Transition into Infinity

Veil of Illusion

2011-01-26T09:56:00.022-06:00

By Amar Prakash Singh

There are many reasons why I decided to leave 3HO, but the primary one was as I read more and more of the Guru Granth, I began to find more and more discrepancies between Gurmat and the teachings of Yogi Bhajan. So I left and entered the world of mainstream Sikhism. I took Amrit, became a strong adherent of the Rehit Maryada, an active Sevedar in the functions of Gurdwara, and regular participant in on-line discussions about Gurmat.

But as I delved further into the meanings of Gurmat and tried to understand what the Guru's were actually talking about, I began to have doubts about what Sikhism was telling us what Gurmat was. The two articles: "Losing My Religion" and "Break on Through to the Other Side" were written in response to these doubts.

Recently I read an article in the NY Times that brought to mind something that Guru Arjan taught on p. 138.

shsw iehu sMswru hY mir jMmY AwieAw jwieAw ]

This world is an illusion; it dies and it is re-born-it comes and it goes in reincarnation.

The NY Times article stated: "Roger Penrose, the eminent British mathematician, is arguing that there is physical evidence that may predate the Big Bang. ... [He and physicist V.G. Gurzadyan] go even further, claiming that the evidence also suggests that our universe may 'be but one aeon in a (perhaps unending) succession of such aeons.' What we think of as our 'universe' may simply be one link in a chain of universes, each beginning with a big bang and ending in a way that sends detectable gravitational waves into the next universe."

This was amazing, in that this was exactly what Guru Arjan was talking about. This world is just an illusion and this is where Sikhism and all the other religions totally misunderstand this concept and believe that this world of illusion actually exists. Yes, it's actually there and everything is real but in the spiritual sense it's just an illusion (maya.) And this spiritual sense is what the Guru's were talking about. To the Guru's there are two planes of existence: the earthly or material plane and the spiritual or transcendental plane. The spiritual plane is what Gurmat is all about.

Our purpose in life is to lose our religion and break on through to the spiritual plane. This is what Guru Arjan was telling us in Kirtan Sohila:

jw kau Awey soeI ibhwJhu hir gur qy mnih bsyrw ]

Use this life to achieve that purpose for which it was given, and through the Guru, the Lord shall dwell within your mind.

inj Gir mhlu pwvhu suK shjy bhuir n hoiego Pyrw ]3]

Within the home of your own inner being, you shall obtain the Mansion of the Lord's Presence with intuitive ease. You shall not be consigned again to the wheel of reincarnation. ||3||

Kabir was telling us the same thing on page 1366:

kbIr mwns jnmu dulµBu hY hoie n bwrY bwr ]

Kabeer, it is so difficult to obtain this human body; it does not just come over and over again.

ijau bn Pl pwky Buie igrih bhuir n lwgih fwr ]30]

It is like the ripe fruit on the tree; when it falls to the ground, it cannot be re-attached to the branch. ||30||

What both Kabir and Guru Arjan are saying is that we have this one chance to understand and break on through the veil of illusion that is this worldly existence.

There has been much discussion if the protocols used in gurdwara are rituals or not. According to Gurmat not only are they meaningless rituals but they are also just illusions. Even gurdwara is an illusion and we are just fooling ourselves into believing that these are real. Everything exists only on the spiritual plane.

Even Ek Ong Kaar exists only on the spiritual plane. It is a mistake to believe that what Guru Nanak is speaking about is the religious God of this material plane but to Guru Nanak this meant "There is the One."

jy hau jwxw AwKw nwhI khxw kQnu n jweI ]
Even knowing the One, I cannot describe Him; He cannot be described in words.

Guru Nanak p. 2

But how are we to live on both of these planes? Guru Amar Das told us on page 28:

so jnu rlwieAw nw rlY ijsu AMqir ibbyk bIcwru ]2]

Those humble beings who are filled with keen understanding and meditative contemplation-even though they intermingle with others, they remain distinct.

When we are able to exist on both of these planes, then and only then do we finally join the Sadh Sangat. On this material plane we are only fooling ourselves that we are more than just part of the mob.

This is what Guru Ram Das is telling us on page 10:

hir hir nwmu imlY iqRpqwsih imil sMgiq gux prgwis ]2]

Obtaining the Name of the Lord, Har, Har, they are satisfied; joining the Sangat, the Blessed Congregation, their virtues shine forth. ||2||

But how do we break through this veil of illusion and become One with the One? The first step is to understand that this material plane is an illusion and that much of what we have learned or thought about Sikhi, including the idea that we are even Sikhs, has been a huge misunderstanding of Gurmat.

"1,000 Haircuts"

2008-10-21T12:18:00.006-05:00

By Amar Prakash Singh

Twenty five years ago, I asked a 3HO Sikh, why she never went to the Indian Gurdwara in town. I believed that one should never miss the opportunity to go to Gurdwara. Her reply was: 'When I go to that Gurdwara, I feel as if I am having 1,000 hair cuts.' Over the years I have come to understand what she was feeling and pretty much experience this feeling every time I go to Gurdwara. Maybe that's the reason that I don't have much of my hair left.

I remember one time when I must have lost quite a few hairs. There was a lady, a non-Sikh, who had come to visit Gurdwara. After Gurdwara, I was talking with her, trying to answer some of her questions. Evidently she had commited the horrendous sin of accepting prashad with only one hand. That's when this rude man, the kind that they make "Sardar jokes" about, approached us and proceeded in admonishing her for her transgretion. When he was through and had walked away, he decided that he had more to say and returned. I'm sure that in his arrogant ignorance, he felt that he was giving her good advice but was in fact was making sure that she would never come back. When he finally left with complete confidence that he done the right thing, she turned to me with a questioning look and I shrugged my shoulders and told her that 'his beard was just tied too tight and not to pay him any mind.'

