Essay Example on Reflection Paper World Religions

Reflection Paper World Religions As we know that Canada is a multicultural country where people from almost every religion reside considering this fact there were many religions to choose from but I chose Sikhism because people following this religion constitute a major part of this country It is difficult where to start from as this was one of the most divine experiences I have ever had I was on my way to Sikh Spiritual Centre located at Westmore Drive Etobicoke This sacred place is usually known as Gurudwara in Punjabi Language which is spoken by the Sikh community When I was outside I could feel the divinity as the atmosphere was so calm and soothing that one feels straight into the lap of the almighty As I am from Hindu religion I knew some of the customs like taking off the shoes and washing hands before entering the sacred place But in the Gurudwara I noticed a unique thing that there were saffron colored scarfs that everybody had on their heads as saffron color signifies sacrifice and martyrdom After wearing the scarf I headed inside of this huge dome shaped palace the floor of which was all carpeted and there were scriptures written in Punjabi Hindi and English so that everyone could understand the preaching given by the Ten Mentors of Sikhism There were pictures of them on the walls with a brief description about them and their sacrifice As every religion has its holy book similarly Sikhism has The Guru Granth Sahib which was decorated with flowers and was enshrined in a small dome shaped structure decorated with lights flowers and covered with a beautiful piece of cloth 

A person was sitting there with it reciting the verses from the holy book and people were moving around the place where the book was enshrined The people brought offerings like milk flour sweets and were also donating money I did the customs and sat there listening to the scriptures being recited and observing how people were worshiping I talked to some folks and they told me that Guru Granth Sahib has Shabads Its teachings shabads are called Gurbani which means mentor s preaching They told me that this holy book is their spiritual guide and the person who is reciting it is known as Granthi I observed that people were bending and then sat with their hands folded in front of the shrine to pray After praying they took Prashad a sweet given as an offering and can be called food given by god from a person sitting beside the shrine I also enjoyed prashad a lot It was so satisfying like mom's food After the prayer I learned the most beautiful part of the Sikh culture that is sharing There was a door on the left of the shrine leading to another big hall where food was served for everyone who came to the gurudwara There was a big kitchen inside where people were making food without any self interest or any monetary return Around 500 people visit the Gurudwara every day and this number reaches upto thousands on festive days but still there has never been any shortage of food told me the person sitting beside me This place where everyone sits and have their meal is called Langar Bhawan and the meal itself is called Langar