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The principal belief of Sikhism is faith in Vahiguru—represented using the sacred symbol of ek oa?kar, the Universal God. Sikhism advocates the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation on the name and message of God. A key distinctive feature of Sikhism is a non-anthropomorphic concept of God, to the extent that one can interpret God as the Universe itself. The followers of Sikhism are ordained to follow the teachings of the ten Sikh gurus, or enlightened leaders, as well as the holy scripture entitled the Guru Granth Sahib, which includes selected works of many devotees from diverse socio-economic and religious backgrounds. The text was decreed by Gobind Singh, the tenth guru, as the final guru of the Khalsa Panth. Sikhism's traditions and teachings are distinctively associated with the history, society and culture of the Punjab. Adherents of Sikhism are known as Sikhs (students or disciples) and number over 23 million across the world. Most Sikhs live in the state of Punjab in India and, prior to the country's partition, millions of Sikhs lived in what is now known as the Punjab province of Pakistan.^[4]

The origins of Sikhism lie in the teachings of Nanak and his successors. Nanak disapproved of many religious beliefs and practices of his time. The essence of Sikh teaching is summed up by Nanak in these words "Realisation of Truth is higher than all else. Higher still is truthful living".^[5] Sikhism believes in equality of all humans and rejects caste system. Sikhism also does not attach any importance to asceticism as a means to attain salvation, but stresses on the need of leading life as a householder. For Sikhs, initiation into the Khalsa strengthens their identity and also signifies the Sikh teaching of equality.^[6] The Sikhs are required to follow the teachings of their Guru and serve him, under all circumstances.

According to Sikhism, the goal of life for a person is to progress on a spiritual scale from Manmukh, or "self-centered", to Gurmukh, or "God-centered". Gurmukh implies the qualities of humility, selfless service, adhering to the teachings of Guru and not being a recluse.

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