As a Chaplaincy, our goal is to help students achieve their utmost as mature, self-confident, and proud Sikhs.
At The University of British Columbia (UBC), we do this by supporting Sikh students and their families with a home away from home.
With the generous backing of local Sikhs, we help with tasks as simple as answering questions for first-time students, to introducing you to a network of local families, to sponsoring various faith-centric activities.
All students are invited to join our extended family as we celebrate our Sikh faith, community, culture, and commonly-held values; whether you are orthodox, non-orthodox, practicing, or non-practicing doesn’t matter. We are all one.
Join us in Seva, the practice of selfless community service as we feed the homeless in Vancouver alongside an award-winning and long-standing local Sikh charity. Or, come along with us to celebrate the colours, flavours, and proud history of Baisakhi with 400,000 local Sikhs at the world’s largest Nagar Kirtan outside India.
Vision
In the true Sikh spirit of inclusiveness, everyone is welcome and nobody is ever turned away from Sangat (fellowship).
Through community service (Seva) and a faith-based celebration of Chardi-Kala (eternal optimism and joy) our vision is to foster a spirit of peace (Sukhmani) and joy (Anand).
Always, we share the principles and teachings of Sikhism with anyone who wishes to learn. Of course, in accordance with Sikh ideals, we never proselytize or push religious conversion.
Values
The word Sikh means ‘one who learns’ (a disciple or student). Sikhs are on a spiritual journey to learn about, master, and espouse a set of universal values:
- Equality (Ekta; no discrimination of gender and religion)
- Charity (Seva; community service)
- Protection and Empathy (Daya; understand and help the vulnerable)
- Truth (Sat; see the world as it is, and speak to it truthfully)
- Contentment; (Santokh; free the mind from fear and worry by accepting reality for what it is)
- Humility (Nimrata; know that you are not superior or above others)
- Love (Pyar; love all of God’s creation unconditionally and see goodness in all)
Philosophy
Sikhs believe that all creation is attributed to a single, universal, shapeless, timeless, and genderless Creator referred to as ‘WaheGuru’:
Wa (or Va): Wonder in the divine light
Guru: Spiritual darkness (Gu) is illuminated (Ru)
Sikhs view humanity as one, with no single religion claiming superiority or domain over another; various religious beliefs are separate pathways leading all believers to the same Creator. This central tenant of the one-and-only Creator is referred to as ‘Ik-Onkar’:
Ik: One and only one
Oang: Creator
Kar: Creation
Who we are
The Chaplaincy at Sikhs On Campus in UBC is a collective of community volunteers and:
- A safe home where Sikh students and families know they can reach out to for help and guidance
- A community of like-minded friends who want to help grow and support Sikhs
- An organization which does its best to support anyone and everyone, regardless of where they may be on their Sikh journey
- A place where being part of the Sikh community is fun
- A home away from home