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Summary of Question:	Does God Set Our Tasks On Earth?
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Wednesday, 2/20/2002 9:33 AM MST

Sat Sri Akal...

I have heard that god writes down everything we do on this earth before we are born...
If so.. then why do get punishments for what we do when we die...?
I have read our 5th guru's words..
The sinner will have to go through a narrow lane with blade sharp edges..
You can't go back and you can't go forward...
This has confused me...

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REPLY
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Sat Siri Akaal. Our destiny is written on our foreheads. The life one lives now is a reflection of many of your past lives. TO understand Guru's words you must understand the basics of the laws of karma.

It is God's hukum that 'as we sow, so we reap ("aapay beej, aapay hee kao" in Japji). The lessons Guru wants us to learn now may have been lessons we have been working on for lifetimes. All the 'bad' things (or good things too) that happen to us involve some action that we committed in this or in a prior lifetime. Simply put, 'bad' things represent payment of karmic debt, and how we act/react to these things can end that karm for us or continue it (in which case it gets harder). The same is true for the 'good' things. Since Guru wants us to clear our account, we cannot, as individuals, TRULY judge something as good or bad that happens to us or others, though on the face of it we always think to ourselves that something is good or not.

5th Guru's quote that you give is about this -- what I just said. The one who ignores the laws of karma (as you sow, so do you reap) and builds up more and more heavy karma, canNOT get out of his/her karma except through sincere meditation on the Naam. The more heavy karma one builds up, the less room for movement, so to speak. I am certain the rest of the shabad you are quoting from above is says that meditation on the Naam clears the karmic account because the Creator's mercy can cause one's karma to be eased or written off. If one dies with a lot of heavy or bad karma, so to speak, they are guaranteed a lifetime back in physical form and a difficult one at that.

Guru ang sang,
-DKK