What is Life as a Sikh?

I have listened to a lot of kathas over the years and I hope to solidify what I have learned by relating it here. My second hope is that I can share and convey some things with the younger generation as it can be difficult sometimes to know where to start or how to understand the concepts of Sikhism as a whole in English. 

If we are Guru Ji’s Sikhs, we accept what Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji says as Truth, and live by it. As Sikhs, we have one God, this is the meaning of Ik Onkaar. This is the same as the God of other religions, Allah, or Ram, or the Christian “God.” God exists as both formless form (nirgun) and formed (sargun) roops (forms). God’s features are described in our Mool Mantar. Guru Nanak Dev Ji, our first Guru, revealed this to us after spending three days immersed into the river. Coming out, Guru Ji told us there is no Hindu or Muslim, meaning we are all one. In the Mool Mantar Guru Ji tells us Ik Onkaar, Satnam- Truth is God’s Name, Karta Purakh – God is creator, Nibhao- without fear, Nivair- without hatred, Akal Murat- timeless, Gurparsaad- Guru’s grace. (Note when we say “Jap” that is the start of the Gurbani Japji Sahib so thus the mool mantar ends here). Guru Nanak was loved by Hindus and Muslims alike because of these universal teachings and getting people out of ritualism. We are reincarnated through 8.4 million lifeforms prior to achieving this human life. This human life, Gurbani tells us, is very special because it is the form in which we can achieve Jeevan Mukhti, liberation, while alive. When a person achieves mukhti, we say they crossed the terrible world ocean called the “Bhav Sagar.” This is the purpose of our life. This doesn’t happen after one dies, but rather while one is still alive. Then when such a Gurmukh (individual who is turned towards the Guru) dies, they are merged into God and saved from the cycle of reincarnation, otherwise they are reborn again depending on the types of thoughts they took in this lifetime. We only have so many breaths in this lifetime. Over the 8.4 million lifetimes, we saved up, so that God could give us this human life. No one can give us more life or extend our life, all is in God’s hands, and when those breaths are up, this human body ends. So our breaths are precious. We think of ourselves as mind, body and soul. The soul is already merged into God. Our body is simply a temporary vessel that is helping us on our path. The mind is actually what travels from lifetime to lifetime, carrying with it all of its previous actions. The mind is what needs to merge into God in this lifetime. The mind is sukham (something that can’t be seen) while the body is asthool (physical form). 

We spend 9 months in our mother's womb (or 10 months if you use a lunar calendar, which is why Gurbani calls it 10 months). God gives the mother a child that is similar to the spiritual level (avastha) that she is at, and how much spiritual work she has done (her Bhagti). Therefore, some people who are very spiritual, it may take a long time for them to have children as God is waiting for the right soul to be brought into that family. God does training in the womb, of how the mind should play this game of life, and what kinds of challenges it needs to face. If it is not ready and does not pass the training, it returns back to God already in that time. In the mother's womb, Gurbani talks about how God preserves us and the mind does simran and is fully connected to God. The baby cries at birth because of its separation to God. Now we have attached it to the world. It needs to play the game and find its way back to God. Some individuals do not need a long time in life to achieve that Mukhti. 

