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| Related Articles: Sikhism - Concept Of Man http://www.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/discussion.nsf/3d8d6eacce83bad8872564280070c2b3/d894a8cc83d430b08725674e0074ed78?OpenDocument Sikhism - Unity Of God and Man http://www.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/discussion.nsf/3d8d6eacce83bad8872564280070c2b3/a728390112dd08f787256754000976b9?OpenDocument Sikhism - An Ecosophical Religion http://www.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/discussion.nsf/3d8d6eacce83bad8872564280070c2b3/e7f22812075f3c478725673f0051a476?OpenDocument ****************************************************************** The Sikh Review The following paper was presented at the World Conference on Religion and Peace, at Princeton, 1979. ************************************** SCOPE OF HUMAN DIGNITY Professor Harbans Singh The human person, according to Sikhism, is divine in essence. Hence it is sacred and inviolable; hence it is entitled to honour and attention. Belief in an Absolute and Infinite Creator God is a fundamental postulate of the Sikh faith. God is the Creator, the ultimate ground of all that exists. From God emanated man. The man of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, is the creation of God, and he partakes of His own light. The "stainless soul" within the material body is a spark of the light, He is. In Sikh Scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib, the body has been likened to a temple to which God has bequeathed "the infinite light". The body is perishable but not the Divine spark within. "Within dwells the Immaculate", says the Guru Granth Sahib. This is the status of man according to Sikh metaphysical insights. In Guru Granth Sahib man has been called the epitome of creation. "All other creation is subject to man; man reigns supreme on this earth", runs a verse. Since man(and woman) is of Divine lineage, he(or she) essentially is good, not evil. Evil, according to Sikhism, is not something inbuilt in human situation, but arises out of man's ignorance of his divine origin, out of his "haumai" or egocentricity. This is what alienates him from Reality and clouds the Divine spark within him. This leads to spiritual blindness or nescience. But man can rend this veil. He can realize his real nature and merge back into the Light. This capacity of man to transcend his contingent state, i.e. "samsara", the sphere of temporality - the world of repeated becoming invests him with a further halo. The potentiality which human beings possess of becoming God-like is a quality of human dignity. Human birth itself is dignified. The Guru Granth Sahib places a positive value on it. It says that this human birth is the envy of the gods themselves. "The gods hanker after it. Human birth is but rarely attained. It is not repeated easily." Coursing through the cycle of becoming for aeons, one gains the human form. This human form confers unique advantages on man. It gives him the opportunity for good-doing, the opportunity to remember God and ultimately join with His Essence. How does man overcome his finite ego or self-love? Not by abandonment or austerities. Withdrawl and self-mortification are, in Sikhism, considered subversive of human dignity and, hence, rejected. What aids is man's devotion to God. In this sacred calling lies his dignity and his honour. Devotion to God and constant mindfulness of His attributes are, according to Sikhism, the true way of upholding one's real dignity. Man's greatness ("vadiai"), his honour ("pat"), his destiny ("gati"), and his wealth of gems ("ratan dhan") all proceed from and reach their climax in his love of and friendship with God. All moral and spiritual virtues spring from this sovereign act of devotion to God. This alone is the criterion of man's worth. High birth, great wealth, wide renown or physical prowess are no indications of one's dignity and honour. In this world, which in Sikhism, is posited as a reality being "the True One's Own mansion", man launches upon the rediscovery of his true self. This invests his sojourn in the world with authenticity and reality. That is why Sikh faith admits man's material happiness to be as important as his spiritual liberation. Sikhism does not reject man's secular and mundane concerns, but seeks to relate them to a higher spiritual and moral goal. The world is not to be shunned or belittled. This is man's privilege to live in it fully responsible to God and responsible to God's creation. Man is adjured in Sikhism, "not to retreat from the world, but to live in it, with his mind perfectly in control and his heart poised in love." This stress on active participation in life is an essential detail of the Sikh understanding of man. Renunciation amounts to the denial of the basic values of the human personality. Men are created equal. man is born free. Among his God-given rights, freedom takes precedence. The establishment of human freedom and its concomitant rights is a prerequisite for the affirmation of man's dignity and for ensuring the quality of life. All men are equal before God and they share the same nature. From this they derive their rights as well as their duties. In society man should be able to live without fear. And he should live without hatred and enmity. These are the conditions of living with dignity. The "Mul Mantra" or the root formula of Sikhism, which contains Guru Nanak's revelation of the character of God, says: "He is without fear; He is without enmity." Man must imitate the Father and become free from fear and hatred. In so doing lies his dignity. To live in fear, to have to bow to anyone is the negation of human worth. While preserving one's own dignity, one has to be sensitive to the dignity of others. The dignity of human society is as important, according to Sikh norms, as is the dignity of an individual. To quote again from the Guru Granth Sahib: "bhai kahu kau de nahi, nahi bhai manat an" (Hold none in thy fear, nor mayst thou own to the fear of anybody) "God resides in every heart. Try not to injure the feelings of anyone." The human personality must be shown respect. The rights which flow to it from its divine nature must be secured to it. The Sikh tradition overruled division among men on the grounds of birth, caste or country. "Know men by their worth. Do not ask their caste. There is no caste in the next world," said Guru Nanak. To exemplify this was created the institution of "langar" or community refectory where all sat to eat a common repast. Manual labour was elevated to a high theological level as "sewa" - self-giving service in the cause of humanity. Highest importance was attached to ethical conduct. Practical virtue was made an essential ingredient of piety. Orthopraxy (right-doing) was considered as important as orthodoxy (right-thinking). "Truth is higher than everything else," said Guru Nanak, "But higher by far is the living of truth." None was exempted from moral obligation. One was to respect others' rights as one guarded one's own. Two of the Ten founding Sikh Gurus laid down their lives to proclaim human freedom and dignity. The exercise of human dignity depends upon the conditions of freedom. The persistent opposition in Sikh thought to oppressive state structures and to employ ritualism is derived directly from recognition of their anti-human character. The scope of human dignity, in Sikhism, is co-existence with realization of the values of FREEDOM, EQUALITY and JUSTICE. ******************************************************************************** |
 | Sikhism - " Scope Of Huma... (Preet Mohan S Ahluwalia - 18.Jun.99) |
