Sikh Dharma: Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO)












    

    I. Group Profile

    

      

    1. 
Name:
Sikh Dharma:
Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization (3HO)


      

      

    2. Founder:
 Siri Singh Sahib Harbhajan Khalsa, more widely knows as
Yogi Bhajan


      

      

    3. 
Date of Birth:
1929

      

      

    4. 
Birth Place:
 Delhi, India

      

      

    5. 
Year Founded:
1969

      

      

    6. 
Brief History:
Upon Yogi Bhajan's move to the U.S. in 1969, he began to teach
kundaliniyoga
 in Los Angeles, Californiathrough the process of founding an ashram and the Healthy,
  Happy,Holy Organization (3HO). The 3HO was formed with the purpose ofteaching meditation,
  yoga and natural lifestyle to Sikhs andnon-Sikhs alike; the ashram was the center of this
  practice. Due to thefact that he was a Sikh teacher, he was able to share his Sikhfaith
  with his pupils and thus attained interestedbelievers.

      As a result of Bhajan's religious work in the U.S., the
 Akal Takhat
 (the prominent spiritual authority of the Sikh faith) ordained him as the Chief
  Religious and Administrative Authority for Sikh Dharma in the Western Hemisphere. Sikh
  Dharma was formed to organize and disseminate these teachings; hundreds of ministers
  of Sikh Dharma were ordained, and hundreds of teaching centers were established. 3HO
  remained the education arm of Sikh Dharma.

      

      

    7. 
Sacred or Revered Texts:

Sikh Holy Book (Guru Granth Sahib)


      

      

    8. 
Cult or Sect:
Negative sentiments are typically implied when the concepts "cult" and "sect" are
  employed in popular discourse.  Since the Religious Movements Homepage seeks to promote
  religious tolerance and appreciation of the positive benefits of pluralism and religious
  diversity in human cultures, we encourage the use of alternative concepts that do not
  carry implicit negative stereotypes.  For a more detailed discussion of both scholarly
  and popular usage of the concepts "cult" and "sect," please visit our
Conceptualizing
  "Cult" and "Sect"
 page, where you will find additional links to related issues.

      

    9. 
Size of Group:
  There are about 250,000 Sikhs in North America of which about 10,000 are Sikh
  Dharma: 3HO members. In 1995 there was a count of 139 ashrams/or teaching centers in
  the United States, 11 in Canada, and 86 additional centers in 26 other countries.
  (Melton, 1986: 51)

      

    

    

    

    II. Beliefs of the Group

    

      
Guru Nanak

( 1439-1538) established the Sikh religion as a syncretistic
  religion, a combination of
Hinduism

and
Islam

, with independent beliefs and practices added. Sikhism grew out
  of his disillusionment with what he believed to be the fanaticism and intolerance of
  the Muslims and the meaningless rituals and caste prejudices prevalent among the
  Hindus.

      
  A succession of nine Gurus (regarded as reincarnation of Guru Nanak)
  led the movement during the period from Guru Nanak's death until 1708. Each Guru added
  relevant beliefs and practices to the religion. In 1708, the functions of the Guru
  passed to the Panth (followers) and to the holy text. Members of both Sikh Dharma: 3HO
  and the orthodox Sikh religion follow all of Guru Nanak's beliefs and teachings but
  differ slightly in the extent to which each group follows through with, or adds,
  certain beliefs/practices.

      

      
Both groups believe in One Supreme God and that this god cannot take
  human form. Their goal of human life is to break the cycle of births and deaths and
  to merge with God. There is great emphasis placed on daily devotion to the remembrance of
  God. This can be accomplished by following the teachings of the Guru, meditation on
  the Holy Name and performance of acts of service and charity.  Members follow the
  admonition of the ten Sikh Gurus to rise before sunrise, bathe, and meditate upon
  God's Name. These individual practices are followed by the singing of hymns from the
  Holy Book. The Sikh Holy Book (Guru Branth Sahib) is the perpetual Guru; there is no
  place in either groups for a living Guru.

      

      
  There are five cardinal vices that one aims to overcome in order to
  achieve salvation:

      

      

      

        

      • Kam (lust)

      • Krodh (anger)

      • Lobh (greed),

      • Moh (wordly attachment)

      • Ahankar (pride).

      

      Rituals such as fasting, pilgrimages, superstitions, and idol worship are considered
  blind worship and are strongly rejected.

      

      Normal Family Life (Grasth) is encouraged. Celibacy or renunciation of the world in
  not necessary to achieve salvation. The devotee must live in the world yet keep his
  mind pure. There is rejection of both sides of all distinction of caste, creed, race
  or sex.

      

      The Gurus stressed the full equality of
women
, rejecting female infanticide or sati (wife burning), permitting widow marriage and
  rejecting purdah (women wearing veils). Honest labor and work are the approved way of
  living ones life. It is considered honorable to earn ones daily bread through honest
  work and not by begging or dishonest means. Ban Chhakna, sharing with others, is also a
  social responsibility. The individual is expected to help others in need through
  charity. Seva, the community service is also an integral part of these groups. The
  free community kitchen (langar) found at every gurdwara and open to people of all
  religions is one expression of this community service.

      

      
The points of divergence between both groups deal with the practice
  of yoga,
baptism

, practice of the five "k's", and health. Members of the Sikh
  Dharma: 3HO are given the choice but strongly encouraged to have a Sikh Baptism which
  enable them to join the Khalsa. Once they are baptized, Sikh Dharma members are
  required to strictly follow the five "k's".

