Sikhism, one of the major religious-philosophical traditions of India, is often missing from discussions of cross-cultural philosophy. In this introduction, Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair, an internationally acknowledged expert in Sikh studies, provides the first rigorous engagement with Sikh philosophy.

Sensitive to the historical reception and formation of Sikh concepts and categories, Mandair explores the Sikh vision of life. He asks what their concepts tell us about the nature of reality, the nature of mind, self, ego, and the peculiarity of its logic and ontology and offers an outline of the Sikh tradition and its evolution from 1469 to the present day. Addressing current questions about the kind of politics that can be sanctioned to Sikh philosophy, we learn about leading thinkers Bhai Vir Singh, Teja Singh and Kahn Singh Nabha and major themes including the body, the cosmos, creation, death and the relationship between politics and spirituality. Each chapter concludes with a set of bullet points highlighting the key concepts discussed, a set of questions for further discussion and teachings points to aid discussion.

Through this much-needed introduction we understand the place of Sikh Philosophy within modern Sikh studies and why the philosophical quest became marginalized in contemporary Sikh studies. Most importantly of all, we recognize the importance of looking beyond the well-trodden terrain of Hindu and Buddhist thinkers and involving Sikh philosophical thought in the emergent field of world philosophies.