I feel that I am getting 1,000 haircuts:

When I see Sikhs paying obsience to shastars. This can be seen in any Gurdwara where shastars are displayed. I find it odd that the word Sword appears in Guru Granth 37 times, all mentions being metiphorical, and appears 592 times in Dasam Granth, most being spoken in reverencial terms for swords in the literal sense. One thing that I find ironic here is that in Islam, believed by many as one of the most violent religions, the word sword appears only once.

When I see Sikhs paying obsience to golden domes and marble. I wrote about this before in Devolution.

"Over the years, Sikhs continued adding bricks of misunderstanding until the Gateway was closed. Then they stood before the non-existent Gateway and proclaimed what a great wall and religion had been built. As they stood there admiring their work, they decided to add golden domes and beautiful marble to the wall and they declared that God must really love them for allowing such a beautiful wall to be built.

When some pointed out that the Gateway had been bricked shut, they were told not to 'fiddle with Sikh traditions' and swords were unsheathed, excommunications were delivered, and those who insulted "Sikh religious sympathies" were jailed.

The status quo had been maintained because after all, that is what was important. But the Sikhs were still standing on the outside maybe never to walk through the Guru's Gate and a tear may have fallen from Guru Nanak's eye as he realized that everything had been for naught."

When I see Sikhs casting aspersions on those who disaree with them; accusing them of being part of a vast conspirosy (missionaries or even worse, intellectuals) to destroy Sikhi.

When I see Sikhs assaulting or even killing other Sikhs just because their "religious sensibilities" have been hurt.

When I see Sikhs wearing Chand Toras (a symbol of Shiva) on their turbans.

When I see Sikhs reading 20 simultanious Akhand Paats when there is no one listening. This is just one of many meaningless rituals that Sikhs engage in, from taking dips (thinking they are doing Ishnaan) to the highly structured rituals of Gurdwara.

Unobstructed is the path of one who believes in the Name (Sat)
He departs this earth with honor and renown.
He never walks in the worldy ways
Nor does he travel by ritualistic religious roads.
The believer in God's Name is sincere to his dharma.
Of such Greatness is the Naam (Sat;) only if one were to believe with all one's and soul, one would realize it. (14)
Guru Nanak page 3

It's odd that we read this every day and yet a "ritualistic religious road" is a very good three word definition of Sikhism.

"Imagine ... No religion too, Imagine all the people living life in peace..." John Lennon wrote these words and concluded with: "You may say I'm a dreamer,..." Well, I don't have to imagine or be a dreamer to realize this because Guru Nanak gave us "no religion."

"It'll be just like starting over,..."

"Losing My Religion"

2008-04-11T07:11:00.038-05:00

By Amar Prakash Singh

Today, I have made the decision to lose my religion. This is not to say that I am leaving the Spiritual Path that was given to me by Guru Nanak but that I am losing this religion called Sikhism.

That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
REM

Ten years ago when the song that contains the above lyrics was popular, it was inconceivable for me to even think about the idea of "losing my religion." Recently, I have come to the conclusion that that is exactly what Guru Nanak wanted us to do and we should be "trying to keep up with" Nanak because that is what he did in writing Mul Mantar.

In his article Evolution of the Concept of God, Rawel Singh talks about how the concept of God has evolved through human history. I think that it is very interesting that he uses the term "concept" because that is exactly what God is: a concept but more accurately a metaphor. He talks about how the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament, which is different than the Islamic God, which is different than the Hindu God and even different than Nanak's God. But how can all of these be true? And even more importantly, it begs the question: Is man a creation of God or is God a creation of man?

How can God be Akaal Moorat, the Timeless Being if he keeps changing through time? But is it God that Nanak is talking about or is it Sat? I believe that it is Sat.

Ek Ong Kaar Sat Naam
There us one Truth

Sat is Karta Purakh, the Creative Force.

Sat is Akaal Moorat, the Timeless Being.

In the descriptions of God in various Religions, God is said to have birth, form, even death, fear, and anger. In Mul Mantar, Nanak dispels all these descriptions of God with: He is without birth, without form, without death, without fear and without anger. But is he saying that these are the attributes of God? No, these are all the attributes of Sat.

This whole idea can be extremely frightening and full of doubt. However, once you have passed through that fear and doubt, it is incredibly liberating.

Along this same theme, Wajinder Singh wrote:

My Guru is NOT a BOOK
My Guru Is NOT even a DEITY
The SHABAD is my Guru .... this Shabad is the Divine Knowledge (Gian)
This knowledge is the Guru, Gu-darkness (ignorance) Ru-light JOT (knowledge)
so my Guru is definitely not an Idol, i don't have to follow around my Guru
But when i read / hear the shabad ALL i can HEAR is my Guru SPEAKING

So how could i force others to see my Guru this way,
They don't accept nor believe in this GIAN knowledge
but I DEFINITELY do ..........and this is all that matters !
.... Eh Saagar Soi Teray Jo Har Gun Gavey

Throughout time, Religion has been the barrier that creates the "veil of illusion." As I described in Devolution, "Sikhs continued adding bricks of misunderstanding until the Gateway was closed. Then they stood before the non-existent Gateway and proclaimed what a great wall and religion had been built. As they stood there admiring their work, they decided to add golden domes and beautiful marble to the wall and they declared that God must really love them for allowing such a beautiful wall to be built.

"When some pointed out that the Gateway had been bricked shut, they were told not to 'fiddle with Sikh traditions' and swords were unsheathed, excommunications were delivered, and those who insulted "Sikh religious sympathies" were jailed."

So how can you become truthful? And how can the veil of illusion be torn away?
Guru Nanak page 1

The first step is understanding that the concept of God is the illusion and that Truth and only Truth was what the Gurus were talking about.

In "Break on Through to the Other Side," "We stand before this wall with great fear and trepidation. Why? Because that wall is made up of all of our beliefs that we hold so dear."

One who understands this becomes truthful.
Guru Nanak page 3

We also become free of unanswerable Theological questions, such as: What is the Name of God? Is Nanak God? Is the Guru Granth the word of God?

Our concern turns to: What is Truth? and How do we live a Truthful life?