      

      
The five practices called Lhalsa saints are:

      

      

      

        

      • Kesh (long hair, which is never  cut)

      • Kangah (comb)

      • Kachha (short pants)

      • Kara (metal bracelet)

      • Kirpan (a ceremonial dagger).

      

      In contrast, the orthodox Sikhs are all baptized and their adherence to the five
  "k's" in the present time isn't as dramatic as that of members of Sikh Dharma.

      

      Sikh Dharma members practice three different types of yoga:
 1.kundalini, 2.laya, and
  3.tantric
 which are supposed to enable them to meditate more efficiently.  Members also put
  great emphasis on health, more so than is respected in the orthodox Sikh religion.  In
  fact both yoga and vegetarianism are rejected by the Holy Book as form of blind
  ritual.  There has been some controversy.

    

    

    

    

    
III. Links to Sikh Dharma: 3HO WebSites

    

      
The Yogi Bhajan Homepage


        The Yogi Bhajan Homepage provides links for more complete information
  regarding Sikh Dharma: 3HO. This page contains information on Yogi Bhajan (articles,
  teachings, and travels), Kundalini Yoga, 3HO events, Yogi Bhajan's Message to Parents,
  and Mahan Tantric. It also contains links to other equally informative html pages.

      

http://www.yogibhajan.com:80/index.html


      
The Sikh Dharma Page


        This Sikh Dharma Page provides a historical account of this faith on the basis
  of the Sikh Gurupurab Calendar. It also contains a chronological history and articles
  from The Journal of Contemporary Sikh Thought.

      

http://www.comland.com/~amar.p.s/sikh.htm


      

      
The Sikhism Homepage


        This page contains a varied amount of information on Sikh religion.  In here
  one will find information on Sikh philosophy, descriptions of Sikh gurus, translations
  of written papers or scriptures, Gurdwaras, Reht Maryada, Sikh emblems, ceremonies,
  Guru Granth Sahib, audio prayers, Khalsa, Sikh saints, women's place in this religion,
  a terms glossary, Sikh names, dates of important historical events, essays by Sikh
  intellectuals/leaders, and information on the destruction of the Golden Temple.

      

http://www.sikhs.org


      

      
A Complete View Of Sikhism


        This page provides information on the Sikh religion. Found here are pieces on
  Guru Nanak, the ten Sikh Gurus, Golden Temple (history and information on the 1984
  destruction of this religious structure), Sikh history, Gwardaras, books written by
  Sikh intellectuals, and links to other related pages.

      

http://osiris.sund.ac.uk/~ca6msi/sikhism.htm


      

      
Sikh Resources Page


        This link provides links to other Sikh websites. Here you will find
  connections to local, remote, usenet newsgroups, and other related sites. By searching
  through these links you can find historical and present day information on the
  Sikhism.

      

http://www.ece.nwu.edu/~manjit/sikh/


      

      
Global Hindu Electronic Network: The Hindu
  Universe


        This page is an index which gives one links to the following: Sandeep S.
  Brar's site on Sikh Dharma, Sasjit Singh's site on Sikh Dharma, Sikh gurus and the
  Khalsa, Scriptures and basic teachings, Sikh rituals, Sikh sects and populations.

      

http://www.hindunet.org/sikh_info/


      

      
Yoga Paths Page


        This page provides an extensive overview of different schools and traditions
  of yoga. Among them are Hatha, Karma, and Kundalini. You will be able to find out the
  differences amongst these schools as well as attaining brief descriptions on how to
  practice.

      

http://www.spiritweb.org/Spirit/Yoga/Overview.html


      

    

    

    

    

    IV. Bibliography

    

      

      

      Barrier, N. Gerald, and Verne A.Dusenbery. 1989.

      
The Sikh Diaspora: Migration and theExperience Beyond Punjab.
 Delhi:Chanakya Publications.

      

      

      Dart, John. 1986.

      "Blessing the Quest for Success Seen asBoost to 2 Eastern Sects."
Los Angeles Times
 19 July , Home ed.: Metro; part 2; page 4.

      

      

      Dart, John. 1993.

      "Long Way From Home."
 Los Angeles Times
1 August , Valley ed.: B1.

      

      

      Khalsa, Kirpal Singh. 1986.

      "New Religious Movements Turn TowardsWorldly Success."
 Journal for theScientific Study of Religion
 25(2): 233-245.

      

      

      Melton, J. Gordon. 1986.

      
The Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults inAmerica.
 NY: Garland PublishingInc.

      

      

      Melton, J. Gordon, ed. 1996.

      
Encyclopedia of American Religions.
 New York: Gale Research Inc.

      

      

      Singh, Khushwant. 1985.

      
The Sikhs Today.
New Delhi: Orient Longman.

      

      

      Singh, Khushwant. 1977.

      
A History of the Sikhs.
 New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

      

      

      Tobey, Alan. 1976.

      "The Summer Solstice of the Healthy-Happy-Holy Organization." in Charles Y. Glock and
  Robert N. Bellah, eds.,
The New Religious Consciousness
. Berkeley: University of California Press, pps. 5-30.

      

      

      Wright, Chapin.  1978.

      "Natural Soft Drinks Gamble Paying Off."
Washington Post 13 December  Final ed.: B1.

      

      

      

Contact Info:


      Sikh Dharma

      Chancellor to the Siri Singh Sahib

      M.S.S. Guru Terath Singh Khalsa

      PO Box 35330

      Los Angeles, CA 90035

      Email: SKhalsa@YogiBhajan.com

      

      

      

      

    
Created by: Monica Villanueva

    For Soc257: New Religious Movements

    Spring Term 1997

    Last modified: 07/24/01