I commend the author (Jasbir Singh, Homosexuality and Sikhism, July 23) for his courage in speaking his views on this important issue.

He is right that Sikhism is a tolerant religion. Therefore, we must tolerate Jasbir Singh and others raising this issue. We must welcome the discussion of homosexuality and engage in respectful discussion about it. We should look in our hearts and speak from a place of love, not hatred.

With full respect, however, I disagree with Jasbir Singh's conclusions about Sikhi and homosexuality.

Jasbir Singh points out rightly that many modern problems are not dealt with explicitly in Gurbani. It is up to the Guru Panth to grapple with these issues in the light of our conscience and our tradition. Any conclusions we come to must be in harmony with the teachings of the Guru Granth Sahib and the Sikh tradition. Regarding homosexuality, I think that the tradition clearly cannot be stretched to allow for approval of homosexual behaviour or cultivation of homosexual inclinations, but it does ask us to practice tolerance and to allow for ambiguity.

The concept of homosexuality is a modern product, primarily of western society. Homosexuality is a sociological concept, a fundamentally false identification of one's identity with a social role. Sexuality and sexual orientation are other such false sociological concept. The concept that people are born gay because of genetics or even have genetic predispositions is not true. I say this as someone who has considered this matter deeply, and who has studied genetics and sociology.

The Guru's tell us that our fundamental identity is not with caste, not with gender, and certainly not based upon our learned sexual inclinations. Our fundamental identification is with God. All false identifications are forms of attachment with things that are transitory.

Without qualification, the marriage life is the life enjoined for Sikhs. Man and woman. Within that married relationship, clearly the Guru's intention is not that we then get to indulge an instinctual drive, but that we experience love. Sex is about love, when it gets right down to it. And love is not about "having to do something" or "having an urge" to do something, it is about choosing to love freely, not because of genetics or any other consideration. Of course, we learn to love more and more deeply with practice. The more we act out of lust, the more we strengthen the inclination towards lust. The more we cultivate love, the greater the desire to become loving. That is what spiritual discipline is about: only the flame of love can burn up our karmic tendency to repeat our mistakes.

The Guru's have expressed God's intentions for us. Man and woman, to unite in a bond of love and ecstasy.

Can homosexuality involve love? Certainly. Heterosexuality, like homosexuality, can involve lust, objectification, selfishness, and obsession with the physical. My understanding and experience is that when the spirit is depressed and feeling pain and loneliness, sexual urges blind the vision and obscure the light of love and all that one sees is coloured by one's state of mind. Sex appears animal--but can such a thirst ever be quenched? It is my understanding and experience that as the heart is filled with love, the vision changes, and one sees a person's inner beauty reveal itself.

And this is why I ask for tolerance. There is every reason to believe in theory and through experience that some, even many homosexuals, embody spiritual virtues such as love more fully than many heterosexuals. I am sure the Guru's would tell us not to judge homosexuals, or to assume that heterosexuals are by that virtue alone higher spiritually. This is simply not true. In so far as homosexuals or heterosexuals feel prisoners of their desires, they need the Guru's blessing and grace to discover deeper levels of love.

The practical conclusions are that Sikhism should never formally accept homosexuality as being part of a Khalsa life. It just isn't that way. Khalsa people are heterosexually married or not sexually active. Period. That's it. At the same time, gay people who choose to identify themselves as Sikhs should be lovingly accepted for who they are. Love and acceptance do not mean approval of homosexuality, that is, the behaviour of the people. It means approval of the person. We must learn to disagree with homosexuality from a place of security and love within ourselves, by becoming more loving people ourselves.

Anyone can choose to call himself or herself a Sikh, but people who believe in homosexuality cannot legitimately join the order of the Khalsa. Aside from that, let God be the judge of us all.

Sat Khalsa.