A Sikh Anniversary

I was honoured today to be invited to attend the sacred anniversary celebrations held at the Sikh Society of Manitoba temple. On September 1, 1604, the Sikh holy book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, was placed in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India by Guru Arjun Dev Ji. Important to the Sikh religion are ten gurus. Guru Arjun was the fifth of these Gurus. The Sikh religion is remarkable in that it teaches respect for and tolerance of all religions, and an appreciation of whatever is valuable in other religious traditions. After the ceremony at the Temple, I joined members of the Sikh community at the Manitoba legislature, on a walk in downtown Winnipeg, and for refreshments at Memorial Boulevard Park. The celebrations were colourful as well as moving. It was a joy to be able to share this experience with my friends who are Sikhs, and to learn from them more about the Sikh religion and its teachings.