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Q:
This idea of reincarnation is rejected from the 3 major religions. Once again was
Hinduism right? Then the 3 faiths God sent after it were contradicting it, then
Sikhism came and said no oops! Yep Hinduism was right, reincarnation is right.
More so, it was eliminated in the Books of God 3 times in succession! All the
scriptures tell of the Day of Judgment and the after-life. Why have Sikhs just
copied the Hindus?
A:
The Sikh concept of the after-life is much more descriptive than any other faith.
Here is a fundamental question that no other faith can answer, including Islam.
If a baby is born and screams one scream and then dies, what will happen to its
soul? What was the purpose of its existence? If we believe in one coming and one
going, then the birth of this baby makes no sense. It had no life to live and could
not do anything and so will it go to Heaven or somewhere else? And why did God give
this creature such a short life in which it could do nothing? No answer can be given
to this question by Islam.
On the other hand, Sikhism believes that everything is a result of karma. The
child's karma called for it to only live for that long and it will now be re-born
again after having lived that karma it had created. A human can only exit the web
of karma by meditating on Gurmat Naam and immersing the self into Akaal.
According to Sikhism, when a Human dies, jam doot or minions of death come and take
the soul to the court of Dharam Rai. This is a very painful journey in which the
soul of the manmukh (one without the Satguru) encounters much pain and hardship.
Once in the court of Dharam Rai, his account of deeds is read to him and he cannot
deny anything. He cries that he did not take advantage of human life and become one
with Akaal. He is then given his sentence. This can be a certain amount of time in
heaven or hell to receive the fruits of his deeds and then after that time, he is
sent back into the cycle of births and deaths. Heaven and Hell are not permanent
places. They are not where a Sikh wishes to go. They are simply transitory places
where one receives either pleasure or pain.
There are 5 Khands or realms: the first is Dharam Khand in which all souls must
appear to receive their account in the court of Dharam Rai. The next realm is
Giaan Khand in which reside countless gods and goddesses and angels and also beings
like Buddha and other prophets. After this realm is Sharam Khand. Sharam Khand is
now a level that cannot be understood by the human mind. In it, the mind and
intellect are re-shaped to see and understand new realities.
All the above mentioned places: heaven, hell, Dharam Khand, Gian Khand, Sharam Khand
are all transitory and will finish when Akaal finishes creation. Beyond these are
"true" realms. These are Karam Khand and Sach Khand. Karam Khand is for true
devotees of Akaal who have meditated on him and Sach Khand is where Gursikhs go who
have meditated on Gurmat Naam and become one with God. Here they are forever
immersed in bliss and unity with God and forever sing his praises.
Clearly then, this system is different than any other faith. It is not "borrowed"
from Hinduism.
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