Courtesy:
Dhillon, S.S. "Concept Of God” Understanding Sikhism-Research Journal,
Volume 9, Number 1, pages 5-10, January 2007
CONCEPT
OF GOD
Dr Sukhraj S Dhillon, PhD
Email: drdln@dpcpress.com
ABSTRACT
In most of the religions,
God is a theoretical concept. For
the new generation of 21st century, as well as, in Sikh concept of
God, we should be able to experience. This is the essential part of being a Sikh
or religious today. Meeting God, having vision, living with God 24 hours a day
is what being a Sikh and religious is all about.
God (Parmatma) and Soul (atma)
is explained by Guru Nanak as the 'Jot', which is scientifically
'Energy'. The God is not in Gurdwara
or temple or church or mosque only that appears every Sunday.
God is also not sitting somewhere in the sky watching our actions.
The God is in us, the God is in sangat
(congregation). “If
we can’t see God in all, we can’t see God at all.”
Sikh scriptures hold that all humans are capable of achieving union with
God while still alive by realizing the Divine within.
That’s how man can become one with God and experience it.
INTRODUCTION
The
new generation of 21st century is not looking for a solid theology
and be orthodox to the core, but to experience God in their own life.
"Young people got tired of hearing that once upon a time people
experienced God directly," says historian Martin E. Marty of the
The new generation believes in a religion
that points them on the way to God, on the way where God is not just a
theoretical concept, but where God can be experienced in their lives. The new
generation of Sikh youth in the age of science and technology are no exception.
The interpretation of Sikh scripture in the real perspective can provide them
the true vision. They do not have to 'believe' in God, they can meet with God,
and they can know who God is. This is the essential part of being a Sikh.
Meeting God, having darshan, living
with God 24 hours a day is what being a Sikh about. Why is it that so many
people who look like Sikhs do not really understand this concept [6]?
DISCUSSION
The
Sikh concept is fiercely opposed to any anthropomorphic conceptions of the
Divine. For
Guru Nanak the Creator is “One and only” and its creation, mankind is also
one. Only in personal
experience it can be truly known. Guru
Nanak has described many of the attributes of God, which human beings can
comprehend and he wants people to practice these attributes in their life so
that they could become God-oriented (gurmukh).
Guru Nanak’s composition on creation makes it abundantly clear that gods and
goddesses, karma and transmigration, hell and heaven, reincarnation and
religious ceremonies and rituals are the inventions of man, not the creation of
God.
mqu ko jwxY jwie AgY pwiesI ]
jyhy krm kmwie qyhw hoiesI ]
Do
not think that the benefits of deeds performed in the current life will be
rewarded in the next world.
According
to the actions one has committed, so does the mortal become.
AGGS, M 1, p 730 [1].
suix
mn imqR ipAwirAw imlu vylw hY eyh ]
jb lgu jobin swsu hY qb lgu iehu qnu dyh ]
Listen,
O my mind, my friend, my darling: this is the time to meet the Lord.
This
opportunity will last as long as there is health and vitality, devote this body
to Him.
AGGS, M 1, p 20.
mwns
dyh bhuir nh pwvY kCU aupwau mukiq kw kru ry ]
nwnk khq gwie krunw mY Bv swgr kY pwir auqru ry ]
You
will not be born again; make the effort to
achieve liberation!
Says
Nanak: Praise the Lord of compassion, and
cross over the world-ocean of temptations.
AGGS, M 9, p 220.
Awgwhw
kU qRwiG ipCw Pyir n muhfVw ]
nwnk isiJ ievyhw vwr bhuiV n hovI jnmVw ]1]
Look
ahead; don't turn back to the past.
This
is the only chance to realize God, you shall not be reincarnated again, says
Nanak.
AGGS, M 5, p 1096.
