Sikhi
Various sources estimate that Sikhism has about 26 million followers, making it the fifth largest organized religion in the world. It is surpassed in numbers only by Christianity, Islam,Hinduism,and Buddhism. About 21 million Sikhs live in the Punjab, India. About 280,000 live in United States, 460,000 in Canada and 430,000 are in the UK.
The most important thing in Sikhism is the internal religious state of the individual. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion. Sikhism stresses the importance of doing good actions rather than merely carrying out rituals.
Sikhs believe that the way to lead a good life is to:
1. Keep God in heart and mind at all times
2. Live honestly and work hard
3. Treat everyone equally
4. Be generous to the less fortunate
5. Serve others
The Sikh place of worship is called a Gurudwara. The Sikh scripture is the Guru Granth Sahib, a religious book that Sikhs consider as a living Guru. A GurSikh (Baptised Sikh) prays (Nitnem) 5 times daily.
Keeping the above teachings of our Guru’s in mind, we have developed Igurudwara as the first virtual community platform for Sikhs around Australia. At IGurudwara we believe by treating all human beings as equal and serving (SEWA) the less fortunate Sikhs through the concept of Australian Sikh Support (offering 10% of time and finances to less fortunate) we can build a better Sikh community, as taught by our Guruji.
About us
IGurudwara was born from humble beginnings. The idea for a virtual platform for the Sikh community initially evolved from visits to the local Gurudwara. There was a strong need to keep the community informed about current news and upcoming events and help others. The idea then evolved in to creating a virtual platform for the Sikh community, where information could be accessed and shared from a single location.
Igurudwara is the biggest virtual platform for the Sikh community and aims to bridge the information gap for the older members of the community by keeping them updated on current events, news and services without leaving their homes. The platform also benefits and supports the younger generation by teaching them the concept of spiritual values and working towards a better and more sustainable world. Community work and helping the disadvantaged is a very important aspect of IGurudwara.Imagine if everyone in the world did an act of kindness or performed one good deed per day. This planet, our home, would be a much better place to live in.
The team at IGurudwara appreciates your ongoing support and feedback as we continue to grow and support the community.
Vision
At Igurudwara our vision is for a healthy, compassionate and a vibrant Sikh community.
Mission
Our vision is for a healthy, compassionate and a vibrant Sikh community. Our mission is therefore to ensure the Sikh community has practical tools for accomplishing those visionary ends. We do this work by volunteering, engaging, mobilizing and supporting our community, to ensure we all have the means to make our world an amazing place.
Our Values
We strive to keep up to our Values as they are derived from teachings of our Guru Ji. Igurudwara is built on the fundamental concept of Sikhs for the Sikhs on the ways taught by our Gurus.
1. AKAL PURAKH – Recognise God as the giver of intellect and strength
2. KIRT KARO ( Earning/making a honest living, without exploitation or Fraud)
3. VAND CHAKKO (Sharing with others, helping those who are in need)
4. NAAM JAPO (Meditate in the name of God to control 5 Evils and eliminate sufferings for a happy life)
5. Australian Sikh Support (Donate 10% of your resources to the community to assist the disadvantaged)
6. GURU – Accept Guru Granth Sahib Ji as true Guru
7. SEWA – Pyar naal Gursikhi te Gursikh di sewa Karni (Assist a gursikh in their tough times). Do as much sewa as we can for the needy and the troubled
8. KARAM – Doing Righteous Deeds
9. DHUR KI BANI – Do all work in accordance with Gurbani
10.KIRTAN (kalyug mein kirtan pardhana) – provide free live kirtan from Gurudwaras 24 X 7 globally
Australian Sikh Support
Australian Sikh Support literally means a “tenth part” and refers to the practice among Sikhs of contributing in the name of the Guru, one-tenth of their earnings towards the common resources of the community. This is their religious obligation — a religious requirement or duty; a form of sewa or humble service which is highly valued in the Sikh system. The concept of Australian Sikh Support was implicit in Guru Nanak’s own Gurbani in the line: “ਘਾਲਿ ਖਾਇ ਕਿਛੁ ਹਥਹੁ ਦੇਇ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਰਾਹੁ ਪਛਾਣਹਿ ਸੇਇ ॥੧॥ One who works for what he eats, and gives some of what he has – O Nanak, he knows the Path (1)” (SGGS p 1245) The idea of sharing and giving is the backbone of Sikhism and Igurudwara.
