Teach Yourself Sikhism

by Owen Cole

A comprehensive guide to the faith itself and to Sikh society, this introduction to the history, beliefs, religious practices and social customs of Sikhism presents information for a reader who has no previous knowledge of the religion.

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2003

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having studied the partition of India a while back there have been certain aspects of Indian culture that I’ve been keen to explore further. Looking at Guru Nanak was something I was particularly keen to do.
This book offers an introduction into all things related to Sikh culture and is really informative and interesting. As it touches on, not only the Gurus, but every aspect of the way of life for Sikh members worldwide it gives quite a diluted picture(due to limited space in such a book). But it is enough to ensure anyone reading it will have a greater understanding of the Sikh way of life and will hopefully lead to further reading, it certainly will in my case! Sat Sri Akal 🥰

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

W. Owen Cole's SIKHISM is an introduction to a religion followed by over 23 million people in India and abroad, but which remains little known. Cole starts off the book not with any discussion of theology, but rather by talking about what ceremonies the visitor to a Sikh temple will witness. He then discusses the founding of the religion by Guru Nanak, with plenty of context on the aspects of Hinduism and Islam that this mystic was reacting against. Only about three quarters of the way through the book do we find a discussion of what Sikhs believe about God.

Though Cole finds Sikhism beautiful, I was satisfied by his mainly dispassionate tone and critical perspective on the way the religion is actually practice. Its strong links to Punjabi culture, including the maintenance of the caste system and inferior status of women, and its occasional flare-ups of violence are all admitted. Some might be disappointed that Cole doesn't call people of all cultural backgrounds to Sikhism, but Cole plainly feels this wouldn't be honest.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very accessible presentation of Sikhism as practiced today that would be particularly good for those thinking about visiting a Sikh gurdwara (house of worship) or learning more about the religion of their Sikh friends. A good introduction.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice start, but it leaves a lot of unanswered questions.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't mostly agree with the other reviews. Odd presentation. Oddly personally written in an unnecessary why considering it's an informative book. Though, I learned quite a bit.