Underlying Values

The Sikhs must believe in the following Values:
==Equality==
All humans are equal before God – No discrimination is allowed on the basis of Caste, Race, Sex, Creed, Origin, colour, education, status, wealth, etc. Sikh are not allowed to discriminate against their fellow humans on any basic at all. The Ten Gurus of the Sikhs have taught this and the following appears in the Sikh Holy Book, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.
==God’s Spirit==
All Creatures have God's spirits and must be properly respected. Show love for all living things. Mistreatment of any living creature is tabooed and forbidden.
SGGS page 274 Read Text in Red
*One who enshrines the Naam within the heart, who sees the Lord God in all, who, each and every moment, bows in reverence to the Lord Master - O Nanak, such a one is the true `touch-nothing Saint`, who emancipates everyone. ||1||
SGGS page 1121 Read Text in Red
*Through the Guru`s Word, all affairs are resolved, and the mind is not tossed about here and there. Whoever sees the One God to be pervading in all the many beings, does not burn in the fire of corruption. ||1|| The Lord grasps His slave by the arm, and his light merges into the Light. Nanak, the orphan, has come seeking the Sanctuary of God`s Feet; O Lord, he walks with You. ||2||6||14||
==Personal Rights & Duties==
Every person has a right to life but this right is restricted and has attached certain essential duties that one has to perform as part of the community. – Simple Living is essential without too many excesses.
SGGS page 773 Read Text in Red
* In the first round of the marriage ceremony, the Lord sets out His Instructions for performing the daily duties of married life. Instead of the hymns of the Vedas to Brahma, embrace the righteous conduct of Dharma, and renounce sinful actions. Meditate on the Lord’s Name; embrace and enshrine the contemplative remembrance of the Naam. Worship and adore the Guru, the Perfect True Guru, and all your sins shall be dispelled. By great good fortune, celestial bliss is attained, and the Lord, Har, Har, seems sweet to the mind. Servant Nanak proclaims that, in this, the first round of the marriage ceremony, the marriage ceremony has begun. ||1||
SGGS page 1012 Read Text in Red
* The self-willed manmukh, in a fit of passion, abandons his home, and is ruined; then, he spies on the homes of others. He neglects his household duties, and does not meet with the True Guru; he is caught in the whirlpool of evil-mindedness. Wandering in foreign lands and reading scriptures, he grows weary, and his thirsty desires only increase. His perishable body does not remember the Word of the Shabad; like a beast, he fills his belly. ||1|| 
==Actions Count==
Salvation is obtained by one's actions – Good deeds, remembrance of God – Naam Simran, Kirtan, etc.
SGGS page 7 Read Text in Red
* Upon it, He placed the various species of beings. Their names are uncounted and endless. By their deeds and their actions, they shall be judged. God Himself is True, and True is His Court. 
SGGS page 8 Read Text in Red
* Good deeds and bad deeds-the record is read out in the Presence of the Lord of Dharma. According to their own actions, some are drawn closer, and some are driven farther away. Those who have meditated on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, and departed after having worked by the sweat of their brows -O Nanak, their faces are radiant in the Court of the Lord, and many are saved along with them! ||1|| 
SGGS page 25 Read Text in Red
* There is one awareness among all created beings. None have been created without this awareness. As is their awareness, so is their way. According to the account of our actions, we come and go in reincarnation. ||1|| 
==Living a Family Life==
A Sikh as a general rule should live as a family unit (householder) to provide and nurture for children for the perpetual benefit of creation. 
SGGS page 3 Read Text in Red
* The faithful find the Door of Liberation. The faithful uplift and redeem their family and relations. The faithful are saved, and carried across with the Sikhs of the Guru. The faithful, O Nanak, do not wander around begging. Such is the Name of the Immaculate Lord. Only one who has faith comes to know such a state of mind. ||15|| 
SGGS page 835 Read Text in Red
* Forsaking family life, he wanders in the forest, but his mind does not remain at rest, even for an instant. The wandering mind returns home, only when it seeks the Sanctuary of the Lord`s Holy people. ||2||
SGGS page 952 Read Text in Red
* He gives donations to charity with his body; such a householder is as pure as the water of the Ganges. Says Eeshar, the Lord is the embodiment of Truth. The supreme essence of reality has no shape or form. ||2|| |
==Sharing==
It is encouraged to share and give to charity 10 percent of one's net earnings.
SGGS page 761 Read Text in Red
* They alone bear true love for their God, within whose minds He Himself dwells. So dwell only with those who share their virtues; chant and meditate on God, twenty-four hours a day. They are attuned to the Love of the Transcendent Lord; all their sorrows and afflictions are dispelled. ||7|| 
==Accept God’s Will==
Develop your personality so that you recognise happy event and miserable events as one – the Will of God causes them both.
SGGS page 890 Read Text in Red
* Pain is gone, and all illness is gone. I have accepted the Will of God in my mind, associating with the Great Person, the Guru. ||1||Pause|| All is pure; all is immaculate. Whatever exists is good. Wherever He keeps me, that is the place of liberation for me. Whatever He makes me chant, is His Name. ||2|| 
SGGS page 1147 Read Text in Red
* Enemy and friend are all the same to me. The Perfect Lord God is permeating all. Accepting the Will of God, I have found peace. The Perfect Guru has implanted the Name of the Lord within me. ||3|| 
==The 4 Fruits of Life==
Truth, Contentment, Contemplation and Naam, (in the Name of God)
SGGS page 51 Read Text in Red
* Practice truth, contentment and kindness; this is the most excellent way of life. One who is so blessed by the Formless Lord God renounces selfishness, and becomes the dust of all. ||3|| 
SGGS page 1429 Read Text in Red
* Upon this Plate, three things have been placed: Truth, Contentment and Contemplation. The Ambrosial Nectar of the Naam, the Name of our Lord and Master, has been placed upon it as well; it is the Support of all. One who eats it and enjoys it shall be saved. This thing can never be forsaken; keep this always and forever in your mind. The dark world-ocean is crossed over, by grasping the Feet of the Lord; O Nanak, it is all the extension of God. ||1|| 
SGGS page 380 Read Text in Red
* Doubt, attachment, and deceit have all disappeared, since I obtained the Blessed Vision of Your Darshan. Dealing in the Naam, O Nanak, we become truthful, and in the Love of the Lord`s Name, we are absorbed. ||4||1 | 40|| 
Category:Sikh practice
Category:Sikh belief
Category:Glossary of Sikh Terms