How should we live? For a long time I felt as if the Gurus' answers to this question were a riddle or at least a paradox. In this chapter, I want to take you through the mental struggle that I had with their instructions. I also want to describe what looks to me like the best solution I found so far.
How should we live? The Guru’s answers range from the intensely spiritual, meditative and withdrawn to the incredibly practical, worldly and engaged.
Consider the following verses in which they recommend that we should meditate on the name and nature of the divine or the unfolding universe (this is what is meant by the word “Nam” which is often just translated as “Name”) as a recipe for peace and happiness:
“Meditate on the Name, worship the Name, and through the Name, you shall be absorbed in intuitive peace and poise.” (Guru Amar Das)
“Suffering has been dispelled, and true happiness has dawned, as we meditate on the Name of the Lord.” (Guru Arjan Dev)
This is not just a recipe for a quick meditation that restores peace and happiness. The Gurus prescribe meditation on the nature of the divine as an ongoing way of life, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, with every breath, waking or sleeping.
“O my mind, chant the Name with intuitive peace and poise. Twenty-four hours a day, meditate on the divine. Constantly sing the Glories of the Lord of the Universe.” (Guru Arjan Dev)
“Meditate on the Lord, with every breath and morsel of food.” (Guru Ram Das)
The Gurus also teach us that everything that we might call “the real world” is in fact illusion, trickery and deeply unreal (this unreal stuff is called “maya”). This applies to the material world, but also to the relationships we have with other people, and more immaterial things like power or reputation. We should not take these things too seriously, as they are fleeting and ultimately unlikely to last throughout our lives. Even if they do, they definitely won’t last beyond that. The divine name is in direct contrast to all of this impermanence. So, for example, the Gurus say “Your home, power and wealth will be of no use to you. Know that all your dear friends are fake. Only the Name of the Lord will go along with you... Even the greatest of the great worked and worked until they were exhausted. None of them ever accomplished the tasks of Maya. Any humble being who chants the Name of the Lord, will have all his hopes fulfilled.”
So, in the light of the impermanence of everything material, the mortality of everyone including friends and family, and the futility of human effort, we have only one anchor and that is the nature of the divine. Mediating on that restores a chance of happiness and peace in this world. (And also beauty - “Here and hereafter, your face shall be radiant and bright” as a result of chanting the teaching of the Guru.)
On the other hand, the Gurus are also clear that their followers should not be recluses living in the forests or monks or in any way apart from the world. The Gurus wanted their followers to lead a family life, be an active part of a household and if required be soldiers who defend their community against aggression and attempts to threaten their beliefs. Remember that they also wanted their followers to provide food for anyone who needed it through their communal kitchens. A picture emerges of individuals who are economically, politically and militarily active. Not just at the centre of their communities but changing the world!
But is it be possible to raise a family, play an active part in our community and if necessary defend it against physical threats if we are at the same time single-mindedly focussed on the spiritual reality beyond all that and not paying attention to the world its realities all around us. How can the gurus expect us to be a hundred percent spiritual / meditative and at the same time be global change agents, fully engaged in the political and economic context of our world?
It is possible that Guru Nanak, the first of the Sikh Gurus, founded a community in which exactly that was achieved. Its members got up early, spent time in meditation and chanting of hymns, ate their communal food, worked in the fields and got back together in the evening for further spiritual activity. Politically, it was revolutionary in its commitment to radical equality. All around it a caste system kept people segregated in accordance with caste. It was unthinkable that someone of a higher caste would even eat in the presence of someone of a lower caste, let alone sit down together and share the same food. Yet in Guru Nanak’s town of Kartarpur, members of all castes, men and women, people of Muslim and Hindu backgrounds ate, worked and prayed together.
Does that give us a hint on how to do it?
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How the Sikh Gurus Can Change Your Life, by Amrik Singh. In this self-published book, Amrik Singh discusses how the wisdom and philosophy of the Sikh Gurus can bring peace of mind, happiness and wealth to readers in the 21st century. Visit booksbyamrik for more information.