Concept
of Atma (Soul) Parmatma (Supreme Soul, God)
We can have
scientific explanation for the 21st century new generation about
concept of atma-parmatma (individual soul as part of universal soul or
God) from Gurbani [4]. God and Soul
is explained by Guru Nanak as the 'Jot', which is scientifically
'Energy'. As explained in detail by
Dhillon [4], scientifically everything in this universe came from this one
'Energy' and will go back to this 'Energy'. 'Everything' means all matter
including human beings and all other beings.
According to law of thermodynamics, this energy can neither be created
nor be destroyed. [(vfw
n hovY Gwit n jwie] - The
Creator neither increases nor decreases in totality.
AGGS, M 1, p 9.)]
I
realize these concepts make many of us feel uncomfortable but Nanakian
philosophy is not at odd with the scientific explanation.
sB
mih joiq joiq hY soie] iqs kY cwnix
sB mih cwnxu hoie]
AGGS, M 1, p 663-8.
The Divine Light is within everyone; You are that Light.
Yours is that Light which shines within everyone.
Agin
pwxI jIau joiq qumwrI suMny klw rhwiedw]2]
suMnhu bRhmw ibsnu mhysu aupwey] suMny
vrqy jug sbwey]
AGGS, M 1, p 1037-12.
Your Light pervades fire, water and soul; Your Power rests in the Primal Void.
From this Primal Void, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva issued forth. This Primal
Void is pervasive throughout all the ages.
Awqmw
prwqmw eyko krY] AMqr kI duibDw AMqir mrY]
AGGS, M 1, p 661-11.
Whose soul and the Supreme Soul (God) become one; the duality of the inner mind
disappears.
ijnI
Awqmu cIinAw prmwqmu soeI]
AGGS,
M 1, p421-16
Those
who understand their own Soul, are themselves the Supreme Soul.
Alike
God, the Self (or Soul) is also formless. Form is possible to the limited entity
only. In order for something to possess a form, it must be conditioned by
something else. Self being beyond the body-mind-intellect apparatus is
deconditioned from everything, and therefore this Unconditioned Self can only be
formless. Thus, in his essential nature, as the Divine Consciousness, man is
said to be the True Image of God. But
we have to recognize it.
mn
qUM joiq srUpu hY Apxw mUlu pCwxu]
AGGS, M 3, p 441-3.
O
my mind, you are That — the true image of the Divine Light — know your
Reality.
Thus,
the life-giving Supreme Truth is only One, and everything is filled with His
Glory. Therefore, there is no such thing as a separate Sikh Soul, a separate
Christian Soul, a separate Muslim Soul, a separate Hindu Soul, a young Soul, an
old Soul, a rich Soul, a poor Soul, a higher Soul or a lower Soul, religious
Soul or an atheist Soul, and so on. The All-permeating Supreme Soul (Parmatma)
is One without-a-second. One Supreme Light is hidden in all beings and things
just as the butter is hidden in the milk, and the fire is hidden in the wood.
sgl
bnspiq mih bYsMqru sgl dUD mih GIAw]
aUc
nIc mih joiq smwxI Git Git mwDau jIAw]
AGGS, M 5, p 617-2.
Just
as the fire is contained in all firewood and butter is contained in all milk; so
too is God’s Light contained in the high and the low; God is in the hearts of
all beings.
Irrespective of one's faith, today's modern
world expects religion to provide freedom at both spiritual and secular level.
Although we preach as God of love; in fact the God of faith/blind faith
without logic is the cause of religious wars.
It is the God of logic, which is the God of love and spirituality.
That, in my humble opinion, was the God (in terms of concept) of Guru
Nanak. Guru Nanak preached religion
of logic.
The Aad Guru Granth Sahib (AGGS) – Sikh
Holy-Scripture points towards self-realization to attain spiritual state of
mind. In the AGGS, the Commencing
Verse, which is commonly called Mool-Mantra (Manglacharan),
describes attributes of God, who is addressed as the one and only one infinite,
ultimate truth, the creator/creation (Ik 'Oh' beant, Satnam, Karta
Purakh). If we accept God as a spirit that exists in each and every person,
then it describes attributes of spiritual state of mind/soul/self. “That
state of mind is without fear (Nirbhau), without enmity (Nirvair),
immortal without the fear of death or birth (Ajooni), complete within
itself (Saebhang)-- timeless, ageless, and formless (Akal Murat)".
