The Light We Give

The Light We Give

The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life, Simran Jeet Singh (Riverhead Books, New York, 2022).

A Path Toward Becoming

I picked up this book at the suggestion of Anne Lamott. In one of her Tweets she wrote that she really liked this book. After reading it, I completely agree.

Like many people in the United States, I wasn’t that familiar with the Sikh religion. I knew that Sikhism had its start in India and Sikh men wore turbans. I didn’t know that it was the fifth largest religion in the world and that the religion should be referred to as Sikhi and not Sikhism. As a progressive Christian, I was open to the wisdom and teachings of other faiths. I was surprised by much of the Sikh wisdom.

What surprised me most about Sikh wisdom is how similar it is to the teachings of Jesus. I’m not accusing the Sikh gurus of plagiarism. No indeed! I’m amazed at the universal nature of wisdom. Having completed reading the book, there is not one piece of Sikh wisdom that would go against my beliefs as a Christian.

Singh’s book is biographical in nature. Because of this it is practical in its application. Singh is very intentional in living out the teachings of Sikh gurus and he realizes this entails more than wearing a turban. The racism and xenophobia he has experienced growing up in Texas and living in New York has driven him to Sikh’s wisdom teachings and forced him to wrestle with its application in his life. Singh shares this struggle with his readers. In doing so, he introduces them to Sikh wisdom and shows how it has transformed his life and can improve the lives of his readers.

While reading this book, I was challenged as a Christian to examine how intentional I was in living out the teachings of Jesus. Not only was I challenged, but I was instructed in how to incorporate this wisdom into my life and have the pillars of love, justice and service more evident in my life.

I highly recommend this book. It not only has the ability to give us a peak at a people and faith with which few of us are familiar, it also has the potential to be life transforming.