Kabirpanthi
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A religious community in India which recognises Kabir as their Satguru or Prophet. The group comprises people of either Muslim or Hindu ancestry, and the ritual life of the community displays it's dual origins. They are numerous in all the provinces of Upper and Central India, notably in Uttar Pradesh.
The Kabirpanthi are a spiritual organization meant to unite Hindu and Muslim traditions and create a sustaining peace between them. Both a Hindu and a Muslim can become a Kabirpanthi.
They can be compared to the Syrian Druze tradition in which a Christian or a Muslim can be a part.
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[edit] Practices and Beliefs
The Kabirpanthi are required to observe sanctity and purity in their daily lives and behavior. They believe that good behavior and meditation on the virtues of God are the methods of finding fulfillment.
The Kabirpanthis wear small rosaries made from Tulsi.
During their religious ceremonies, they sing praise songs to the music of cymbals, and the guru recites morning and evening prayers.
Lay persons must be cremated according to Hindu law, and priests must be buried according to Islamic law.
God is commonly called sat saheb" or "kabir saheb".
Kabir saheb himself is supreme power.
Kabirpanthis practice Sahaja Yoga which was instigated by Kabir himself.
Kabirpanthi priests are called Mahant.
[edit] Scripture
The Sacred book of the Kabirpanthi religion is the Bijak, many jumbled passages from which are presented in the Guru Granth Sahib although somewhat erroneously presented. The contents of the Bijak cannot be classified as Hindu, Muslim, or Sant. In a blunt and uncompromising style the book exhorts its readers to shed their delusions, pretensions, and orthodoxies in favor of a direct experience of truth. It satirized hypocrisy, greed, and violence, especially among the religious. The Bījak includes three main sections called Ramainī, Shabda, and Sākhī, and a fourth section containing miscellaneous folksong forms. Most of the Kabir material has been popularized through the song form known as Shabda (or pada), and through the aphoristic two-line sākhī (or doha) that serves throughout north India as a vehicle for popular wisdom. Kabir gave the essence of all Holy Scriptures in simple the Sakhis, which are couplets with musical rhythm. His Sakhis are so important that they are accepted as supreme testimony of profound spiritual truth.
[edit] Kabir
Born in 1398 and died in 1518B, Kabir was raised in the Muslim Julaha (weaver)community, a social group considered low. However according to some legends, he was born a Brahmin, but there is nothing to prove or disprove these legends. He criticized caste ideology and declared the equality of all human beings. Kabir was an oral poet whose works were written down by others. His oral traditions have flourished for more than 500 years, producing a rich array of musical forms, folk and classical, in countless local dialects and regional styles. Thousands of poems are popularly attributed to Kabir, but only a few written collections have survived over the centuries.
Both Kabir and Ravidas are considered to be disciples of Ramanand, and their works are highly influenced by him.
[edit] Holy Places
The most holy places for Kabirpanthis are the Kabir Chaura based in Varanasi with a branch at Maghar. The headquarters of the Dharmadasis is the Chattisgarh district of northern India. The Muslim origin Kabirpanthis have Maghar as their headquarters.
The Kabir Chaura Math is on the site where Kabir traditionally gave instructions to his disciples. The Math or monastery contains the Khanraon, a pair of wooden sandals representing the feet of Kabir, and the Gaddi, the pillow of Kabir. Pictures of Kabir, Ramananda, Ravidas and Mahants are on the walls of the Math.
[edit] Chants
The main chant or Simran of the Kabirpanthi religion is Sant Kabir Ji
Param Pujania Swami Kabirsahabji Maharaj = Response: Sant Kabir ji Mera Shat Shat Namaskar hai !!