In order to understand how the mind can achieve Mukhti we need to understand Maya. Maya is beyond just money, maya is also our thoughts and the things that trap us away from God. We say there is an entity called Kaal that God has put in charge of maya. So kaal da jaal is the net that entraps us. Our ego is the source of our suffering and is the biggest disease according to Gurbani. We all need to work to get rid of it. Over our lifeforms we get durmat mehl- our bad thoughts and actions form as filth on our mind and get carried forward in our lifetimes. Maya is called Thre-Gun maya in Gurbani. This means there are three types of thoughts that we take: Satogun, Rajogun, and Tamogun. Satogun thoughts are good thoughts: compassion, contentment, humility, love, truth. Rajogun thoughts are anxieties, worries, worldly affairs. Tamogun thoughts are what we call the 5 thieves in Gurbani: kaam (lust), krodh (anger), lobh (greed), moh (attachment), and hankaar (pride). These loot us of our precious breaths in life. When a person spends too many thoughts in rajogun in their lifetime, they die and are reborn into the Bhoom Lok, which is creation on land like animals. From tamogun thoughts a person is reborn into the water, in Patal Lok. From satogun, we are still in maya. Just because we have good thoughts, we still have not escaped the cycle of maya. Those beings are reborn into the sky as birds, this is called Akash Lok. Depending on our thoughts and actions, Gurbani tells us that we reap what we sow (the concept of karma). Gurbani tells us that we can burn off all those past actions, all that filth on our minds, during this lifetime. Our Guru is the boat to cross the world-ocean. Durmat Mehl, the filth of our past thoughts and actions ends up causing us a lot of suffering. We end up with bad situations in our life and end up with diseases as well. This explains why certain people are born into the situations that they are. Gurbani tells us that we can overcome these by following the instructions of our Guru. When we die, our mind carries with it the spiritual level that it had achieved. The spiritual levels are outlined in the Gurbani of the Laavan, which we typically see done during a wedding ceremony called the Anand Karaj. In the four laavs the couple walks around Guru Ji, which also symbolizes the four stages in which we live. In the spiritual stage prior to the first stage, the majority of people are unaware of all of what we are talking about here. If they hear it, it still probably doesn’t make any sense and they will be lost in doubt, called Param Da Pardha (curtain of doubt). In the first stage, or first laav of ones spiritual journey, one starts to do the physical actions like doing prayers (paath), going to the Gurdwara, and having some discipline in life. In the second stage, the mind is involved in those actions- one is simply not just sitting at the Gurdwara but the mind is actively involved in its journey. In this stage one starts to hear Anhad Bani. We will come back to this concept later. In the third stage, we develop a longing for God. In the fourth is the merger of our mind into God, like water into water.  

As Sikhs we have many tools to achieve Mukhti. One of the major tools that we need to use is Simran. This means to remember God, and we say “Waheguru”, which is our “Gurmantar.” You will notice many religions have mantars, like “Om” or “Ram.” In Gurbani we are taught of the utmost importance of Simran. Saas graas Simran means that we coordinate our Simran with our breathing. Wahe with the inhale, Guru with exhale. Over time, the mind calms itself down. Now modern medicine is starting to catch up and realize the benefits of meditation as well. There are different types of Simran- Rom rom Simran for example teaches you to say Waheguru to your heartbeat. There is also Saas Saas Simran. Simran is not parroting unlike some people think. It is an active process that Gurbani directly tells us will bring us to God. During the Simran you should focus on your own voice, and listening to your voice. This will shut off other thoughts. Over time, you will only develop one thought Waheguru. Then all thoughts will turn off and you will be able to move to being in a state of being that doesn’t require thoughts. 

Many people have trouble with concentrating on their Simran, but the key is to keep persisting because kaal will pull you away on purpose with various thoughts. There are a couple of important points. One must close one’s eyes. The eyes create a lot of thoughts for us. We are looking at what people are wearing for example, or who has come in. Simran must be done with closed eyes. In Gurbani there is a concept that there are 9 gates: 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 mouth, 2 nostrils, and 2 below (excretory/sexual organs). These gates need to all “close” to get to to the 10^thgate, called the Dasam Dwar. This is where our real home is, this is where we reach God. It is called many things including Nij Mehl, Thir Ghar, etc. in Gurbani. So what happens is first you sing the Simran out loud, then slowly bring it to a whisper, then bring it to an internal Simran where you think “Waheguru” but you do not speak out loud. Eventually you will just forget that your physical body even exists, and your mind will be focused on Anhad Bani. The second tip for people who have trouble concentrating is that it helps if you are with sangat- it is much easier to stay on track when you have other people around. Our family is our natural sangat. In our family there will be members who came from different lifeforms- akash lok, boom lok, and patal lok. Everyone will have different stages of their spiritual journey. We are meant to help each other on our spiritual journey so we can be Mukht together. When one member makes progress, then they automatically help those in their family. The concept of Sangat is extremely important. Sangat is simply the people that we spend time with. They can be a good or a bad influence on us, similar to how the singular rotten banana makes all the ones in the batch go rotten. This is why we have to be selective and careful about those we spend time with. 

