RELG 321: Sikh Spiritual Practice in the Modern World
In an age defined by disconnection—between body and mind, self and nature, tradition and modernity—Sikh spirituality offers a powerful path toward inner coherence and embodied wholeness. This 13-week online course invites learners from diverse backgrounds to explore Sikh spiritual practice through the poetic, musical, and elemental wisdom of Gurbani.
Rooted in the Sikh understanding that the human being is composed of the five elements—Fire, Earth, Water, Air, and Sky—this course offers a unique approach to spiritual reconnection. Through weekly readings of Gurbani and Sikh poetry (with original English translations), we will engage with themes of embodiment, sacred sound, emotional resonance, and the transformative power of spiritual attitude.
Drawing on both academic insight and personal reflection, the course challenges dominant interpretations—whether modernist or traditionalist—that often separate spirituality from lived experience. Instead, it encourages participants to cultivate a direct, subjective relationship with the text and with their own elemental self.
Who This Course Is For:
· Sikh diaspora learners seeking to reconnect with Sikh thought and practice in a contemporary, personally meaningful way
· Interfaith and spiritual seekers interested in comparative theology, sacred sound, and embodied spiritual practice
· Academics and students in religious studies, philosophy, and South Asian studies looking for fresh engagement with the Sikh sources
· Anyone longing for spiritual grounding in a world marked by anxiety, fragmentation, and dislocation
Course Features:
· 13-week online course, taught in English
· Weekly readings of Gurbani and Sikh poetry, with original English translations
· No prior knowledge of Punjabi required
· Emphasis on spiritual embodiment, elemental identity, and the emotional depth of raag-based scripture
· Opportunities for critical reflection and personal engagement
summer 2025
Start Date: Sat 21 June 2025
Time: Saturday 8 AM - 11 AM PST
Lecturer: Prabhsharandeep Singh
Prabhsharandeep Singh is a Sikh scholar whose research involves areas such Sikh Studies, Study of Religions, Religious Experience, Religion and Literature, Religion and Violence, Postcolonial Theory, Intellectual History, and Continental Philosophy. He has Masters in English (Punjabi University), Masters in Study of Religions (SOAS, University of London), DPhil cand. (University of Oxford). He writes poetry in Punjabi and English. He has recently published a collection of Punjabi poetry titled Des Nikala that has poems on the themes such as exile, memory, trauma, time, and language.
Land Acknowledgment
We acknowledge and respect the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, on which the Vancouver Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies operates. We honour and recognize these nations as the true stewards of this land and are grateful to have the opportunity to work, study, and learn on this territory.