UNIVERSALITY OF THE SIKH PHILOSOPHY: AN ANALYSIS

UNIVERSALITY OF THE SIKH PHILOSOPHY: AN ANALYSIS 

Dr Sukhraj S. Dhillon, PhD Mountain House, CA 95391, USA 

 Not only the western world, but most of younger generation, in this modern era of science and technology, believes secular humanism as a spiritual and healing force, and religion as a possessive and destructive force. With spirituality they find no rules related to God's love and God's ability to sustain us. With religion they feel possessed by rituals and guilt the religion imposes. Right interpretation of gurbani provided in our eternal guru "Sri Guru Granth Sahib" (SGGS) can provide us new realities which are more spiritual and more logical than mere blind faith and rituals. The true guru in sikh faith is one who unites all the people of various faiths together (Nanak satgur aessaa jaaniay jo subsae laey milaaye jio.. SGGS, p 72; meaning: O Nanak, know him as the true guru, who unites all with the Lord). If the founding Guru Nanak was born in the west, Sikhism would have been the world religion in this age of Science and Technology. With all the claims and its compelling moral appeal, the fact is: Sikhism has yet to be perceived as a universal religion. What we really need, in this time and age, is to promote and practice Universal Philosophy of Sikhism in Gurbani. *********************************************************************** 

  The religions of the world fall in two categories: Prayer-oriented religions and ritualist meditation-oriented religions. Christianity, Mohammedans, Hindus, Sikhs and other popular religions of the world are prayer-oriented. To pray, we need some higher power to which we can pray. That higher power is God known by different names. The meditation-oriented religions are Buddhism, Taoism, and Jainism. These are not prayer-oriented since there is no direct use of God as in other religions. Whether, through meditation or prayer to God, (or varied individual beliefs) the real aim of a religion is spirituality-- which is the realization of spirit that exists in each and every person. That is what is the realization of God, the connection between atma (individual soul) and parmatma (supreme/god), the realization of ultimate truth. 

 Gurbani (which is extension of Guru Nanak’s Japuji) directs us towards ultimate reality, towards ultimate truth. To be able to reflect reality is to know God. God is just another name for reality - another name for ultimate truth being there forever (aad sach jugad sach hai bhi sach Nanak hosi bhi sach.. SGGS, Jap 1, p 1; meaning: ultimate truth or God was there when there was nothing; was there in the past before all ages began; is there in the present, O Nanak; and will be there in the future forever). And a man is really sane when he knows the truth because in the realm of truth, the formless Lord abides (sach khand vasae nirankar.. SGGS, Jap 37, p 8; meaning: in the realm of truth, the formless Lord abides).  

Truth brings liberation, truth brings sanity. Truth brings intelligence, Truth brings innocence. Truth brings bliss, Truth brings celebration. “Science, Religion and Spirituality” by Dr. S. Dhillon  

HOW DO WE REALIZE THE TRUTH? 

 In Jap, Guru Nanak raised the same question "Kiv sachiara hoviai kiv kurai tutae pal (SGGS, Jap 1, p 1; meaning: How to become truthful; and how can the veil of illusion be torn away?)." 

 His answer "hukm rajai chalna, Nanak likhia naal (SGGS, Jap 1, p 1; that is walk in the way of His Will)." 

 Accepting the "Will of God" was the basic philosophy of religious prophets. Nanak called "Hukm" to His will. Taoism called "non-interference", Zen called "let-go", Christianity called "surrendering to the will of God." 

 Not only the religious acceptance, but accepting the laws of nature is also accepting the "Will of God." Nature functions in perfect order. We have seasons because of order; we have day and night because of order. Planets revolve around the sun because of order. The galaxies and solar systems are balanced in space because of order. Protons and electrons are balanced in an atom because of order. Photosynthesis in plants and plankton in the ocean produce oxygen that we breathe, because of order. The grass grows; the trees flower because of order. Our heart beats; our food digests and produces energy-- all because of order, because of law, because of organization that exists in nature. (No scientist can deny this organization, because according to the law of entropy things deteriorate: as for example car in junk yard will rust rather than the other way around.) And acceptance of the laws of nature is acceptance of "Will of God/The Divine Will." 

 Accepting the "Will of God" or Understanding the ‘Divine’ (The knowledge of the "Divine Will") means the destruction of the ego - whether it is the racial ego, the religious ego, the spiritual ego, or the individual ego: "Nanak hukme je bujhe ta haumai kahi na koe.. (SGGS, Jap 2, p 1; meaning: O Nanak, one who understands ‘Divine Will,’ is freed from ego.) 

 The racial and religious ego, which is the root cause of religious wars, is far more dangerous than the individual ego. But the individual ego is the building block for any kind of ego. The iron curtain of individual ego separates us from each other and from understanding God. 

 Absence of ego means that we all are actually the one humanity or one spirit or one universal mind regardless of our color, caste, creed, and sex. 

