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When Good People Do Something

by ANNE ELIZABETH WYNN

 

 

Austin, Texas, U.S.A.

Nine pairs of shoes were neatly arranged beside the front door. A single voice was quietly chanting inside. That wasn't what we were expecting.

The website for Gurdwara Sahib Austin, a small Sikh place of worship off of Hamilton Pool Road, had said that kirtan began each Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Kirtan literally means "to praise what is exalted," to sing together in adoration of God, and it is an elemental aspect of Sikh devotional practice.

Then again, I don't think that the bearded man wearing a turban and sitting on a low platform in the middle of the simple and spotless new hall before us was expecting the three of us, either. While Sikhism is an avowedly open and egalitarian creed as well as the fifth largest religion on Earth, it is still mysterious to and largely misunderstood by Americans.

My girls and I hovered at the entrance, unsure and a little nervous. Kuldeep Kaur Saini, one of the ladies sitting on the floor inside, came to our aid. After the briefest of introductions, she helped Larkin, Kyrie and I to cover our heads with small scarves and showed us how to walk up to the platform, bow and take a seat. We later learned that we weren't bowing to the leader of the service (Sikhism doesn't have priests), but to the scripture in front of him, the Guru Granth Sahib.

Given its geographic provenance in 16th-century Mughal India and its blending of concepts like reincarnation with monotheism, Sikhism is often mistaken for a combination of Hinduism and Islam, but Sikhs consistently explain that Sikhism is founded upon unique, direct and very progressive revelations from God experienced by founder Guru Nanak.

Nanak's fundamental teaching is that God is One, "Ik Onkar," and that the light of God is in everyone. Therefore, everyone is also One with God. At that time, this also meant that Nanak was calling for equality of women and the rejection of the caste system while calling for all Sikhs, or "seekers of truth," to turn away from traditional religious forms and seek union with God directly.

If that weren't radical enough, 200 years later, the 10th and last human Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, announced that rather than appoint another successor, the collected holy texts of all of the Gurus - including the enlightened words of many "Bhagats," or holy teachers, from other religious faiths - would now be called the Guru Granth Sahib and would be the final and infinite Guru for all Sikhs forevermore.

We all had spontaneously laughed at how impressively un-religiony this religion was. It espouses enough with that old human desire for priests and rituals and religious exclusivity! We've been provided more than 1,400 pages of ecumenical guidance already! God calls to everyone! Go seek him yourself!

As kirtan began, Kuldeep kindly translated for us.

"We are chanting, ‘If you have faith in God, He will never let you down.' "

Kuldeep paused thoughtfully, then smiled and winked and added for emphasis, "If you have faith!"

This small group of Sikhs in Austin has an unfortunate reason to test their faith.

While waiting in the foyer, we noticed a newspaper article taped to the wall underneath a handwritten poster imploring, "Save Our Gurdwara!"

The article detailed a long and lamentable legal case. After purchasing their land in 2003 and worshipping in a modest mobile home for two years, Gurdwara Sahib Austin applied to the City of Bee Cave to build a slightly larger hall. They presented their plans to their neighborhood association and all relevant commissions and received all proper building permits.

Almost two years into construction, however, a new neighbor found buried in the subdivision's restricting covenants a specification that only single-family housing be built. The Sikhs halted construction while the suit went to court, resuming when they prevailed. However, the plaintiffs appealed and the Third Court of Appeals not only reversed the decision, but also ordered that the now completed gurdwara be torn down.

My girls were aghast.

All the way home, they quietly shook with the shock of perceived injustice. While the issue is one of property rights, my girls intuitively grasped a more serious civil rights issue. And, after a long telephone conversation with a longtime member of the gurdwara, we learned of acts of overt intimidation in the community and bigotry that moved us to tears.

But, they also are moving my girls to action.

Seeing a child's face contort the first time they come face to face with religious prejudice is heartbreaking. Still, the ache of empathy is the substrate of all compassion. Seeing Kyrie's face as she regained her composure and called her father's girlfriend, state Sen. Wendy Davis, to ask for help was heartwarming.

We are calling friends at the Anti-Defamation League, and others, as well. As these Sikhs consider their legal options, two young non-Sikhs are figuring out how best to stand up for someone else. Compassion is the substrate of all spiritual engagement in this world. It is also the reason my girls and I are on this journey together.

 

[Austin writer Anne Elizabeth Wynn and her daughters, Larkin and Kyrie, are spending 2011 studying the world's religions, large and small. Their experiences and discoveries appear monthly in this column and at www.thethoughtfulspot.wordpress.com.]

[Courtesy: The Statesman]

August 27, 2011

Conversation about this article

1: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), August 27, 2011, 3:16 PM.

