gets rid of is discrimination, racism, thinking who is better than whom. Therefore, this is proof that Guru Nanak is enlightened. And anyone who has no discrimination like that, between religions, between races, between creeds, between nations, between colors of the skin, between professions, between education, these are the enlightened people.”

We invite you to join us for excerpts of the illuminating teachings of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji (vegetarian), from “Hymns of Guru Nanak” translated by Max Arthur MacAuliffe in the book “The Sikh Religion.”

“Nanak, instruct thy heart by the Guru’s word and advice. They who are imbued-with the love of God’s name have no load of sin and no superstition. They in whose hearts God dwells are without fear, and great shall be their gain by repeating His name.”

“The mind is impure until it receives instruction from a true religious teacher – When the mind is impure, the body is impure, and the tongue impure. The mouth is impure by uttering impurity; how shall it be made pure? The heart cannot be cleansed without the Word; from the True One truth is obtained. What happiness is there without virtue?”