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Summary of Question:	Purpose Of Life..General
Category:	Gurbani
Date Posted:	Saturday, 1/08/2005 10:38 PM MST

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

I wanna congratulate you on your willingness to help answer questions coming from Sikhs worldwide. I am a student here in Dubai.. I am very confused to what is the purpose of life.. It cant be just study, earn money, marry, and die.. i just need some guidance.. as i am not able to read the guru granth sahib.. i assume that with your expertise into gurbani u could explain what an individual(either male or female) required to do during their life.. including soceity life..

Regards
rOmI

(REPLY) Sat Nam. Well, first of all, you CAN read the Siri Guru Granth Sahib -- in English. You can find it right here on SikhNet. The basic message it carries, and what all the Gurus taught, is that the purpose of life is to unite with God. We have forgotten that all things come from God and all things shall return to God, including us. The way to EXPERIENCE that God within us, is to chant God's Name. Meanwhile, our soul has chosen to incarnate in this particular physical form, at a precise time and place of birth giving us the opportunity to fulfill our Karmic debts, and to learn to be wonderful, kind, courageous, conscious human beings who study, make money, get married, etc! And, ideally, we make this a better world for our having lived and breathed here. But, we keep in mind that life on earth it is not a permanent situation, so we prepare ourselves everyday by meditating on God, knowing that some day when God takes back the PRANA (the life breath) that was given us at birth. People call that Death. But it's just the soul leaving the physical body. I wish you well. It's really quite simple, though many philosophers (especially Western philosophers) have made it complicated.) Read some Eastern philosophy books, and definitely read the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Actually, Guru Nanak taught just about everything we need to know about life in Japji Sahib, which was added to, to make the complete Shabd Guru. Again, read it in English, so you can clear up your confusion -- and remember and chant God's Name -- you'l be fine! Blessings, SP