Atma, Karma, & Shaping Destiny Lesson C. Ajmel Singh

Transcription

1 Atma, Karma, & Shaping Destiny Lesson C Ajmel Singh

2 Outline Definitions Parmatma (God- Supreme Soul) Atma (Soul) Other Key Words Being (of Creation) Structure Human Goal Karma Shaping Destiny God s Role Human Role

3 Definitions

4 Parmatma (Waheguru) Undefinable Mool Mantar: <, siq nwmu, krqw purku, inrbau, inrvyru, Akwl muriq, AjUnI, sybm, gur prswid ] (1) In the Mul Mantra Guru Nanak Dev ji described God: The Sole Supreme Being; Of Eternal manifestation; Creator; Immanent Reality; Without Fear; Without Rancor; Timeless Being; Un-incarnated; Self-Existent; With Guru s Grace ]

5 Parmatma (Waheguru) Undefinable Parmatma One of many other attribute to describe God Parmatma means Supreme Atma (Soul) All the souls emanated from The Supreme Soul just as the rays from the Sun kiqw pswau, eyko kvwau ] iqs qy hoey lk driawau ] (3) Awqm pswrw, krxhwrw, prb ibnw nhi jwxiay ] (846)

6 Atma (Soul) God is Eternal The soul of a living being is also eternal God is Timeless (Immortal) The soul is immortal Gurbani: ieksu qy hoiee Anµqw, nwnk, eyksu mwihn smwey jiau ](131) surj ikrix imly, jl kw jlu huaw, rwm ] joqi joiq rli, smpurnu QIAw, rwm ] (846) From One (God) the many emanate and finally into the One many submerge

7 Dhur Mahan Kosh Dur (Dhur): auh kli ijs aupr phiaw iprdw hy (Axis); mu~k AsQwn (Supreme Place); Bwr/boJ (Weight); ArMB/mu~F (Beginning); julw (Yoke); Dn (Wealth); prwx (Breath of life) Duir (Dhure): mu~f qon (From the Beginning); mu~k AsQwn qon (From the Supreme Place) ArMB/mu~F (Beginning); etc Durhu (Dhuron): Same as Duir above

8 Poorab Mahan Kosh purb (Purab): pihlw (Prior/Past); prqm (First); idsw (Direction- East) Prior indicates anytime before this instant- but when in the past, you cannot tell from this adjective alone. To determine that you must look at the context this word is used.

9 Universe The totality of all the things that exist whether in the form of phenomena, appearances, or as numen and reality The individual mind, the numerous forms of life, and inanimate matter are all Atma in different modes The final duality between the matter and the Atma is denied in Sikhism

10 Maya Everything we perceive with our senses is Maya As ignorance/nescience has no positive existence BUilE mnu, mwieaw aurjwiee ] jo jo krm kie, lwlc lig, iqh iqh Awpu bmdwiee ] 1 ] rhwau ] (12) Merely being the aspects of the self-limited involute Soul likewise, Maya has no positive existence eyksu qy, sbu dujw huaw ] (842) Merely a way of saying that the individual consciousness perceives the reality only in the form of partial knowledge which is so on the account of the process of involution

11 Being (of Creation)

12 Being s Structure Being = Body (Sthool) + Soul (Sookham) Body (Sthool): Made from five elements Air, Water, Fire, Earth, Sky (Space) The body is the temporary resting point of the process of creation It is from that further upward movement of soul toward merging with God begins Soul (Sookham): Jot, Mann, Surat, Matt, budh Totally Asleep (Dormant)- Stone Totally Awakened (Merged with God)- Gurmukh In Between (Varying degree)- Different Species and Humans

13 Human Being (Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji) The human being is the highest form of creation sgl join mih, qu isir DirAw ] (913) He (God) installed you above of all of the creatures God Blessed Human Beings with Imagination Higher Intelligence Higher Consciousness Freedom of choice

14 Human Being (Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji) The Guru says: BeI prwpiq mwnuk dyhuriaw ] goibmd imlx ki ieh qyri briaw ] (12) The human body is from where it is possible for one to realize God (merge with God) The Guru points out: Avir kwj qyry ikqy n kwm ] imlu swdsmgiq, Bju kyvl nwm ] 1 ] (12) The supreme duty of human is to make an all-out effort towards this divine goal The Guru further says: mn, qum joiq srupu hyn, Awpxw mulu pcwxu ] (441) O my mind, you are the embodiment of the Divine Light, recognize your own origin

15 Barrier? So what prevents us from achieving our human Goal? Our Own Karma Because of our ignorance, our Karma are driven by Maya

16 Karma Karma, in a sense, is auspicious fate, but not pre-destination Within the limits given, the Karma is inherited from the previous births as human being All human beings have freedom of choice The Karma in that sense is not fate because all the time we are making our own Karma by performing deeds of our own choice and thus determining the character of our further status and birth Our present limitations are traceable to our acts of autonomous choice in our past lives Karma is the source of rewards and punishments which we must enjoy and endure

