IOverview
Sikh Dharma, formerly Sikh Dharma of the Western Hemisphere, is a Sikh community founded in the United States by Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, known as Yogi Bhajan. Its sister organisation 3HO, the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization, was set up in Los Angeles in 1969 to teach kundalini yoga.
Most members are Western converts with no Punjabi background. They accept the ten Gurus and the Guru Granth Sahib, and many have taken Amrit and keep the five Ks. The community stands out for its white clothing, for turbans worn by women as well as men, and for placing kundalini yoga and meditation at the centre of religious life. Scholars of religion often cite the community as an unusual case, in which a faith closely bound to one region and one people drew a sizeable number of converts from outside it, most of them Americans and Canadians who had no earlier link to India.
IIHistory
Harbhajan Singh was an Indian customs officer who moved to North America in 1968. In late 1960s Los Angeles he taught kundalini yoga to young people of the counterculture who were searching for Eastern spirituality, and many of his students became Sikhs. 3HO was founded on 13 July 1969. The religious organisation Sikh Dharma followed in 1971 according to Britannica, though some sources give other dates.
- 1968Arrival in North AmericaHarbhajan Singh begins teaching yoga in Toronto and then Los Angeles.
- 13 July 19693HO foundedAn organisation teaching kundalini yoga and healthy living.
- 1971Sikh DharmaA religious body for members who become Sikhs, according to Britannica.
- 1977SGPC rejects the titleThe SGPC president declares that he does not recognise the authority Yogi Bhajan claimed as Siri Singh Sahib.
- 2004Death of Yogi BhajanLawsuits follow over control of the assets of related businesses.
- 2020Independent investigationPublished after former members made allegations about Yogi Bhajan's conduct.
IIIBelief and Distinctives
Sikh Dharma presents itself as part of the worldwide Sikh community, following the Guru Granth Sahib and the Rehat Maryada. It teaches that kundalini yoga is a tool to help people live by the Gurus' teachings and to be healthy, happy and holy. The community calls its own emblem the Adi Shakti.
Some practices differ from those common in the mainstream:
- White clothing for everyone, explained as expanding the aura.
- Women wearing turbans as men do, which is uncommon among Punjabi Sikhs.
- Kundalini yoga, mantra and white tantric yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. Many mainstream Sikhs see these as additions, since Sikh scripture does not teach them.
- Vegetarianism and abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, as in the mainstream.
Relations with the mainstream have two sides. Many mainstream gurdwaras welcome Sikh Dharma members, and the community runs a boarding school in Amritsar, the Miri Piri Academy. Yet in 1977 the SGPC president rejected Yogi Bhajan's authority, and a senior Sikh religious figure called the yoga and tantric practices he taught contrary to the faith. This library records both sides.
IVPractice, Ritual and Daily Life
A member's day often begins before dawn with sadhana: reciting Japji Sahib, practising kundalini yoga and chanting mantras. Communities hold large seasonal camps, such as the summer and winter solstice gatherings in New Mexico and Florida. Amrit initiation, the Anand Karaj wedding, langar and kirtan follow common Sikh forms. Many families send their children to the Miri Piri Academy in Amritsar to grow up close to Punjabi culture.
VOrganisation and Distribution
The network includes Sikh Dharma International for religious life, 3HO for yoga teaching, the Kundalini Research Institute for teacher training, and several businesses once linked to the community, such as Yogi Tea and the security firm Akal Security. Its main centre is in Española, New Mexico. This library has no reliable figure for the number of religious adherents, since far more people practise kundalini yoga than follow Sikh Dharma as a faith.
In 2020, after a former secretary of Yogi Bhajan published a memoir and other former members spoke out, the organisation commissioned an independent investigation. Its report concluded that it was more likely than not that Yogi Bhajan had engaged in sexual misconduct and abused his power as a spiritual teacher. The organisations in the network then changed their governance and the way they speak of his role. Some members left, while others stayed and drew a line between the Sikh faith and Yogi Bhajan the man.
VIIn Vietnam
This library has found no source for a Sikh Dharma community in Vietnam. Some yoga studios in the larger cities teach kundalini yoga in the Yogi Bhajan tradition, but these are exercise and meditation classes, and students do not necessarily follow Sikhism. Practising kundalini yoga should not be confused with belonging to Sikh Dharma.
VIISymbol of the Branch
No symbol of its own is recorded with a source for this branch, so the library uses the common symbol of the path.
VIIIOther Branches of Sikhism
Mainstream Sikhism (Khalsa Panth)ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ ਪੰਥ Khālsā PanthThe great majority of Sikhs.
Nihangਨਿਹੰਗ NihangA warrior order within the Khalsa, not a separate faith.
Namdhari (Kuka)ਨਾਮਧਾਰੀ NāmdhārīFounded by Satguru Ram Singh in April 1857 at Sri Bhaini Sahib.Sikh Dharma (3HO)Sikh Dharma InternationalFounded in the United States by Harbhajan Singh (Yogi Bhajan), 1971 according to Britannica, 1969 in some sources.Uses the common symbol of the pathNirankariਨਿਰੰਕਾਰੀ NirankārīFounded by Baba Dayal in 1851 in northwest Punjab, stressing remembrance of the Name and the formless God.Uses the common symbol of the pathUdasiਉਦਾਸੀ UdāsīA celibate renunciant order founded by Sri Chand, son of Guru Nanak.Uses the common symbol of the path
Ravidassiaਰਵਿਦਾਸੀਆ RavidāsīāA community revering Guru Ravidas, formerly counted as a Sikh group.IXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
?Quick Questions
Are Sikh Dharma members real Sikhs?
Sikh Dharma members accept the ten Gurus and the Guru Granth Sahib, and many have taken Amrit, so they regard themselves as Sikhs and many gurdwaras welcome them. Some mainstream Sikhs criticise the place given to kundalini yoga and to Yogi Bhajan's own teachings.
Does practising kundalini yoga mean following Sikhism?
No. Kundalini yoga in the Yogi Bhajan tradition is widely taught as an exercise practice. Sikh Dharma is a religious community with its own initiation, and Sikh scripture does not teach yoga.
How many people follow Sikh Dharma?
There is no reliable figure. Far more people around the world practise kundalini yoga than actually belong to this religious community.