[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 28062]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            BIRTHDAY OF GURU NANAK, FOUNDER OF SIKH RELIGION

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                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 23, 2007

  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, on October 20, Sikhs around the world will 
celebrate the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of the Sikh 
religion, who was born in 1469. There are about 25 million Sikhs 
worldwide. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Sikhs 
around the world on this important occasion.
  Guru Nanak had a spiritual experience in 1499 while bathing in the 
Bein river. He received revelations for 3 days, then became a 
travelling preacher, preaching a philosophy of inclusion, tolerance, 
and univeralism. ``There is neither Hindu nor Muslim,'' he said, and he 
used both Hindu and Muslim titles for God. Guru Nanak met with both 
Hindu and Muslim leaders.
  His following continued to grow. He eventually settled in Kartarpur, 
Punjab.
  Guru Nanak taught that humans could approach God directly, that God 
is a formless, unified being. He taught that we could do this by many 
means including meditation, purification, spiritual purity, and 
achieving detachment. He encouraged charity. He taught that caste 
didn't matter. All that mattered was following the spiritual path. He 
admonished his followers to oppose tyranny and repression.
  The teachings of Guru Nanak and his successors are recorded in the 
Adi Granth, the holy scripture of the Sikh religion, also called the 
Guru Granth Sahib. It is written in Punjabi, the language of the Sikhs, 
which was not considered acceptable by the other religious leaders of 
the time, but which shows that God favors no caste or group.
  Guru Nanak's birthday is a major occasion for the Sikh Nation and I 
congratulate Sikhs worldwide on the celebration of his birth, which 
gave rise to their religion.

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