17 Karma The Guru says Ignorant mind of mine, why blame God, for the good and the evil of this life is verily your own Karma jyhw bijy so luxy, krmw smdvw Kyqu ] (134) Whatever one sows, that is what he/she harvests, (this human being) is the field of done deeds ddy dosu n dyau iksy, dosu krmmw AwpixAw ] jo my kiaw so my pwieaw, dosu n dijy Avr jnw ] (433) Dadda: (O my mind!) I do not blame anyone else; blame rests with my own actions. Whatever I do are the fruits of my past (Poorab) Karma; I must not blame others

18 Free Choice Power The autonomous power of choice is the divinity in human beings It is the core around which the whole human personality is constructed It is the central core of human personality which is the heart of the individual consciousness Therefore, it is the source of all human misery, as well as the panacea of all one s ills which in essence leads to good Karma and union with God haumy dirg rogu hy, dwru BI iesu mwihn ] (466)

19 Gurmat Vichaar vyki vyki jmq aupwey ] duie pmdi duie rwh clwey ] (1032) God created the beings of different kinds. But there are only two types of travelers & God has created only two paths for them to follow gurmuik ijnw sbdu min vsy drgh mok duawru ] (1250) The Word of the Shabad abides in the mind of the Gurmukhs, who find the Gate of Salvation mnmuk dh idis ipir rhy Aiq iqsnw lob ivkwr ] mwieaw mohu n cukei mir jmmih vwro vwr ] (1418) The self-willed Manmukhs wander lost in the ten directions, led by intense desire, greed and corruption Their attachment to Maya does not cease; they die, only to be reborn, over and over again ey mn jysw syvih qysw hovih qyhy krm kmwie ] (755) O mind, as you serve, so do you become, and so are the deeds that you do ivxu siqgur syvy suku nhi mir jmmih vwro vwr ] ( 1248) Without serving the True Guru, no one finds peace; mortals die and are reborn, over and over again

20 Model (Two Paths) God Sadh Sangat (Gurmukh) Gurmat Jeev Atma (Mann) Manmat Kusangat (Manmukh) Transmigration

21 Model Freedom Of Choice (State is driven by on one s deeds) Idea Thought Action Habit (Repeated Actions) Nature General tendency is to follow the path destined by the past Karma & not exercising the God s given gift of freedom of choice

22 Model Freedom Of Choice (1 st Path) Idea Thought Action Habit (Repeated Actions) Nature Kusangat Manmat (Manmukh) Transmigration

23 Model Freedom Of Choice (2 nd Path) God (Gurmukh) Sadh Sangat Gurmat Idea Thought Action Habit (Repeated Actions) Nature

24 Model God Sadh Sangat (Gurmukh) Gurmat Idea Thought Action Habit (Repeated Actions) Nature Kusangat (Manmukh) Manmat Transmigration

25 Destiny The destiny is often defined as seemingly inevitable (AxhoxIAW) events which cannot be supported by Gurmat It is instead a necessary succession of events (hoxiaw) And those events happen in accordance with Will of God based upon our Karma Within limits a human being is free to shape his/her own destiny The individual character and circumstances are not accidental They are fruits of his /her past Karma (includes many previous births) Thus, are self-determined, results of free choices All human beings could now by free choice completely surrender self to the Guru Devoid self of Haumai And by strictly following the path prescribed by the Guru, achieve Muktee

26 Gurmat (Bottom-line) mn ki miq iqawghu hir jn eyhw bwq ktyni ] Anidnu hir hir nwmu idawvhu gur siqgur ki miq lyni ]3] (800) So renounce the clever intellect of your mind, O humble servants of the Lord, no matter how hard this may be. Night and day, meditate on the Naam, the Name of the Lord, Har, Har; accept the wisdom of the Guru, the True Guru ]3] gurmuik mnu jiqw haumy mwir ] gurmuik swcu rikaw aur Dwir ] (946) The Gurmukh conquers his/her mind by subduing his/her ego. The Gurmukh enshrines Truth in his/her heart. min jiqy jgu jiqu ] (pg 6) Conquer your own mind, and conquer the world

27 Summary This creation is a God s Play (Game) All Atmas (Souls) came from Parmatma (Waheguru- Supreme Soul) Humans are the supreme Beings in God s creation and have a freedom of choice to re-unite with God Karma not pre-destination Karma are based on one s deeds All human beings could now by free choice completely surrender self to the Guru- perform deeds dictated by the Guru One s deeds as Human being determine the outcome of his/her life A Gurmukh re-unites with God while living A Manmukh remains in the death-birth cycle (i.e., Transmigration) because of Haumai (Barrier)