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Summary of Question:	Life
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Friday, 11/01/2002 7:10 PM MDT

i have some questions...

is our life planned out by waheguru?? i mean is our time of death already written out and planned or do we have power over this?

also does is the cycle of life and death work in sikhism? is it that if we screw up our life that we r going back to being all the other animals etc?
and is there a heaven and hell in sikhism?

thanks

(REPLY) Sat Nam. there's a thing called the Law of Karma, and that is what brought us into this human body. Guru Nanak mentions it in his writings. As you sow, so do you reap. It is also said that you are alloted a certain number of breaths for this lifetime, and when those are gone, so are you! That is, your soul leaves your physical body. Then it either returns easily to merge into the vast unlimited consciousness of Wahe Guru, or if you have not managed to remember God at the time of death (a habit it's good to acquire during life!) then you'll be coming back hopefully into another human form to try again to remember you are a Divine being temporarily living in a human form. It's rare that a person reincarnates back to an animal form, but I suppose it could happen if you REALLY screw up. I believe Heaven and Hell are states of mind, and you may go through some of either at the time of death when the Dharam Raj (King of Death) evaluates the deeds and intentions of your lifetime. For some people, Earth itself is hell! If you want the basic philosophy and a deepest understanding of the universe and your place in it, get a good translation of Japji Sahib and study it. don't just recite it (though that is recommended too) but realy try to understand it. Guru Nanak experienced God, and He tries to educate us about reality. Blessings, SP