Re: Heaven,Hell,Satan,God
The opening passage of the Sikkh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib, known as the 'Mool Mantra' is a description of God's 'attributes' or lack thereof:
"There is but one God. He is all that is.
He is the Creator of all things and He is all-pervasive.
He is without fear and without emnity.
He is timeless, unborn and self-existent.
He is the Enlightener
And can be realised by his grace alone.
He was ni the beginning; He was in all ages.
The True One is, was - O Nanak - and shall forever be."
Guru Granth Sahib
Japji, p.1
This is from where the rest of the text is spawned. The central concept is Sikkhism is "
Ek Onkar" ("God Is One, One Is All").
No discrete entities such as 'Satan' exist. God is not said to be a separate entity who 'watches over' the universe, but rather, he
is the universe. Think 'the Force' in
Star Wars and you'll get the idea :}{}{}:
In terms of 'salvation', Guru Nanak places a great emphasis on "
kirt karo" (i.e. "doing one's work/duty") above all else. Whist doing one's duties, it is important to remain humble by doing "
naam japo" (i.e. "remembering God"). An importance on "
gristi jivan" (i.e. "family life") and "
vandké shako" (i.e. "sharing one's earnings") is also very prominent. It's not really about 'savlation' in a spiritual blackmail sense, but 'salvation' in a sense that one lives a fulfilling and satisfying life.
The Ultimate Truth is said to be the realisation that All Is One and One Is All ("
Ek Onkar"), and that the Ultimate Living is to be a Virtuous Living.
The Virtuous Life is said to be threatened by the Five Thieves:
- Lust (C'ham)
- Anger (Kr'odh)
- Greed (Lob'H)
- Attachment (Mo'H)
- Pride (a'Hankar).
It is said that the Five Thieves can be fought with the Five Weapons:
- Contentment (Santokh)
- Charity (Dan)
- Kindness (Daya)
- Positive Attitude (Chardik Kala)
- Humility (Nimarta)
Despite current appearances, the true Sikkh holds no value in rituals and superstitions.
"Pilgrimages, penances, compassion and alms-giving
Bring little merit, the size of a sesame seed.
But he who hears and believes and loves the Name
Shall bathe and be made clean
In a place of pilgrimage within him."
Guru Granth Sahib
Japji, p.4
S/he believes that all men and women are created equal.
On women:
"Of woman are we born, of woman conceived, to woman engaged, to woman married.
Woman we befriend, by woman is the civilisation continued.
When woman dies, woman is sought for.
It is by woman that order is maintained.
Then why call her evil from whom great men are born?
From woman is woman born, And without woman none would exist.
The Eternal Lord is the only one - O Nanak - Who depends not on woman."
Guru Granth Sahib
Asa, p.473
On socio-religious differences:
"What makes you a Brahmin (Hindu priest caste)
And I merely a Sudra (Hindu untouchable)?
If blood flows in my vieins
Does milk flow through yours?"
Guru Granth Sahib
Rag Gauri, p.324
----
"Whom should I despise,
Since the one Lord made us all?"
Guru Granth Sahib
Var Sarang, p.1237
----
"There is no Hindu.
There is no Musalman (Muslim)."
Guru Granth Sahib
Rag Bhairon, p.1136
And those are the fundamental principles of Sikkhism in a nutshell.
There are some Sikkhs who think like this:
RICHARDS
Maurice, this kind of immoral behavior is exactly why I'm
buildng the Pastor Richards Salvation Statue. Noah hand an ark, Texans
had the Alamo, and I am building a highly fortified structure in my
image. Simple. This 50 story statue will be able to deflect alpha,
gamma, and beta radiation. The day is coming, and coming soon, when the
Artificial Suns will rain down to punish the degenerates of this city.
But you can save yourself. The Pastor Richards Salvation Statue will be
a completely self-sufficient community. We have canned food rations,
private living quarters, and enough supplies to survive happily the
predicted 40,000 years of nuclear winter. In phase 2, and with funding
from NASA, we will equip this massive statue with rockets. So when the
poopy hits the proverbial fan, we will load up the statue with all of
the people who saved themselves through generous donations, blast into
space, and colonize Saturn with a race of morally correct, affluent
people ruled by me.
BARRY
Hmm... Will there be naked people?
RICHARDS
No, turd brain! It's morally corrupt people like you we're
shielding ourselves from: Liberals, degenerates, the Welsh... They're
the ones responsible for the nightmare Vice City is today. The crime in
the streets, the parties, the children born out of wedlock to a future
of hopelessness. Anyone who does not agree with me is mentally sick,
and should be shot I'm afraid to say. We need to build a place to
escape these transgressions.
But you get wierdos in every walk of life