When one does a lot of Simran, one starts to get sleepy and we say they have gone to “Sehaj” a state of peace. The sleep wake cycle is extremely important in Sikhi. While one is asleep, one is in their real home. Therefore approximately half of our life is spent there in our real home. When one cannot sleep we say there are extremely unwell, because you need to go to your real home to be healthy and well. Unfortunately most of us take so many thoughts, that even in our real home, we are trapped in thoughts about maya and we look upon the world, in the form of dreams. We can have dreams about tamogun, or rajogun, etc. With more Simran, the sleep you will get will be a dreamless state of peace. Over time those individuals will experience things like listening to Anhad Bani. This sound is not produced by two objects striking. This is Naam, the sound that comes from God’s mouth. It is not a physical sound out loud, but a sound that you hear inside. It is actually coming constantly, but due to our thoughts we don’t hear it. One thing a Gurmukh told me to do was to listen carefully after you have sneezed for example, just stop and listen in a non-noisy place. You will understand that background noise, which cannot really be described...but as a starting point to recognize it some would say it sounds like a waterfall or ringing. It is helpful to have someone who has more spiritual progress to help you along in this process. Over time, one hears different types of Anhad Shabads, one will see Jot Parkash (the bright light of God when one closes ones eyes), and taste Amrit Ras, the food for our mind, within one’s mouth. A “Sant” hears Anhad Shabads, a “Bhagat” hears the shabads in all settings even in large crowds with distractions, a “Brahm Gyani”, is one who sees Jot Parkash. 

In the past, it is known through history that people acquired many powers (Ridhya Sidhya). Yogis used to use their powers, and in Sakhis (stories from the history of our Gurus), we know that they tried to use their powers against Guru Ji but they were not successful. Ram Rai, son of Guru Har Rai, used his miracle powers to show off to emperor Aurangzeb and changed Gurbani. Guru Ji had told him that we are not allowed to use these powers without the will of God (Hukam). The temple turned to Bhagat Nam Dev, or God came and saved Prehlad from his father Harnakish. These miracles can only be understood if one understands that this physical world we see is very limited. In Sikhi, one needs to overcome the ego that comes with these ridhya sidhya, and not use them, in order to achieve Mukhti. I remember a time when Sant Singh Ji Maskeen said that usually in science people like to do things and then believe them but in religion one needs to have faith that it will happen before you can experience it. Guru Nanak Dev Ji was able to go into the water for three days, because he merged the elements of his body back into the water. This is where a lot of people might get lost, but if you don’t understand yet put that aside for now as it is an advanced topic. The bottom line is that in Sikhi any powers acquired should never be used without the will of God otherwise there are consequences. 

In our history there were 10 human Gurus: Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Guru Angad Dev Ji, Guru Amardas Ji, Guru Ramdas Ji, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, Guru Har Rai Ji, Guru Harkrishan Sahib Ji, Guru Teg Bahadur Ji and Guru Gobind Singh Ji. Then Guru Gobind Singh Ji transferred the Guruship to Guru Granth Sahib Ji, our holy scriptures and eternal Guru. Guru Nanak Dev Ji taught us that the pillars of Sikhism are Naam Japna (repeating the Name of God), Kirat Karni (earning an honest living), and Vand Shakna (sharing what you earn with others). Guru Ji taught us that we must live the life of a householder, and therefore we do not have a priestly class in Sikhism. Sikhism has NO caste system. We all have a direct connection to God. We have caretakers of our Gurdwaras, called Gyanis or Granthis, who are knowledgeable, but it is not the same as a priestly class. The Granthis usually have families and are married with children because they live a householder life too. This householder life is called Grist Marag. It used to be thought by people that they could not achieve Mukhti if they lived a householder life. Rather Guru Ji tells us to live that life, to do our work, and still remain on top of the world, floating like a Lotus flower on the water. That is much harder than escaping worldly responsibilities and living a religious life. All Guru Jis made significant contributions and it is important to read our history to understand them. Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s 4 children were martyred fighting against the oppression of the Mughals, as well as both of his parents. Guru Teg Bahadur Ji (Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s father) sacrificed his life for upholding the right of the Hindus to have their religion. In Sikhism, many battles were fought to protect the rights of others. We have faced many adversities and remained resilient as we have been taught to be sant sapahi- saint soldiers, defending the rights of the downtrodden. Guru Gobind Singh Ji introduced the process of baptism in 1699. This is called taking Amrit in Sikhism and one becomes then “Amritdhari.” An Amritdhari Sikh reads their morning and evening prayers, and practices by a specific Rehat Maryada (code of conduct). Through this code of conduct, they have 5 K’s (kakaars), symbols of faith, which all also have practical functions: kes (long uncut hair), kara (iron bracelet), kangha (comb), kirpan (small sword), and kachera (underwear). The Rehat Maryada tells us things like not to smoke, do drugs, or drink alcohol (although you will notice many Punjabis drink alcohol, those who have taken Amrit do not). Thus Guru Ji created the Khalsa, the brotherhood/sisterhood of the Sikhs. The Gurus taught us to be physically strong and encouraged martial arts practice for example, as well as spiritual strength by singing Gurbani (singing of hymns also called Kirtan). Guru Ji tells us the highest action in this dark age, which is called Kaljug, is for us to sing Kirtan. The Guru Granth Sahib Ji was written in a way that it could be sung in a poetic fashion, and contributions were made from people of Hindu and Muslim religions as well as all castes (as there was discrimination in the Hindu religion against people of “lower castes”), to show that we are all equal. The Guru Jis invented and used many musical instruments including a modification of the Rabab, new instrument called Taus and Dilruba. Our Guru Jis taught us that women are equal as well, and stopped practices such as women veiling their faces in front of men, or burning themselves on the funeral pyre of their husband when they were widowed. Our Guru Jis also taught us acceptance of God’s will (Hukam), and many methods of obtaining peace within oneself. They also taught us to serve others, through the concept of Sewa. That is part of sharing our earnings. It doesn’t have to be formal volunteerism but can come in many forms, even taking care of one’s own body and one’s family, or doing one’s job can be a service to God depending on your mindset. 