The Naam, the Name of the Lord, is abstinence, truthfulness, and self-restraint. Without the Name, no one becomes pure.
Guru Nanak page 33

Truth is higher than everything; but higher still is truthful living. ||5||
Guru Nanak page 62

Some understand Truthfulness; they are given the inexhaustible treasure.
Guru Amar Das page 85

All of this appears in the first 85 pages of Guru Granth, Why has it taken me so long to see it? Better yet, why has it taken so long for people to understand? Because what the Guru's are talking about is a moral framework that has nothing to do with religion. It's a framework that can be simply expressed as: Do the Right thing because it is the Right Thing to do, not because some religion threatens you with eternal damnation. Do we really need a religion or God to tell us that killing and stealing are not the Right Things to do? I think not.

In fact, some times doing the Right Thing is contrary to what your religion tells you. I remember one evening in India, as I was approaching Gurdwara Nadha Sahib, One of the legless beggars asked me for money. According to modern day Sikhi, we are told that Sikhs should never beg therefore you should not give money to any beggars. I had a 100 Rupee bill in my hand that I was going to donate to the Golak and walked by the beggar. A few steps later as I was looking at this magnificent Gurdwara, it dawned on me that this Gurdwara was as cold as the marble it was built of and there was no Truth there. I turned to the beggar and saw the Guru in him. I approached him and gave him my money, that he grasped it between his handless arms, instead of the Golak. Why? Because it was at that moment I realized that that was the Right Thing to do.

Salok, First Mehla:
Let mercy be your mosque, faith your prayer-mat, and honest living your Koran. Make modesty your circumcision, and good conduct your fast. In this way, you shall be a true Muslim. Let good conduct be your Kaabaa, Truth your spiritual guide, and the karma of good deeds your prayer and chant. Let your rosary be that which is pleasing to His Will. O Nanak, God shall preserve your honor.
Guru Nanak p. 140

The above quote from Nanak is telling a Muslim how to be a good Muslim. But it also begs the question: If this is followed, would anyone, let alone another Muslim, recognize this person as a Muslim? I think not.

As I was reading this quote, it dawned on me what Nanak might say to a modern day Sikh. It would be something like this.

Let mercy be your Gurdwara, faith your Simran, and honest living your Guru Granth. Make modesty your Kakkars, and good conduct your rituals. In this way, you shall be a true Sikh. Let good conduct be your Golden Temple, Truth your Guru, and the karma of good deeds your Banis.

Again, This begs the question: If this is followed, would anyone, let alone another Sikh, recognize this person as a Sikh? Again, I think not. But the Truth is that this person would really be the True Sikh.

And this is the reason that I have decided to lose my religion. Not to stop being a Sikh but to become a True Sikh.

"Break on Through to the Other Side"

2007-06-15T22:44:00.000-05:00

By Amar Prakash Singh

I don't know what Jim Morrison, of the 60s rock band, The Doors, meant when he wrote these words, "Break on Through to the Other Side," but I do know that this is the True message of the Guru Granth.

But to understand what we have to Break on Through, we have to look at the language of the Guru Granth and the language of the Guru Granth is the Language of Metaphor.

What is a metaphor? A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them. The use of metaphor can be further considered to contain the following classifications:

* allegory: An extended metaphor in which a story is told to illustrate an important attribute of the subject

* parable: An extended metaphor told as an anecdote to illustrate or teach a moral lesson

Why did the Bhagats and the Gurus use the Language of Metaphor? Human language is very limited. It is limited in that it can only be used to describe the empirical. When language is used to describe the transcendent it falls short because it is impossible to describe the infinite, the indescribable and the unknowable. Deng Ming Dao in his book, "Everyday Tao," stated: "It's hard not to use metaphors. As we try to negotiate more and more complicated subjects, we resort to metaphors to aid understanding.... The only intellectual way we have to describe the infinite is through the imperfect vehicle of the metaphor." Joseph Campbell, best known for his work in the fields of comparative mythology and comparative religion, put it this way: "The person who has had a mystical experience knows that all the symbolic expressions of it are faulty. The symbols don't render the experience, they suggest it. If you haven't had the experience, how can you know what it is?"

The misunderstanding of the concept of metaphor has been a road block in the path of all religions. Let us take a look at how it is used in the Guru Granth. Probably the easiest and most obvious metaphor is the one about the 'dogs tail.'

Like a dog's tail, which will never straighten out, the mind will not change, no matter how many things are tried. Guru Tegh Bahaadur, p 633

Like a dog's tail, it cannot be straightened; it will not listen to what I tell it. Guru Tegh Bahaadur, p 536

You can never escape your own inner tendencies, like the crooked tail of the dog. ||4|| Guru Nanak, p 990

Are the Gurus talking about a dog's tail? I don't think that I would be stretching the point, to say that you would have to be an idiot not to see that the Gurus were talking about something else. They are talking about a closed mind that is so filled with bad teachings that it can never be opened to the truth. This is exactly a description of the State of Sikhi today. Its mind is closed with misinterpretations and misunderstands of what the Gurus were actually talking about. It is a mind that has taken metaphors in the Guru Granth and literally interpreted them as fact thus not being able to look past the literal to see the transcendent.

In past articles I have explored how metaphor has been used in the Guru Granth. I have discussed concepts such as Sach Khand, Gurdwara, Aad Sach..., Amrit and Ishnaan, and Halal.

Literal interpretation of these and just about everything else builds walls and not doors to the transcendent. I talked about this in the article entitled "Devolution."

We stand before this wall with great fear and trepidation. Why? Because that wall is made up of all of our beliefs that we hold so dear. But we must "Break on Through to the Other Side" to get to what the Gurus were talking about and this is a very scary proposition. This also means understanding that even God is a metaphor. Joseph Campbell said it best when he wrote: "God is a metaphor for that which transcends all levels of intellectual thought. It's as simple as that."

Before those that have the Akal Takht on speed dial are frantically calling to say that I have committed blasphemy by saying that the Gurus were atheists, let me say that would be very far from the truth. However Guru Nanak had no love for religion. I explored this in "Imagine ... No religion too..."

