Let us take a look at one aspect of the Sikh style by entering one of the large Gurdwaras in a cosmopolitan city. You remove your shoes and hand them to a volunteer who dusts them and places them in a cubicle for you. You are surprised that a large number of these volunteers are Hindus or Muslims who find the simple beauty of Sikhism very attractive, even though by tradition they have allegiance to another religion.

You wash your feet and enter the main hall where the Guru Granth Sahib presides. As a jatha (a group of three or four singers) sings a shabad (a hymn) from the Guru Granth Sahib, you find men and women from all walks of life and from many different religions sitting and swaying. These Gurdwaras do not just open their doors during specific holy times...they are open for all at any time. All times are appropriate for meditation and for balancing your life, even though most people prefer the calm of the early mornings. What gives the Sikh religion its universality and eternal appeal? It is the Granth Sahib...the Guru.

Myriad times a day I am sacrificed to my Guru
Who transforms men into divine beings and does so instantly.
Guru Nanak (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 462)

A hundred moons may blossom, a thousand suns may blaze,
In this intense brightness, without my Guru there is pitch darkness.
Guru Angad (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 463)

Such is the nature of ego that we act witnin ego.
Such is egos bondage that we revolve in this cycle.
How does ego evolve? How does it depart? Ego is His Creation, we receive it and act in it.
Ego is a chronic malady, but within it also lies the medicine. When His grace is bestowed,
His divine laws are observed. Nanak says: Hear O folks, this practice causes sorrow to depart.
Guru Angad (GGS p. 466)

Expanding Our Existence
Anyone who has observed small children can see how they progress through various stages of development. A two-year old clings to his toys with the words, "mine, mine, mine." As he grows a little older he learns the benefits of sharing his toys with his friends. He sees that by sharing he can not only have access to other toys, but he can play games which he cannot play by himself. If the child continues to develop in a healthy environment, he becomes a valuable citizen of the world. If he does not develop in a healthy manner, he experiences a lifetime of poor relations with others. His self-focused approach not only gives him misery, but it also creates sorrow for those with whom he comes into contact.

How can a human being overcome haumai? The Creator has made such wondrous laws that a human can reach heights of greatness as well as depths of depravation. He can be a great healer or a murderer.

The process of expanding our being from a self-focused lifestyle to a universal style is a difficult one, especially in view of the many distractions present which promise fun and joy if we have a selfish style. It involves acceptance that we are a part of the entire universe and a life based on this principle will lead to bliss. This is what the Guru Granth Sahib promises us.

The process of becoming a Universal being benefits us by bringing health to us, our family and to anyone who comes in contact with us. Such a Universal being is not a slave to other people¹s power.

A Complete Self
To reach the state of universal being one has to start with the self and reach a healthy state where there is good balance of one's own physical, mental and spiritual faculties. The Sikh lifestyle is strongly influenced by the saint-poet-warrior Guru Gobind Singh who has shown the world that it is indeed possible to reach such a balance. He has shown through his own life that you do not have to abandon your physical well-being to reach spiritual heights, or your mental well-being to become a man of God.

The importance of physical well-being can be judged from Guru Gobind Singh's Dasam Granth. The importance of valor and the role of the warrior is central to the Sikh style. The Sikh cannot be a glutton or a jungle-bound ascetic. He must participate in the world.

A Universal Being
In the Sikh philosophy the self-defeating cycle of joy and sorrow is created by a world view which is self-focused. Such a person is unable to feel joy in other's success, or sorrow in other's tragedies. He celebrates when he gets a promotion and cries when his neighbor gets one.

As a Sikh expands his horizon, he begins to understand that all humans are related to him. He starts to lose the distinction between friend and enemy. He no longer sees his own race or caste as superior to another's. He participates actively in this great play, feeling blessed at all times.

He is in the Temple and the Mosque. In the Hindu's pooja and the Muslim's namaz.
All humans have one origin though they appear different.
Dieties, demons, divine musicians, Hindus, and Muslims are all His,
Though regional dresses appear to create a distinction.
The same eyes, same ears, same physique, same figure,
All from earth, air, fire, and water.
The Formless One (of Hindus) and Allah (of Muslims) are one;
The Koran and Puran praise Him. All have the same form made by Him.
Guru Gobind Singh (Dasam Granth, p.19)