The synopsis of Sikhi is excellent.

2: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), August 27, 2011, 4:19 PM.

What a lovely, concise description of the first visit to a gurdwara, and the warm, hospitable atmosphere that comes to Sikhs without trying.

3: Jairoop Kaur (California, U.S.A.), August 27, 2011, 8:38 PM.

A lovely story! Just shows that there are more than enough people around to counter-balance the evil and the anti-social elements. Thank you, Anne, Larkin & Kyrie, for your decency.

4: K.P. Singh (Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A.), August 28, 2011, 9:27 AM.

Dear Anne Elizabeth, Larkin, and Kyrie: I was moved to read about your account of your first visit to a gurdwara in Austin. We are grateful to find a thoughtful friend in you and your children and that you are willing to see injustice, prejudice, and outrage in the unfortunate legal struggle of this community to continue worshiping in its present location, and to see that you are ready to do something about it. For that, Sikh Americans and people of other faith traditions, many across this nation and beyond, are grateful. It is specially heart-warming that your young daughters, inspired by your own sense of respect for other traditions, are now learning about other religions. I recommend that you all see the movie, "The Gold Bracelet", if you have not already seen it. In Indianapolis, St. Luke's United Methodist Church, led by Senior Pastor Rev. Kent Millard, presented a series of sermons entitled "Faith of Our Neighbors", that introduced the Church's vast congregation over several weeks to major faiths and sacred traditions that form the spiritual and cultural fabric of central Indiana and our Nation. Many additional interfaith activities and initiatives have resulted from this enlightened idea to dispel darkness of ignorance, indifference and unfounded stereotyping of other cultures and people who are peacefully exercising their inalienable rights to "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" as guaranteed by the American Constitution and tradition. Such efforts across the Nation are an important beginning to learn about our common visions, family values, and collective strengths. We pray that good people and faith leaders of Austin, Texas, and other communities may see the value of reaching out to the new strangers among them and discover a friend, a fellow pioneer or trailblazer, and maybe, even the wisdom in his or her experience or heritage that may find echo in our understanding of the universe we share as Americans and as One Human Family. Anne Elizabeth: Thank you for teaching and encouraging this lesson and spirit in your children. May God's Light and Grace shine upon your children, and countless others embracing and supporting such universal ideals, and through them on many who may see that extending justice and dignity to others is an act of faith and an offering to God, since the Sikh faith declares that "God is One; Father and Mother of All Creation and we are All His Children." When we empower our children with ideas that serve and honor all Creation, we discover the fullness of faith and our humanity. Thank you for showing us cultural sensitivity that is so welcome and carries lessons for each of us, among them our own civic responsibilities and recourse to peacefully make a rightful place for our heritage, much like the generations of immigrants before us. Thank you for reminding us that we need a network of friends at many places to get there.

5: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), August 28, 2011, 2:20 PM.

K.P. Singh ji: thanks for your warm comments that will go a long way towards the Interfaith efforts. Could you tell us where 'The Gold Bracelet' might be available, although I am going to Google it anon. Guru Nanak never converted any one. To Muslims, he said be good Muslims, and likewise told others to remain true to the their respective faiths. "sir Naanak lokaa paav hai/ balihaaree jaa-o jaytay tayray naav hai" [GGS:1168.14] - "Nanak places his head on the feet of such people. I am sacrifice to all the names Thou art known by, as many as they may be, O Lord"

6: Pashaura Singh (Riverside, California, U.S.A.), August 28, 2011, 6:43 PM.

Thanks, K.P.Singh ji, for your appreciation and acknowledgment of an admirable stand taken by Anne Elizabeth and her two daughters, Larkin and Kyrie. They are model citizens who care for people of other faiths. This is the only way we build bridges and bring people together. I must also thank sikhchic.com to bring this story to our attention.

7: Sangat Singh  (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), August 28, 2011, 7:03 PM.

I have since, found the site for Golden Bracelet on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk51iMv4pXU&feature=related As a bonus, you will also find Pakistani episodes in the delicious 'Saraiki' dialect of Punjabi that we lost to Pakistan. Luckily, Guru Granth Sahib is an encyclopedia of languages and has all the dialects still spoken in present-day Pakistan and is a nostalgic trip to hear those musical dialects that now appear to most in our part of Punjab today as a foreign language. When a disciple of a Sufi heard Guru Nanak and Mardana sing, he went running to his 'murshid' who said: 'Bacchra, mein ku uthie jhul ghin, assa be othday dedaar karay." See if you can decode this. If not: - ""Take me there son so that I too can be blessed to have his 'darshan' and hear him."

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