The Gurus were talking about something that transcends any concept of God. Joseph Campbell stated: "The transcendent transcends all of these categories of thinking. Being and non being, those are categories. The word God properly refers to what transcends all thinking...

"Half the world thinks of God as a fact, a real being; these are the theists. And the other half of the world denies that God is such a fact...; these are the atheists. But neither half seems to know how to approach things metaphorically...."

But the Gurus understood the use of metaphor, in fact the entire Guru Granth is an analogy, an extended 1430 page metaphor describing the transcendent, EK. EK is the one. What is EK? You'll only know when you become one with it. This is what Guru Nanak meant when he uttered Mul Mantar:

There is One Truth
The Doer of everything, fearless, without anger, Undying, Unborn and Self-Illumined.
This is revealed through, the True Guru's Grace.

Two thousand years before Guru Nanak, It was written in the "Tao Te Ching:"

There was something formless yet complete,
That existed before heaven and earth;
Without sound, without substance,
Dependent on nothing, unchanging...
Its true name we do not know;
Tao is the by-name that we give it.

This is another persons description of the transcendent that he calls Tao, what we as Sikhs call EK. And like those, who's goal is "To be one with the Tao," our goal is "To be one with the One, EK." Some would argue that this is not according to Gurmat but I would say that this is exactly what Guru Amar Das was saying on page 788 when he wrote:

Third Mehla:
They are not said to be husband and wife, who merely sit together.
They alone are called husband and wife, who have one light in two bodies. ||3||

The meaning of this is totally metaphorical and if you take this statement literally, you will not understand that Guru Amar Das is not talking about an earthly marriage but a spiritual one between the husband, EK, and the wife, yourself; becoming one with the One.

In "Thou Art That: Transforming Religious Metaphor," Joseph Campbell writes: "...Mythology is often thought of as other people's religions, and religion can be defined as mis-interpreted mythology.

"That is reading the words in terms of prose instead of in terms of poetry, reading the metaphor in terms of the denotation instead of the connotation."

But this is exactly what modern day Sikhi has become, a religion that has mis-interpreted mythology, or metaphor. Sikhi has become a bunch of "petty ideologues," with the Guru Granth having been turned into a "how to book," with ridiculous talk of it's technologies. The Guru Granth is not about how to become liberated but is about being liberated. For example the following Shabad is found on page 305. This Shabad is the most referenced example of what a Sikh is to do to become liberated. But is really a reference to what you do when you are liberated.

"Fourth Mehla:
One who calls himself a Sikh of the Guru, the True Guru, shall rise in the early morning hours and meditate on the Lord's Name. Upon arising early in the morning, he is to bathe, and cleanse himself in the pool of nectar.Following the Instructions of the Guru, he is to chant the Name of the Lord, Har, Har. All sins, misdeeds and
negativity shall be erased.Then, at the rising of the sun, he is to sing Gurbani; whether sitting down or standing up, he is to meditate on the Lord's Name.One who meditates on my Lord, Har, Har, with every breath and every morsel of food - that GurSikh becomes pleasing to the Guru's Mind.That person, unto whom my Lord and Master is kind and compassionate - upon that GurSikh, the Guru's Teachings are bestowed.
Servant Nanak begs for the dust of the feet of that GurSikh, who himself chants the Naam, and inspires others to chant it. ||2||"

This misunderstanding results in concentration on the superficial where appearance is more important than substance. Where the messenger is more important than the message.

In an article, "IN GOD'S NAME, WHAT WE DO," on the Kheper website, it is written that: "Religious identities are our big ego trip. We cling to our religious symbols without even bothering to know too much as to what they stand for, establish religious dress codes, but seldom know its significance, and proclaim our fanatic religious cries, with warrior-zeal, little realizing that, just as a handful of swallows do not necessarily make summer, these symbolic identities do not necessarily confer us any Spiritual benefit. In order to qualify to be a true Sikh (Khalsa), for instance, one is required to have seen the Pooran Jyot- the lamp within."

A good example of how Sikhs have strayed, is the use of Kirpan. Metaphorically it is a weapon to cut through negativity and ignorance. Physically it is a weapon to be used to defend yourself and the defenseless or in a righteous cause to defend the Panth. It is not to be used to defend your "religious sentiments" or to cut off someone's head because they wore a pink kurta and stuck a feather in his turban. If Sikhi can not survive this trivial matter then maybe it does not deserve to survive. The Punjab government has issued an arrest warrant on charges of "disgracing" the Sikh religion. I would contend that Sikhi does not need any outside help in disgracing itself.

Please, pick up your Kirpan and use it to cut through that "wall" of ignorance and "Break on Through to the Other Side."

Devolution

2007-05-20T21:58:00.000-05:00

By Amar Prakash Singh

Back in the 1970's, there was a band called DEVO. They were one of those one hit wonders but they did have an interesting philosophy and that was: that the human race was no longer evolving but instead was de-evolving, hence DEVOlve.

In recent days as the Dera Sacha Sauda debacle has been unfolding, I have been wondering if we are observing the death knells of Sikhi as it finally Devolves into insignificance and becomes nothing more than a Cult of Thugs. People can stand there in absolute amazement, wondering why the youth is turned off to Sikhi. Well you only have to look at both sides of this sick affair to understand some of the reasons. To paraphrase a bumper sticker I once saw: "If you are not appalled by the state of Sikhi, Then you are just not paying attention."

The Guru's gave us a great gift: Gurdwara, The Gateway to the Guru.

Through the Gurdwara, the Guru's Gate, one obtains understanding.
Guru Nanak, p. 730

Just as it is in the rest of the Guru Granth, Guru Nanak makes use of the metaphor. Here Gurdwara is a metaphor that represents that transcendental Gateway that we pass through on our path to understanding EK.

But what has happened to the Doorway? Through misunderstanding and literal interpretations of Gurbani, that Doorway has been slowly bricked shut, one brick at a time.