A few blessed ones realize that state of mind (Nirbhau, Nirvair, Akal
Murat, Ajuni Saebhang, Gur Parsad! Mool-Mantra or Basic Principle in Jap, (AGGS,
p 1). Nanakian
philosophy expects human beings to comprehend and practice these attributes of
God in their life so that they could become God-oriented (gurmukh).
We know that only physical body ages, spirit is not affected by
time or age or birth or death. Sikh
scriptures hold that all humans are capable of achieving union with God while
still alive by realizing the Divine within.
That’s how man can become one with God.
Linking
with God: Man to God
God is in
me or else is not at all.
--Wallace
Stevens
To
know God (Soul, Self, God, Sat Guru, Divine Love, Unconditioned
Consciousness, etc.) is none other than always being in bliss. If one can keep
himself up in tune with the infinite soul-consciousness, he will have an
intuitively balanced mind. In other
words, linking with God is simply to be uninterruptedly identifying with Atma
or resting on the highest consciousness or the self within.
“Man
is the goal of creation. He has come into this world to display those Attributes
of God that are reflected within himself.”
Sufi Giyani
Jallaluddin Rumi [from Singh # 8]
Therefore,
God is not "there yonder", or at "some other time", or after
death phenomena, or sitting somewhere in the sky outside this world watching our
actions. In truth, God is ever
present in us, waiting to receive us, "here" and "now".
Therefore, in reality we all are God-realized "now", but we do not
know it! The process of transition of Jeeva (individual being) from its
deluded or materialistic consciousness (egoism) to the spiritual consciousness
is truly the religion. Therefore, to enjoy the Divine Bliss, Eternal Freedom and
Boundless Love by becoming one with the homogenous oneness is the ultimate goal
of religion. So long the realization
of this ultimate goal remains incomplete within ourselves, we are liable to
create havoc in the God's creation.
The
spiritual wisdom in religious texts reveals to us very important concepts. The
first is that God has made man in true image (Joti Swaroop), hence, the
man's real nature is essentially divine. Second, the main aim of human life is
to realize the essence of this divinity which is ever present within. Third, the
soul (individual self/atma) is immortal, and the experience of the oneness of the soul
with the Universal/Supreme Soul (parmatma)
is to Realize God or to become one with God.
bwhir
FUMiF ivgucIAY Gr mih vsqu suQwie]
mnmuiK
haumY kir musI gurmuiK plY pwie]
AGGS, M 1, p 63..
Searching
outside of themselves, people are ruined; the object of their search is in that
sacred place Within the Self. The Manmukhs (ego-beings), in their ego, miss it;
the spiritual beings receive it in their laps.
The
above philosophy of Guru Nanak has been confirmed by the other Sikh Gurus:
sB
ikCu Gr mih bwhir nwhI]
bwhir
tolY so Brim BulwhI]
AGGS, M 5, p 102.
Everything
is Within the Self; there is nothing outside of It. One who searches outside is
deluded by doubts.
puhp
miD ijau bwsu bsqu hY mukr mwih jYsy CweI ]
qYsy hI hir bsy inrMqir Gt hI Kojhu
BweI ]
AGGS, M 9, p 684.
Like the fragrance which remains in the flower, and like the reflection in
the mirror, the Lord dwells deep within; search for it within your own heart, O
Siblings of Destiny.
On the other hand
Kabir rejects the concept of Hindus and Muslims that God dwells in South and
West:
dKn
dyis hrI kw bwsw piCim Alh mukwmw]
idl
mih Koij idlY idil Kojhu eyhI Taur mukwmw]
AGGS, Kabir , p 1349-13.
Hindus
say their God is in the south direction, and the Muslims say their God is in the
west. Search in your heart — look deep into your Heart of hearts Within; this
is the Home and the place where God lives.