The Guru Granth Sahib Ji is highly respected and is central to the Gurdwara (Sikh temple). In the evening time, Guru Ji is put to sleep in a bed (Sukhasan) and in the morning there is Parkash and Guru Ji is brought down to the main Palki Sahib. The Gurdwara is a central space for us to get together. The Nishan Sahib is a large flag which helps to identify the temple. In the Gurdwara we are supposed to get spiritual knowledge on how to live our life, practical advice. We ask Guru Ji our questions and concerns via “Ardas”, and they reply to us in the form of a Hukamnama (a reading from the scriptures). In katha, people relate to us stories and explanations of the Gurbani. It is a safe space. It is also a space where people would go for shelter or food. Food is served for free in the form of Langar, which is served with everyone sitting equally on the ground. The Gurdwara is open to people of all faiths. After 1947 a lot of our historic sites and Gurdwaras ended up in Pakistan. We have 5 main Takhts (thrones): Akal Takht (across from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a symbol of justice, where political decisions were made), Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib (in Anandpur, this is where the birth of the Khalsa happened and the first Sikhs were baptized), Takht Sri Damdama Sahib (in Talwandi Sabo where Guru Gobind Singh Ji compiled the Guru Granth Sahib Ji), Takht Sri Patna Sahib (where Guru Gobind Singh Ji was born) and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib where Guru Ji merged into God’s light. In Sikhism we don’t place the same importance to physical pilgrimage as other religions. It is helpful to be able to go to these places to be inspired to understand our history, to meet Sangat, and because our Guru Ji’s sat that there is some power there if we too reap the benefit if praying and doing Simran there. Instead of the physical space, Sikhism teaches us that it is a game of the mind, and it is important to have our minds engaged.

As Sikhs we are facing many issues today with drugs, gangs, mental health, addictions, domestic violence, fake “sants”, people drawing them into converting religions, etc. People seem to be lost in sexist songs, casteism, and getting things by hook or crook so that they have the most designer clothing and the best houses and clothes. As Baldev Mutta, CEO of Punjabi Community Health Services mentions, there is a lack of life skills: self-awareness, conflict resolution, dealing with stress, decision-making, communication and emotional skills. We have had trouble adjusting to immigration, as many parents ended up just working a lot and not spending time with the children, and there was a breakdown in what knowledge should have been passed through the generations, including our language. A lot of people might not be able to answer their children’s questions about Sikhi. So let us do our best to reconnect ourselves and learn from Gurbani. I am really excited about all the efforts made for people to share what they have learned. 

I have gathered this knowledge over the years from various kathas, from Bhai Sewa Singh Ji Tarmala, to Bhai Mandeep Singh Jo, Bhai Dalbir Singh Ji, Bibi Karampreet Kaur, Bibi Sukhwinder Kaur, and Bibi Daman Kaur all from Gurdwara Prabh Milne Ka Chao, Bhai Simer Singh (US), and Giani Sant Singh Ji Maskeen. For the errors made, please forgive me. Bhul Chuk Maaf Karni. I hope to build and learn more as well. I hope this primer helps for us to understand what our purpose is and how the various aspects of Sikhi fit in together. One thing I am still understanding is Khands so if someone wants to comment on that, that would be great.