There have been theories that Sikhi came to an end in 1849 and others that the date was 1708. I'm not sure when it came to an end but I would contend that the beginning of the end began even during the time of Guru Nanak, when Sri Chand, his son, laid the first brick in the Guru's Gateway.

Over the years, Sikhs continued adding bricks of misunderstanding until the Gateway was closed. Then they stood before the non-existent Gateway and proclaimed what a great wall and religion had been built. As they stood there admiring their work, they decided to add golden domes and beautiful marble to the wall and they declared that God must really love them for allowing such a beautiful wall to be built.

When some pointed out that the Gateway had been bricked shut, they were told not to 'fiddle with Sikh traditions' and swords were unsheathed, excommunications were delivered, and those who insulted "Sikh religious sympathies" were jailed.

The status quo had been maintained because after all, that is what was important. But the Sikhs were still standing on the outside maybe never to walk through the Guru's Gate and a tear may have fallen from Guru Nanak's eye as he realized that everything had been for naught.

Truth vs Religion, Again?

2007-01-02T01:28:00.000-06:00

By Amar Prakash Singh

Thirty two years ago, I began the Spiritual Journey that was given to me by Guru Nanak and revealed to me in the Guru Granth. If at that time I was told that Dasam Granth was the scripture for the Khalsa and the Guru Granth was the scripture for the Sikhs, much like the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, I would never have become a Sikh. As I have stated before: Guru Granth is all about Truth, Ek Ong Kar, Sat Nam (There is one Truth,) but modern day Sikhi has very little to do with Truth and is all about Religion, and I could also say the same about Dasam Granth.

It has been said, that to understand and believe that Dasam Granth is scripture, you would have to forget everything that you learned in the Guru Granth. I believe that about Dasam Granth, with its dogmas, cosmologies and myths such as: Luv and Kush, Hemkunt, misogynous ideas about women, and adoration of Durga and Shiva. This has nothing to do with Truth and to truely believe this, you would have to have a complete misunderstanding of Guru Granth.

I can not accept that Dasam Granth is scripture or that Guru Gobind Singh is the author. Because to accept that, I would have to accept the concept that Guru Gobind Singh did not understand the Truth and I will never accept that.

I also believe that Guru Nanak gave me "No Religion," and I will never accept the concept that anyone has the right to excommunicate or prosecute me or any others for not believing exactly as they do. These people are the true enemies of Sikhi.

Here Now or HereAfter?

2006-12-15T13:29:00.000-06:00

By Amar Prakash Singh

"Be Here Now" is what Guru Nanak was talking about. Most religions are concerned with what happens to you after you die. Sikhi is concerned with what happens to you before you die. Although there are many mentions of reincarnation, the effects of Karma, heaven and hell, Chitar and Gupat etc., in the Guru Granth, these are only meant to be understood metaphorically. Owen Cole wrote about Guru Nanak: "...such ideas are not the one's which concern him utimately. His preoccupation was with enabling his listeners to become one with God and so escape the death of separation which awaited them if they persisted in duality."

Guru Nanak said what happens to us after death was a mystery: "In the fourth watch of the night, O my merchant friend, the Grim Reaper comes to the field.When the Messenger of Death seizes and dispatches you, O my merchant friend, no one knows the mystery of where you have gone. So think of the Lord! No one knows this secret, of when the Messenger of Death will seize you and take you away. All your weeping and wailing then is false. In an instant, you become a stranger.You obtain exactly what you have longed for. Says Nanak, in the fourth watch of the night, O mortal, the Grim Reaper has harvested your field." page 74

His concern was with conquering the fear or death: "Only a few obtain the sublime essence of the Ambrosial Amrit, united in Union with the True Guru.As long as the mortal does not come to understand the mystery of the Shabad, the Word of God, he shall continue to be tormented by death. Whoever finds the door of the One True Lord, does not know any other house or door.By Guru's Grace, I have obtained the supreme status; so says poor Nanak." Guru Nanak page 1126

"Liberation, comfort and proper lifestyle come from serving You; You alone cause us to serve You. That place is heaven, where the Kirtan of the Lord's Praises are sung. You Yourself instill faith into us." Guru Arjan page 749

"In the midst of millions of games and entertainments, the Lord's Name does not come to their minds. O Nanak, their home is like a wilderness, in the depths of hell." Guru Arjan page 707

As usual the Guru's are speaking about Transcendent concepts in a metaphorical manner. It is a big misunderstanding to see these as real. One example of this is the concept of Sach Khand.

"In the realm of Truth (Sach Khand,) the Formless Lord abides. Having created the creation, He watches over it. By His Glance of Grace, He bestows happiness. There are planets, solar systems and galaxies. If one speaks of them, there is no limit, no end. There are worlds upon worlds of His Creation. As He commands, so they exist. He watches over all, and contemplating the creation, He rejoices. O Nanak, to describe this is as hard as steel!" Guru Nanak page 6

Sach Khand is not something that you go to when you die. Sach Khand is a state of mind that you enter when you are alive.

I remember going to a Bhog for a friend of mine, who had died. There was a lot of chanting of Akal, Akal, to help the soul's passage to Sach Khand. The truth is that if you are not in Sach Khand when you are alive, no amount of chanting after you are dead will get you there. It is also a misguided belief that Guru Gobind Singh rode his blue steed into Sach Khand. This is the kind of misunderstanding that can fill your mind when you literally interpret Gurbani.

Contemplation

2006-12-01T10:52:00.000-06:00

By Amar Prakash Singh

One of the first things that we learned in 3HO about Sikhi was that the Jap in Japji Sahib, was the only command in the Guru Granth and we Japped (Chanted) everything. But, was chanting what Jap was all about? Jap in this case is not even command but is the title of Jap Bani and means Medition. What is the meaning of meditation? Meditation can be defined as engaging in devout religious contemplation or transcendental spiritual introspection. I have come to the realization that the true meaning is contemplation. This becomes more apparent when you realize that Rahao is the only command and appears several thousand times in the Guru Granth.