In
reality, as the Self is always present within, Jeeva (individual being)
is never apart from it. In other words, it is not the matter of realizing the
Self, but of realizing that we never were not the Self! Thus, if we stand
completely in spirit's world, where time has no meaning, the whole process of
spiritual union never even occurred! Jeeva
was the part of Soul and God all along, only without knowing it! It was the
false ego sense that had temporarily intervened. Once the false ego is
eliminated, it takes only split second for the spiritual linking to take place
— one split second completely divorced from the past, and entirely free from
mental slavery of the future is all that is needed to peep over the veil of
ignorance and realize for ourselves eternally thereafter the True Nature of the
Self, the Timeless Godhood (Akaal Purakh, parmatma).
Awpu
pCwxY bUJY soie]
AGGS, M 1, p 25-4.
He
who realizes his Self comprehends God.
“If
you know your Soul you know your God.” Sufi Giyani
Jallaluddin Rumi [from Singh # 8]
Upon
realizing our essential nature as Self, we also discover this is the Self of
all, meaning that we are one with others. There is only one Self, one common
Self which appears as many and different because of the different names and
forms superimposed on it. There is one common being who is mistakenly supposed
to be many — a mistake which has cost man dearly in the sense that it is
responsible for his dualistic behavior (Doojaa Bhaav): Love and hatred,
mercy and bloodshed, union and separation, pleasure and pain, death and rebirth,
and so on. Self-realization is none other than knowing that we are one in
spirit. When this truth dawns upon one, notions such as "I, mine, me,
your" arising out of ego-ignorance, fade away like glowworms in the sun.
The wise and true person, thus, sees One God in himself and in all creation. If
you love this One God, you cannot hate others. It is this sense of Oneness that
is the only possible basis for individual and collective harmony and peace.
Awpu
pCwnY q eykY jwnY]
AGGS, Kabir, p 855-16.
When
one realizes his Self, then he knows One God.
The State of
God-Realization
The
sense of One God is a state of mind with awakened (realized) spirit. Many
spiritual masters have called this enlightened state of mind by different names
[3]. Buddha called "the
enlightened one;" Christ and Messiah also meant the same.
How does an
individual describes the spiritual state
of God-realization may seem quite different and even opposed?
As one and the same pain may be described either as a hot pang or as a
cold sting, so the descriptions of the enlightened experience may take forms
that seem so different. One person
may say that he has found the answer to the whole mystery of life, but somehow
cannot put it into words. Another
will feel that he has experienced, not a transcendent God, but his own inmost
nature. One will get the sense that
his ego or self has expanded to become the entire universe, whereas another will
feel that he has lost himself altogether and that what he called his ego was
never anything but an abstraction. One
will describe himself as infinitely enriched, while another will say he has not
a care in the world. A theist may
call it a glimpse of the presence of God. Rajnish
called it “orgasmic”, saints may call “peaceful”, psychiatrists may call
“tranquil”, and drug addicts may call “getting high” [3].
Regardless of the experience, we can call this state of mind with awakened (realized) spirit "the spiritual state of mind." In everyday living, some of the characteristics of a spiritual person include:
1.
An absence of need to dominate others, kindness, forgiving, mercy,
compassion, peace, joy, acceptance, non-judgment, joining, and intimacy.
2.
He feels a sense of responsibility and belonging to the universe.
3.
He chooses a path that leads to the discovery of the Truth, and start to pursue
the path for salvation.
4.
He meditates on God's name with every breath and every morsel of food.
By true living in Spirituality, he earns his livelihood and eats the
fruit of his labor sharing the same with others. He engages in the service of
God's creation. Mother Teresa, who dedicated her life in the service of needy
and helpless humanity, is the example of Spirituality. So was Bhagat Puran Singh
of Pingalwara in
A
non-spiritual person, on the other hand, lives in a state of fear and
experiences anger, abuse, pain, greed, addiction, selfishness, obsession,
corruption, and violence. He/she may
hold grudges and seek revenge for perceived wrongdoing.
