Gurbani and Psychiatry in the 21st Century

By Guru Fatha Singh Khalsa

Sikh dharma was founded just five hundred years ago, not through any superhuman intervention, but through the life and teachings of one humble man. Guru Nanak taught the values of meditation, service, and humanity in an age widely characterized by rigid barriers of religion and social class. Friendly to all, his foremost teaching was the need to conquer the rascal mind. The inspired poetry of the Guru, known as 'Gurbani,' is central to Sikh worship. While Gurbani is typically interpreted as a body of hymns devoted to a theological God, it can also be understood as a living body of inspired Verse, part prescription and part affirmation, dedicated to the conquest of the mind and prospect of self-realization. In this paper we will briefly examine the origins, composition, and main themes of Sikh scripture. We will also study its plausible mechanisms of action with a view to understanding its efficacy as an agent of psychosocial integration and self-actualization. Using Sikh terminology, we may say that this work is a preliminary study of how Gurbani heals and empowers the consciousness of the 'Gurmukh' (devotee).

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0C5YQBQ4P
• ISBN13: 9798395136060
• Release Date: May 2023
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 74 Pages
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.2" x 6.0"