What is Rahao? The Rahao line of a Shabad is the essence or meaning of the Shabad. What does Rahao mean? Loosely translated it means Pause but it means more than that. It means Pause and Contemplate the previous line. It is said that Sikhi is a meditative path but even more so, it is a Spiritual Path of Contemplation.

"God's name is the real pilgrimage place which consists of contemplation of the word of God, and the cultivation of inner knowledge. " Guru Nanak

The state of Contemplation of the Lord in His Praises, is the Highest state of Mind of Sehaj, the Essence of Worship, which takes man to Highest Eternal Wisdom, Joy and Eternal Truth" Guru Arjan

What is the first step in gaining the Highest "Eternal Wisdom, Joy and Eternal Truth?" Before you can begin to Contemplate you must first have meaning. Gurbani should be read and studied in the language that you understand. Phonetically reading Gurbani or reading a transliteration of Gurbani without meaning is an empty ritual and as Kabir would say, empty rituals are like churning water. No matter how long you churn, you will never get butter.

"Mistaking it for cream, the people are churning water. Pause" Bhagat Kabir

Thoughts on Christianity

2006-11-27T22:45:00.000-06:00

By Leo Tolstoy

Editor's note:

This essay by Leo Tolstoy is a critique of Christianity, "The Religion." With very little word modification it could be a critique of Sikhi, "The Religion," or a critique of any "Religion," even a critique of "Religion" in general.

I have included this essay by Tolstoy because there are many parallels between the developement of Christianity and Sikhi. It has been around 500 years since the time of Guru Nanak and it was at a similar time period that Christianity was wrestling with the same issues as Sikhi is facing today. Tolstoy was writing about some of the same issues that both religions faced and are facing: truth vs religion and the place of dogma.

Sikhi has one advantage over Christianty, in that there is the Guru Granth. Jesus never wrote anything down, so the only source of what Jesus said is the Gospels. This would be like Sikhi being totally based on the Sakhis.

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The true Christian teaching is very simple, clear, and obvious to all, as Jesus said. But it is simple and accessible only when man is freed from that falsehood in which we were all educated, and which is passed off upon us as God's truth.

Nothing needful can be poured into a vessel full of what is useless. We must first empty out what is useless. So it is with the acquirement of true Christian teaching. We must first understand that all the stories telling how God made the world six thousand years ago; how Adam sinned and the human race fell; and how the Son of God, a God born of a virgin, came on earth and redeemed mankind; and all the fables in the Old Testament and in the Gospels, and all the lives of the saints with their stories of miracles and relics, are nothing but a gross hash of superstitions and priestly frauds. Only to someone quite free from this deception can the clear and simple teaching of Jesus, which needs no explanation, be accessible and comprehensible. That teaching tells us nothing about the beginning, or about the end, of the world, or about God and His purpose, or in general about things which we cannot, and need not, know; but it speaks only of what man must do to save himself, that is, how best to live the life he has come into, in this world, from birth to death. For this purpose it is only necessary to treat others as we wish them to treat us. In that is all the Law and the prophets, as Jesus said. And to act that way, we need neither icons, nor relics, nor church services, nor priests, nor catechisms, nor governments, but on the contrary, we need perfect freedom from all that; for to treat others as we wish them to treat us is possible only when a man is free from the fables which the priests give out as the truth, and is not bound by promises to act as other people may order. Only such a man will be capable of fulfilling, not his own will nor that of other men, but the will of God.

The reader should understand that the belief that the Gospels are the inspired word of God is not only a profound error, but a very harmful deception. He should remember that Jesus himself did not write a book, nor did he transmit his teaching to learned or even to educated men, but spoke for the most part to illiterate people, and only long after his death were his life and teaching described.

The reader should also remember that a large number of such descriptions have been written, from which the church selected at first three, and later a fourth Gospel, that out of the great mass of literature about Jesus they accepted much that was inaccurate. and that there are nearly as many faulty passages in the canoncal Gospels as in the rejected writings. Nor does it follow, becauce the teaching ofJesus is inspired, that all the descriptions are inspired. He should remember that these official Gospels are the work of many human minds; that over the centuries they have been selected, enlarged, and commented upon; and that the most ancient copies which have come down to us are only from the fourth century. The reader must remember all this in order to disengage himself from the idea, so common among us, that the Gospels, in their present form, have come to us directly from the Holy Spirit. If he does so, he will admit that, far from it being blamable to disencumber the Gospels of useless passages, and to illuminate passages the one by the other, it is unreasonable not to do this and to consider every one of these verses sacred.

On the other hand, I pray my readers to understand that, if I do not consider the Gospels to be sacred books, coming directly from the Holy Spirit, even less do I regard them as mere monuments in the history of religious literature. I am conscious of both their theological and historical significance, but I do not consider either of these important. What I see in Christianity is not a divine revelation nor a mere historical phenomenon, but a teaching that gives us the true meaning of life.

When, at the age of fifty, I first began to study the Gospels seriously, I found in them the spirit that animates all who are truly alive. But along with the flow of that pure, life-giving water, I perceived much mire and slime mingled with it; and this had prevented me from seeing the true, pure water. I found that, along with the lofty teaching of Jesus, there are teachings bound up which are repugnant and contrary to it. I thus felt myself in the position of a man to whom a sack of garbage is given, who, after long struggle and wearisome labor, discovers among the garbage a number of infinitely precious pearls. This man knows that he is not blameworthy in his distaste for the dirt, and also that those who have gathered these pearls along with the rest of the sackful, and who thus have preserved them, are no more to blame than he is, but, on the contrary, deserve his love and respect.

When I perceived that only light enables men to live, I sought the source of this light. And I found it in the Gospels, despite the false teachings of the church. And when I reached this source of light, I was dazzled by its splendor, and I found in it answers to all my questions about life, answers which I recognized as being in complete harmony with all the known answers gained
among other nations, and, to my mind, surpassing all other answers. I sought a solution to the problem of life, not to a theological question. And that is why I did not care about knowing whether Jesus is God, or whom the Holy Spirit proceeds from, etc. For me, the only important concern was this light, which for eighteen hundred years has been shining upon mankind,
which has been shining upon me as well, and which shines upon me still. But to know, in addition to this, how I ought to name the source of this light, what elements compose it, and what kindled it, did not interest me in the least.

