Celebrating a New Temple

In a vibrant celebration presided over by the supreme and highest spiritual and temporal authority of the Sikh religion visiting from India, Sikhs throughout Southern California opened their new Los Angeles temple, or gurdwara, last weekend on Vermont Avenue.

The Sikh religion originated in the Punjab region of North India with the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539), who preached the need for loving devotion to a God that cannot be perceived in human or any other form, according to the Harper Collins Dictionary of Religion. Anyone who followed his teachings was called a “learner”--a Sikh.

While Sikhism is viewed by adherents as a unique and autonomous religion, Sikh beliefs and practices draw on many of the elements of Islam and Hinduism. For example, they accept the idea of the karmic cycle of births and rebirths, the notion that the world is veiled in illusion, and the importance of dharma (righteous behavior) in attaining spiritual merit.

During his nine-day visit to Southern California, professor Manjit Singh, regarded by his followers as the faith’s supreme authority or Jathedar Akal Takht Amritsar, spoke to thousands of people at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The India Journal, a local newspaper, quoted him as exhorting believers to turn from disunity, ego, greed, pride and intoxicants, and to seek the virtues of humility, selfless service, sweetness, dedication and devotion.