As Sikhs around the world celebrate Sikh Environment Day, Bandana Kaur of EcoSikh discusses the spiritual connection linking the Sikh faith to the natural world:

Throughout Guru Granth Sahib, birds and trees especially are used to describe the metaphoric relationship between a disciple and the Divine. Traditional birds like the peacock, flamingo, hawk, cuckoo, nightingale, crane, swan, owl, and the koyal, and trees like the banyan, pipal, and sandalwood of Punjab are used in the Gurus’ metaphors, along with many, many other species. This diversity of life affirm’s [sic] the Divine’s creative current through land, water, and sky.

Bandana Kaur makes the case that environmental preservation is a spiritual mandate for followers of the Sikh faith. Read the full essay at The Huffington Post.