Up to the present time, some people, conceiving Jesus to be the second person of the Trinity, accept his teaching only as it accords with that pseudo-revelation of the Holy Spirit which they find in the Old Testament, the Epistles, the Edicts of the Councils, and the Patristic writings, and preach a strange creed founded on these, which they assert to be the teaching of Jesus. Other people, who do not believe that Jesus is God, understand his teaching by the interpretation of Paul and others. But even though they believe that he was a man, they would deprive him of the right every man may claim, of being answerable for his own words, and in trying to explain his teaching, they credit him with what he would never have dreamed of saying.

Halal or Not Halal: What is the Difference?

2006-11-04T13:59:00.000-06:00

By Amar Prakash Singh

I have always found the concept of Halal very mystifying. Recently there has been much comment about the subject, especially the controversy over comments made by Inder Singh Ghagga that stated that Guru Nanak may have eaten Halal. With this in mind, I wanted to really look at what Halal is and what the Gurus said about.

According to the Rehit, one of the transgressions of a Sikh is to not eat the meat of an animal slaughtered in the Muslim way.I believe that we have confused how an animal is killed and what Halal really is. It is a moot point that there is no humane way to kill an animal. If you believe that it is unacceptable to eat a chicken that has had its throat slit and bled to death but somehow find it acceptable to eat a chicken that has died by having an electrode shoved up its rectum and electrocuted, you are totally missing the point.

What really makes something Halal is not the method of killing but the fact that some ritual or prayer has somehow made the food sanctified or purified in order to make it acceptable and thus every thing else as unacceptable. There should not be any food that is acceptable or unacceptable to a Sikh because Sikhs have no such rituals.

With this said, I find that the group that is most upset about the comments about Guru Nanak eating Halal, the Akhand Kirtini Jatha, has a diet that is almost a text book example of the above definition of Halal.

Let's take a look at what the Gurus had to say about Halal.

"Let what is earned righteously be your blessed food." Guru Arjan page 1084

To Guru Arjan, the only thing that would make a food not blessed would be to earn it non righteously.

In fact, the aim of a Sikh is to become Halal and be purified by the knife in order to be “attached to the Lord.”

"First Mehl: The knife is Truth, and its steel is totally True. Its workmanship is incomparably beautiful. It is sharpened on the grindstone of the Shabad. It is placed in the scabbard of virtue. If the Shaykh is killed with that, then the blood of greed will spill out. One who is slaughtered in this ritualistic way, will be attached to the Lord. O Nanak, at the Lord's door, he is absorbed into His Blessed Vision. 2 "Guru Nanak page 956

The only thing that a Sikh should consider as Halal is a Liberated One.

"FIRST MEHL: The fools argue about flesh and meat, but they know nothing about meditation and spiritual wisdom. What is called meat, and what is called green vegetables? What leads to sin?" Guru Nanak page 1289

What I believe the Guru is saying is that food is food and it is foolish to argue about what we should eat. How can there be a sin committed when all we are doing is eating to survive. Then how can a sin be committed if the meat is Halal or not. It is in the mind of the individual if it is Halal or not. I choose to see nothing as Halal and I believe Guru Nanak would have also. I believe that if the food that was served to Guru Nanak was Halal, the food that he ate was not. Eating has nothing to do with spiritual attainment and neither is the manner that it is killed.

Later he writes:

“Those who renounce meat, and hold their noses when sitting near it, devour men at night. They practice hypocrisy, and make a show before other people, but they do not understand anything about meditation or spiritual wisdom. O Nanak, what can be said to the blind people? They cannot answer, or even understand what is said. They alone are blind, who act blindly. They have no eyes in their hearts. They are produced from the blood of their mothers and fathers, but they do not eat fish or meat.” Guru Nanak page 1289

Here the Guru is saying that vegetarians who look down their noses at people who eat meat are also fools. I remember a conversation I had with a woman from 3HO. I mentioned that someone who we both knew ate meat. Her reply was: 'Then how can he be an Amritdhari Sikh?' This is exactly what Guruji condemns in the above.

When I took Amrit, not eating meat was a part of the vows. I realize now that whether you eat meat or not, should not be a requirement of a group but the choice of the individual.

"Imagine ... No religion too,..."

2006-10-13T10:04:00.001-05:00

By Amar Prakash Singh

"Imagine ... No religion too, Imagine all the people living life in peace..." John Lennon wrote these words and concluded with: "You may say I'm a dreamer,..." Well, I don't have to imagine or be a dreamer to realize this because Guru Nanak gave us "no religion."

When Guru Nanak emerged from his Meditation, he was quoted as saying: 'There is no Hindu and there is no Muslim. Then who's path should I follow? I will follow the path of Truth.' Was he saying that Hinduism and Islam had ceased to be relevant religions and that he was going to start a new religion that would be a syncretism of both? No, he was saying that there was no religion and if he were alive today he would say: 'There is no Sikh.' His next utterance was Mool Mantar. We only have to look at the first line of Mool Mantar to understand what he was talking about. To really understand this, you have to look at what Ek Ong Kaar, Sat Nam means. Does it mean 'There is one God (Creator) and Truth is His Name?' Or does it just mean 'There is One Truth?' I believe that it is the second. Was there truth before Guru Nanak? Yes, that is what is meant by Aad Sachch. "The Truth was in the beginning." It's the Truth that we are after. Truth is our Sat Guru. It may be a trite statement but 'The Truth will set you free.'

I believe that Guru Nanak was taking all the attributes that people believe that God or Gods possess and distilled them down to one idea and that is the Truth. The Truth transcends all other concepts. It is not limited by preconceived notions of what God is. Western and especially British concepts of God and religion are very limiting but have come to define the way Sikhs approach the teachings of the Gurus.