He is only motivated for acquisitions' sake.
He often experiences loneliness and separation from all others.
Do
all religions lead to God?
Each
religion has suggestions, which are to be followed, in order to grow spiritually
and to realize god [3]. Most
religions, generally, claim their way is the way to God.
For example, ask a Christian...his
answer will be The One and Only Way..is through Jesus...If you believe in any
others.. no way you will be saved. Same
for Muslims and the Koran... Prophet Mohammed is the One and Last Prophet...If
you don’t believe in the Prophet..no way to be saved.
In
the sikh concept of God the Creator is “One and Only” and Its creation,
mankind is also one. The thoughts of many sages of diverse background that are
compatible with Nanakian philosophy are incorporated in the AGGS, however, there
are no quotes from the texts of Semitic and Hindu religions, as these religions
are based on the concept of an “exclusive God”. In addition to the millions
of gods, Hindus also believe in a God who communicates only through the priestly
class of brahmans and then there is a God for the chosen people, the Jews.
Christian God is approachable only through his only son Jesus Christ. For the
Muslim, Mohammed is the last and final in a long line of Prophets of Allah (God)
and they claim that theirs is the only true prophetic religion. The God
described in AGGS is easily understandable to all seekers of “Truth”
irrespective of their creed, caste, gender, color, ethnicity and geographical
considerations. Guru Nanak did not assign any specific name or gender to God. He
used the prevalent names of God in usage by both the Hindus and the Muslims
without any distinction along with addressing new names of his own. Most often
in the AGGS, God is described by Its attributes like Creator, Formless,
Transcendent, Omnipotent, Infinite and Ineffable or simply as True One.
swihbu
myrw eyko hY ] eyko hY BweI eyko hY ]
AGGS, M 1, p 350.
My
Master is One, hey brother, It is One and Only.
Gurbani in the AGGS (which is extension of
Guru Nanak’s Japuji) directs us towards ultimate reality, towards ultimate
truth [5]. There
is no duality about the realization of God or the way to God.
Duality is there to live in this world at each step.
The AGGS is a collection of Gurbani, and Bani from Muslims, Hindus and
many others who were not Sikhs. This is a first in
World History...No holy texts of any religion contain even one line from authors
of other religion. Yet the concept
is unique revelation.
Sikhism regards
all as brothers...all as Creations of the Same God...in Gurbani Allah, Ram,
Krishan, Gobind, Hare, Ram, all refer to the same spiritual force, the same
supreme power, the same God.
In Sikhism there
is no heaven/no hell per se. All those are on this earth; and not separate
places such as patal
(nether worlds) and agas (sky) which has been misinterpreted by many
theologians.
The other major
difference between the concept of God… called by different names… Allah,
Ram, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva... The
God concept of the Bible is full of Anger, fire and Brimstone, punishing and
destroying whole cities, wiping out entire continents… even drowning the
entire earth… to punish the sinners...same for Allah of the Koran… He
Thunders and Roars...
But God concept of Sikhism is forever
smiling, peaceful, and never angry for even an Instant...Never
Punishing/Vengeful... speaking ever so softly [imT
bolVw jI hir sjxu suAwmI morw] Meaning:
My dear lord and master, my friend, speaks
so sweetly. AGGS, M5, p 784-12].
In
Sikhism God is loving, kind, compassionate, caring, and omnipresent.
Sikh religion does not support the concept
of God who punishes his creation for perceived sins and punishes for bad karma.
Therefore, the Sikh Gurus did not accept the doctrine of karma in any
fatalistic or deterministic sense. Their idea is of a Creative God with Will and
Purpose, who is greatly concerned with the improvement and evolution of His
creation and the imperfect beings. The Gurbani clearly rejects the theory of
transmigration based on karma by asking its proponents who believe purely in
this theory, “when there was no Karma then for which karma he came to serve
punishment, “jb Akwru iehu kCu n
idRstyqw] pwp puMn qb kh qy hoqw] -
When there was no creation, how did the
first being inherit karma, or who created karma initially?” (AGGS, M 5 , p
290-17). The law of Karma or fatalism is repugnant to Sikh Religion as it does
not reconcile with the merciful trait of the Almighty Lord.
