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Guru |
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guru (g
`r , g r` ), in Hinduism and Buddhism, spiritual teacher. The guru gives initiation into spiritual practice and instructs disciples, often maintaining a close relationship with them. Among the Sikhs (see Sikhism Sikhism , religion centered in the Indian state of Punjab, numbering worldwide some 19 million. Some 300,000 Sikhs live in Britain, and there are smaller communities in North America, Australia, and Singapore...... Click the link for more information. ) the title guru was given to the 10 leaders of the community from Nanak (c.1469–c.1539), founder of Sikhism, to Govind Singh (1666–1708). Govind appointed no successor, declaring that the Granth (the Sikh scriptures) was the true guru. guruIn Hinduism, a personal spiritual teacher. In ancient India, knowledge of the Vedas was transmitted through oral teaching from guru to pupil. The rise of the bhakti movement further increased the importance of gurus, who were often looked on as living embodiments of spiritual truth and were identified with the deity. They prescribed spiritual disciplines to their devotees, who followed their dictates in a tradition of willing service and obedience. Men or women may be gurus, though generally only men have established lineages. See also Guru. GuruTitle of the first 10 leaders of Sikhism. The first was Nanak, who before his death (1539) began the tradition that allowed the Guru to name his successor. He was followed by Angad (1539–1552), Amar Das, Ramdas (1574–1581), Arjan, Hargobind, Hari Rai, Hari Krishen (1661–1664), Tegh Bahadur (1664–1675), and Gobind Singh. In time the Guru became as much a military as a spiritual leader. Gobind Singh discontinued the office in 1708 and vested its authority in the Sikh sacred scripture, the Adi Granth. See also guru. guru An advisor or teacher. The term, which comes from Hinduism, refers to a spiritual teacher. "Gu" means darkness, and "ru" means light; thus a guru turns ignorance into enlightenment. In the west, the term has been interpreted quite often as simply an expert in a field whether that person helps you learn or understand anything or not.guru a Hindu or Sikh religious teacher or leader, giving personal spiritual guidance to his disciples
Guru head of the Sikh religious community in Punjab, India. The first guru was Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, who lived from 1469 to 1538 or 1539. Amar Das, who was guru from 1552 to 1574, made the post of guru hereditary. In the 17th century the gurus became secular rulers, owning land and collecting taxes from the members of the Sikh sect. The last guru, the tenth (1675 to 1708) was Govind Singh, who led the Sikhs in an antifeudal struggle. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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