Sikhs had the Truth and the Truth was passed on to the Adi Granth and later to the Guru Granth. One of the Truths that Guru Nanak taught was the uselessness of rules and rituals. What do golden temples, marble floors, chauri sahibs made with silver strands, jedhadars, singh sahibs, siri singh sahibs, have to do with the Truth. Absolutely Nothing!! Because he knew what would happen to the Truth if it was turned into a religion, he taught a Spiritual Path. A Spiritual Path that entailed attaining the Truth.
Guru Nanak understood that religion and spirituality were mutually exclusive. Being religious has nothing to do with being spiritual. Guru Nanak understood that religion and spirituality were mutually exclusive.

And just how do we attain this truth? Nam Simran is remembering and contemplating the Naam or the Truth. Chanting or meditating on a mantra such as WaheGuru is a dead end. You will never attain any understanding of the Truth by this method. Jap is the title of Jap Bani, which means a meditation. Meditation can be defined as engaging in devote religious contemplation or transcendental spiritual introspection. I have come to the realization that the true meaning of "Jap" is contemplation. This becomes more apparent when you realize that "Rahao" is the only command and appears several thousand times in the Guru Granth.

What is Rahao? The Rahao line of a Shabad is the essence or meaning of the Shabad. What does Rahao mean? Loosely translated it means Pause but it means more than that. It means Pause and Contemplate the previous line. It is said that Sikhi is a meditative religion but what it really is, is a Spiritual Path of Contemplation.

God's name, Truth, is the real pilgrimage place which consists of contemplation of the word of God, and the cultivation of inner knowledge. Guru Nanak

The state of Contemplation of the Lord in His Praises, is the Highest state of Mind of Sehaj, the Essence of Worship, which takes man to Highest Eternal Wisdom, Joy and Eternal Truth. Guru Arjan

Before you can begin to Contemplate you must first have meaning. Gurbani should be read and studied in the language that you understand. Phonetically reading Gurbani or reading a transliteration of Gurbani without meaning is an empty ritual and as Kabir would say, empty rituals are like churning water. No matter how long you churn, you will never get butter.

Mistaking it for cream, the people are churning water. Pause Bhagat Kabir

Through contemplation I have come to understand that everything in Sikhi is Transcendental, it's all in the mind, and what most people believe is grounded in Maya. Somewhere along the line, what was symbolic became real and what was real became symbolic. It's as if Sikhi has been hijacked by the people who most do not understand the Truth.

Aasaa, Fifth Mehl: They give you donations and worship you. You take from them, and then deny that they have given anything to you. That door, through which you must ultimately go, O Brahmin - at that door, you will come to regret and repent. 1 Such Brahmins shall drown, O Siblings of Destiny; they think of doing evil to the innocent. 1Pause Within them is greed, and they wander around like mad dogs. They slander others and carry loads of sin upon their heads. Intoxicated by Maya, they do not think of the Lord. Deluded by doubt, they wander off on many paths. 2 Outwardly, they wear various religious robes, but within, they are enveloped by poison. They instruct others, but do not understand themselves. Such Brahmins will never be emancipated. 3 O foolish Brahmin, reflect upon God. He watches and hears, and is always with you. Says Nanak, if this is your destiny, renounce your pride, and grasp the Guru's Feet. 48

Guru Arjan warned us about this many years ago but we have not heeded his warnings. The farther away we get from the Guru's teachings of the Truth, the more we will stray.

As Yosuf Al Islam (Cat Stevens,) a British convert, said: "I thank Allah that I met Islam before I met Muslims." I sometimes wish that I had met the Truth as taught by Guru Nanak before I met Sikhs. This is not to say that there are no Sikhs who understand the Truth, but that they are few and far between.

Letters to the Editor

2006-10-13T09:46:00.003-05:00

If you would like to comment on any article as a letter to the editor, please e-mail to amarprakashs@yahoo.com

Thank you

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Thanks for allowing me to think aloud. I loved your article about Halal meat. Very thought provoking indeed and gives another dimension of halal in a spiritual sense.
T. Singh

I am really impressed by the articles on this website. Wish similar articles were written on other sites and Sikhs could really understand what Sikhi is. I for one am still learning and will keep doing so.
G. Singh

Million thanks for the reiterated "TRUTH"...
G. Singh

Very well said. Blind faith makes people not see the light of pragmatism given to us by Guru Nanak.
T. Singh

I stumbled upon your website and was reallyfloored at the insightful articles about sikhism.
Dan O.

My all praises go to Mr Amar Parkash Singh for explaining the message ofGuru Nanak in its real perspective in his recent missive on this issue which is being misunderstood by many stalwart Sikh theologians under the influence of Vedantic philosophy.
D. Singh

I have to join ......Ji in his very valid appreciation of Amar Paraksh Singh jis excellent reply on Karm..yugs..sach khand etc etc used in Gurbani. I agree with Amar Parkash Singh ji 110%...
J. Singh

most if not all of your ideas are absolute rubbish
please read and read and read again Sri Adi and Dasam Granths if you wish to acquire any decent knowledge on the sanatan sikhi
A. Singh

Loved reading your magazine - i went there to find out
more about the 3ho cult an ex-friend of mine has been
sucked in to but stayed because i liked what you write
in general.
Ala

I am truly impressed by the articles published on this website. Really, it is a treasure for the learners.
G. Kaur

I have just read your first posting, "Break on Through to the Other Side". I appreciate your views. These will appear in the July-August 2007 issue of The Sikh Bulletin.
H. Singh

I have in fact become your fan, which I don’t become just like that.
J. Singh

I'd just like to say that you've done an incredible job on communicating the true essence of Sikhism. Many thanks!
Deep

I LOVE this guy..Amar Parkash Singh..and his Blog is my Favourite Bookmarked for weekly visit..MUST VISIT. He breathes FRESH AIR..into STALE discussions..debates..theories..ideas...

J. Singh