There is no such thing in Sikhism as eternal
damnation or an everlasting pit of fire created by the revengeful God. Guru's
grace erases the blot of thousands of evil deeds of the past and the present. It
is also the savior of the future. Meditation
on Naam burns countless sins. Singing the glory of the God through the
Divine Word, can redeem a repentant sinner and, thus, doctrine of Karma ceases
to operate. Such is the splendor of
Guru Nanak's doctrine of God's Grace and Compassion.
The realization of God of spirituality means
to be a good person while living in the real world with all its pressures and
temptations of desires, evil inclinations with the limitations and complexities
of human nature called humanity. You can't be spiritual when you are unkind to
others. To develop this kind of human nature, one has to practice restraint,
self-control or subjugation of the lower instincts.
It is easy to dwell on the past, instead of
focusing what is important now. It is better to wear out rather than rust out.
Sikhism is a religion of action and not just philosophical reflection.
What is the purpose of a life of a religious
person? It is to be righteous and walk the way of life with God. Otherwise we
can drown in a sea of material abundance. We primarily have to place our
emphasis on the spiritual rather than the material side of the life. Sikhism
should prize perspective, balance, and responsibility. At the same time we do
not have to give up complete benefits and blessings of life in order to enjoy a
powerful spiritual life. God does allow some legitimate pleasures with limits.
nwnk
siqguir ByitAY pUrI hovY jugiq ]
hsMidAw
KylµidAw pYnµidAw KwvMidAw ivcy hovY mukiq ]2]
AGGS, M 5, p 522-10.
O Nanak, meeting the Sat Guru (realizing God), one comes to know the
So there is only one "Peak" of One
God...and many Paths up to that peak... Sikhism’s
Path is straight and easy almost like riding an Elevator all the way up.
CONCLUSIONS
§Creator is His Creation. The
Creator is “One and only” and its creation, mankind is also one according to
Nanakian philosophy. God
does not belong to one religion. God is for all. It’s
lack of God-vision that leads us to believe in polytheism, idolatry,
superstitions and blind rituals.
§As believed in Sikhism, with
God’s grace, all human beings are capable of God-realization without any
intermediaries. This human
life is our only opportunity to realize the spark
within us. God-realization, will
remove our ignorance about life after death.
§An integral congress of all minds
and souls operate on the same spiritual vibration. Our aim is to realize
the glory of the One Reality.
REFERENCES
1.
AGGS = Aad Guru Granth Sahib. 1983
(reprint). Publishers: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee,
2.
Chahal, D.S. 2006. “Origin of Universe in Sikhism.”
Understanding Sikhism-Research Journal, Volume 8, Number 1, pages 46-52,
January 2006.
3.
Dhillon, S.S. 2007. “Science, religion, and spirituality.”
Publish
4.
Dhillon, S.S. 2005 "Gurbani, Science, and Soul” Understanding
Sikhism-Research Journal, Volume 7, Number 1, pages 59-63, January 2005.
5.
Dhillon, S.S. 2004. "Universality of the Sikh Philosophy: An
Analysis" The Sikh Review, Volume 52:5, Number 605, pages 15-20, May 2004.
6.
Khalsa, Harjinder Singh.2005. “What
makes you a sikh?” Sikh Bulletin, Volume 7, Number 6&7, page 9,
June-July 2005.
7.
Newsweek, September 5, 2005, “Spirituality in
8.
Singh, T. 2006. “Religious
Fanaticism”-Part 5 and 7. Reflections
on Gurbani. www.gurbani.org.
Please send your Suggestions and Information to be
added to the site
dr. sukhraj dhillon <drdln@dpcpress.com>
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