Definition
Ethics deals with questions regarding how to base ones action in relation to others and often considers what is moral in a particular context. For Sikhs, the main source for developing ethics is the Guru Granth Sahib. The ethical core is based upon the distinction between an ego-centered individual (manmukh) versus a decentered individual (gurmukh). Thus, the typical understanding of ethics arising out of a focus on a self-willed being is resisted in Sikh thought through an antiethics or postethical discourse. This discourse arises out of the transformation from manmukh into gurmukh.
Sikh Ethics
For guidance on ethics and morals, Sikhs look into a number of scriptural, theological, and exegetical sources which include the Guru Granth Sahib, accepted portions of the Dasam Granth, the janamsakhi genre, the writings of Bhai Gurdas, the Rahitnamas, and the Sikh Rahit Maryada (SRM). [2, 3, 5, 7] The Hukamnamaswritten by the Sikh Gurus also provide evidence of the directives...
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
∗An earlier version of this entry appears in Chapter 6 of Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair, Sikhism: A guide for the perplexed, London: Bloomsbury. 2013.
References
Sikh Rahitmaryada. Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Amritsar
Kohli SS (1974) Sikh ethics. Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi
McLeod WH (1987) The Chaupa Singh Rahit-nama. University of Otago Press, Dunedin
McLeod WH (2003) Sikh of the Khalsa: a history of the Khalsa Rahit. Oxford University Press, New Delhi
Padam PS (1991) Rahitname. Bhai Chatar Singh Jivan Singh, Amritsar
Sharma A (2007) The philosophy of religion: a Sikh perspective. Rupa, New Delhi
Singh A (1970) Ethics of the Sikhs. Punjabi University, Patiala
Singh G (1985) Hukamname: Guru Sahiban, Banda Singh, ate Khalsa ji de. Punjabi University, Patiala
Singh K (2004) Janamsakhi tradition: an analytical study. Singh Brothers, Amritsar
Singh S (1982) Philosophical foundations of the Sikh value system. Munshiram Manoharlal, New Delhi
Mandair A (2013) Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed. London: Bloomsbury
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this entry
Cite this entry
Mandair, AP.S. (2017). Ethics (Sikhism). In: Mandair, AP.S. (eds) Sikhism. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0846-1_470
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0846-1_470
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-024-0845-4
Online ISBN: 978-94-024-0846-1
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities