is only Christian, Bhagavadgita is only Hindu, Dhammapada is only Buddhist, Jin Sutras only Jaina; but Guru Granth Sahib is the only book in the world taken from all the sources possible. Its sources come from Hindu, Mohammedan, Jaina, Buddhist, Christian. Such openness, no fanaticism.
The title Guru Granth means “the book of the masters,” or “the master book.” In it you will find Kabir, Nanak, Farid, and a long line of mystics belonging to different traditions, different schools, as if thousands of rivers are meeting in the ocean. Guru Granth is like an ocean.
I will translate only one sentence of Nanak. He is the founder, so of course his words are compiled in Guru Granth. He was the first master of the Sikhs; then followed a line of nine other masters. Sikhism was produced by ten masters. It is a rare religion because every other religion was created by only a single master.
Nanak says: The truth, the ultimate truth is unspeakable, so please forgive me, I will not speak about it but only sing it. If you can understand the language of music, then perhaps a chord in your heart may be touched. The transmission of the lamp is beyond words.
Guru Granth Sahib…the Sikhs call it Sahib because they respect the book so much, almost as if it is alive, as if it were the very spirit of the master. But a book is a book, and the moment the masters depart the book is dead, the word is dead. So they are carrying a beautiful corpse, just as all the other religions are doing. Remember, by the way, that religion is alive only once in a while, alive only in the presence of a master. When the master is no longer alive it becomes a creed, and a creed is an ugly thing.
The Dutch parliament has appointed a commission to inquire into “cults and creeds.” Obviously I am the first on their list of inquiries. I have informed my people in Holland to tell the commission, “We are not going to cooperate with you because in fact we are neither a cult nor a creed; we are a religion. If you want to look for cults and creeds, then there are many: the Christian, the Judaic, the Hindu, the Mohammedan, and so on ad infinitum.” In fact I was going to say ad nauseam….
The commission has become very worried. They wrote a letter to the orange people in Holland saying, “Please cooperate with us.” Our people have again asked what to do. I told them, “I have already told you what to do. Unless they appoint a commission to inquire into the very spirit of religion, do not cooperate.”
Look at the absurdity: the Dutch parliament is dominated by the Christian Democratic Party, and the people who are appointed to serve on the commission are all Christian Democrats. Now, it is they who are the creed, they are a cult. My people are not a cult. I am still alive and kicking! A religion exists only when a master is breathing. His breath is what religion is made of.