By Jhani Randhawa
Main Facts: The Intersection of Sikhi and Buddhist Philosophy
Soon after moonrise, Venus glistens awake to the southwest. An oil lamp is set aflame, a dim reading lamp is tugged to light. Prostrating on all fours, I touch my forehead to the cold oak floor. I stand, adjust a white chunni (scarf) over my temples, and rest my palms together.
On another continent, within the hour, my grandmother’s body will be cremated, and the kirtan sohila will be sung. Shepherding the dead and those who outlive them through the fear of separation and the pain of transmigration, the kirtan sohila is a sacred prayer sung by Sikhs both during funerary rituals and before winding down to sleep each night. Each verse reflects on the ultimate dissolution of the self into the unknown mystery.
This intimate moment highlights a profound spiritual intersection: the author’s dual navigation of Sikhi (commonly known as Sikhism in the West) and Zen Buddhism. While these traditions developed along distinct geographical and philosophical trajectories, they share remarkable parallels in their approaches to human suffering, the illusion of the separated ego, and the practical application of sound and voice.
The Sikh kirtan sohila cultivates protection and banishes fear, functioning much like Zen Buddhist dharani incantations. By combining practices such as kinhin (walking meditation) with the singing of shabads (sacred hymns), practitioners can forge an interfaith spiritual ecosystem that nurtures liberation in both body and imagination.
Chronology: The Historical Evolution of Nanak’s Vision
To understand the syncretic foundations of Sikhi, one must examine its historical roots in the Punjab region, stretching from the late 15th century onward.
- 1469: Guru Nanak is born in a village outside cosmopolitan Lahore to an accountant father and a devout Hindu mother.
- 1487–1507: Guru Nanak formulates and teaches foundational Sikh philosophy. During his early life, he turns away from rigid religious affiliations and casteist mores after witnessing intense violence inflicted on the Punjab region (spanning modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, and northwestern India) by raiding Mughal forces and local leaders.
- Historical Wanderings: Traversing the wildflower-strewn Khyber foothills and the songbird-rich Punjabi watershed, Guru Nanak walks through landscapes long shaped by Gandharan Buddhism and its foundational recognition that "the whole world is suffering."
- The Genesis of Sikhi: Drawing upon the insights of earlier mystic poet-saints such as Kabir, Namdev, and Ravidas, Guru Nanak champions the idea that "god’s first resource is to illuminate compassion in any situation." He utters Sikhi’s revolutionary opening words: "No one is a Hindu, no one is a Muslim."
Supporting Data & Conceptual Frameworks: Sound, Time, and Emptiness
Both Sikhi and Buddhism rely heavily on non-dogmatic, direct experiences of reality, utilizing sound, space, and the dissolution of the ego as primary vehicles for awakening.
The Power of Sonic Resonance in Sikhi
Sikhi asserts that a direct experience of the divine is accessed most immediately through sound, song, and music.
- The Sri Guru Granth Sahib: The ultimate living guru of the Sikhs is a holy book compiled of hymnals and divine poetry cast in classical raga meters.
- The Naad: Through singing or recitation, practitioners tap into the naad—the "unheard sound of the cosmos"—which resonates in the mind-body and opens a spiritual wellspring of divine oneness.
Buddhist Parallels and Zen Philosophy
Unlike Sikhi, Buddhism does not center its cosmology around a singular Creator God. However, striking philosophical bridges exist:
- Emptiness and the Unheard Sound: The Sikh concept of an imminent divine corresponds closely to Buddhist notions of sunyata (emptiness) and the selfless, interdependent manifestation of all phenomena.
- Dogen’s Uji and Zenki: Eihei Dogen’s teachings of uji (the inseparability of being and time) and zenki (the interwoven activity of all causes and conditions) mirror the Sikh opening invocation to meditate on "the Eternal, the True… beyond fear or faction, beyond time and birth." Both traditions point toward an undivided existence that transcends artificial borders.
- Chanting as Unification: As contemporary Buddhist teacher Zenju Earthlyn Manuel notes regarding chanting in the Nichiren tradition, merging many voices into a single sound offers a powerful, embodied experience of interrelationship.
Official Responses and Interfaith Reflections
Spiritual leaders, scholars, and practitioners across both traditions have increasingly emphasized the healing nature of interfaith dialogue and shared contemplative praxis.
- Guru Arjun Dev’s Vision: The fifth Sikh guru offered a timeless message of universal friendship: "No one is my enemy, none a stranger and everyone is my friend." This radical inclusivity directly challenges sectarian division.
- Zen Perspectives on Oneness: In Zen Chants, translator and teacher Kaz Tanahashi reminds practitioners that "we are one mind, one heart, one life… with all awakened beings from the past, present, and future, everywhere in the world." Similarly, Taizan Maezumi encouraged students to "close the gap between yourself and Yourself."
- Transcending Dogma: Guru Nanak famously issued a psychological and spiritual challenge to institutional religion: "Turn my feet in a direction in which god is not." This ethos affirms that the sacred cannot be boxed into a singular temple, book, or border.
Implications: Navigating Tangled Spiritual Paths
The synthesis of Sikh devotionalism and Buddhist mindfulness carries profound implications for modern spiritual seekers. In an era marked by geopolitical polarization, sectarian violence, and ecological crisis, the historical convergence of these traditions offers a blueprint for holistic healing.
By recognizing that suffering (dukhiya / dukkha) and transmigration (sansaar / samsara) are universal human conditions, practitioners can cultivate the courage required to dismantle systemic oppression. The multi-spiritual practitioner does not have to choose between historical lineages; instead, they can walk an integrated path where the kinetic focus of kinhin meets the melodic devotion of shabads.
Ultimately, as these two rich traditions empty themselves of inherent, rigid boundaries, they emerge as profoundly interdependent expressions of human longing for truth, liberation, and unconditional compassion. With palms pressed together, the echoes of the footfalls of the past remind us that the sacred is ever-present, ever-luminous, and entirely without walls.
About the Author:
Jhani Randhawa is a copy and story editor at Lion’s Roar, an interdisciplinary teaching artist, cultural programming facilitator, and contributing co-editor of the hybrid art-literature project Beautiful Zameen: Jagdeep Raina in the Green Revolution Archive. They are the author of the poetry collection Time Regime, which won the 2023 California Book Award.