"An Enlightened person sees not only himself in the world, but the whole world in himself." “Science, Religion and Spirituality” by Dr. S. Dhillon 

 A universal mind or one mind or one God of which we are part of is universal energy, because "the universe is all energy and the energy is all universe." Albert Einstein discovered: the energy can convert into matter and matter can convert into energy but the total energy stays the same. The basic units: atoms and subatomic particles-- that form molecules, and cells, and tissues, and organs, and individuals, are our common origin. The atoms and subatomic charged particles do not grow old and are ageless and timeless. The atoms in a child or a seedling are no younger than that of a wrinkled person or a yellowing leaf. It's only when we look at life in a specific form, we fall victims to our separation from rest of things. That separation is called the ego. The ego is a false self that we made up to compete with God based on the thought that we're separate. That iron curtain of selfish ego separates us from Universal Spirit or God. Once we accept the God within and realize that it's not possible to be separate from God and that we are one with God, and then we know that we are love and we are peace and we are joy and we are happiness and we are eternal. 

 In everyday living, just as a sunbeam can't separate itself from the sun, and a wave can't separate itself from the ocean, we can't separate one mind from another. We have characteristics of our own like Individual waves that can be high or low, aggressive or passive but part of the same ocean. Similarly, we can look at us like the spokes on a wheel, all radiating out from the same center. If we define ourselves according to our position on the rim, we seem separate and distinct from one another. But if we define ourselves according to the center of the wheel, we're a shared identity with the same mind. Our grades, credentials, jobs, cars, and homes are like a spoke at the rim, a sunbeam, and a wave-- all with characteristics of their own but a part of the same source-- the wheel, the sun and the ocean. We are all part of one indivisible divine mind or the universal mind or Universal Energy or God. Our individual mind or soul (atma) is divine image of supreme (or Parmatma), but we have to recognize it (mun tu jot saroop hai, apna mool pashaan...SGGS, p 441; meaning: O’my soul you’re the image of Divine light; so know your source). And the same mind or one mind, is the same as one God (Ek Onkar). 

 In addition to recognition of the Universal Mind, the Universal Spirit or the Universal Energy, the universal message in Nanakian Philosophy contains two words: compassion (daya) and contentment (santokh). The righteousness is born out of compassion and contentment upholds the order of nature (Dhaul dharam daya ka poot; santokh thap rakhiya jin soot.. SGGS, Jap 16, p3). The implication is that "Be compassionate to others; and be content within yourself." 

 The two words, compassion (daya) and contentment (santokh) combines the philosophy of whole world: Christianity in the west and all the eastern religions. ( Details in Dr. S.S. Dhillon, "Universal Nature of Sikhism and Endorsement of Sikh Definition" The Sikh Bulletin, Volume 4, Number 12, Dec 2002). 

 Here’s is another good example of Universal Nature of Nanakian Philosophy: 

 Some one asked the Late noble laureate Rabindera Nath Tagor: "you have written national anthem for India. Can you write international anthem for the whole world?" "It’s already written not only for international but for the entire universe in 15th century by Nanak," replied Tagor. He rightfully referred to aarti (ceremony of light). What can be more universal than aarti authored by Guru Nanak, which is beyond boundaries of any religion or any country? He is recognizing: "God created humanity; God created universe including earth. (gagan mai thaal rav chand deepak banay taarikaa mandal janak moti; meaning: Upon that cosmic plate of the sky, the sun and the moon are the lamps. The stars and their orbs are the studded pearls. Dhoop mal-aanlo pavan chavro karay sagal banraa-ay foolant joti; meaning: The fragrance of sandalwood in the air is the temple incense (dhoop), and the wind is the fan. All the plants of the world are the altar flowers in offering to You, O Luminous Lord. kaisee aarti ho-ay; bhav khandnaa tayree aarti; meaning: What a beautiful Aarti, lamp-lit worship service this is! O Destroyer of Fear, this is Your Ceremony of Light. SGGS, Page: 13, Line:1- 3, Author: Guru Nanak Dev) 

"God created humanity, we created religions! God created earth, we created boundaries!! In the name of our creations, we continue to destroy His creations!"  “Science, Religion and Spirituality” by Dr. S. Dhillon 

 If we could practice this universal message (of dya or compassion and santokh or contentment, and natures universal aarti beyond the confines of any religion or country), not only we control the ego that creates enemies and wars, but imagine the satisfaction and happiness it would bring. 

 The possibility of experiencing unity has tremendous implications in life, because when there is harmonious interaction between us and our extended body, we feel joyful, healthy, and youthful. "Fear is born of separation." The transformation from separation to unity, from conflict to peace, is the goal of all spiritual traditions. 

 Once we recognize our Universal nature then: we have no one to fear from (nirbhau) and no feelings of enmity (nirvair) towards others (nirbhau, nirvair.. SGGS, p 1). The fear and enmity are the products of others. The word other separates us from universal mind or universal love. (Guru Arjan’s beautiful gurbani says: bisar gaaee sabh taat paraee; jab te sadhSangat mohi paaee. Naa ko bairee nahee bigaana sagal sang hum ko ban aaee. SGGS, p. 1299; literally means since I have found universal love, there are no more enemies and strangers. And Guru Ram Das says: mai oopar nadar karee pir saachai mai chhodi-arhaa mayraa tayraa. SGGS, p.561; I tender my gratitude to the Eternal Wisdom that granted me the gift of inner understanding towards abandoning every distinction between mine and others.) 

The true guru in Sikh faith is one who unites all the people of various faiths together (Nanak satgur aessaa jaaniay jo subsae laey milaaye jio...SGGS, p 72; meaning: O Nanak, know him as the true guru, who unites all with the Lord). 

 Guru Nanak has given us the universal, the modern, the scientific philosophy that we Sikhs have in gurbani. He was guru and pir for Hindus and Muslims (Nanak shah faqir; hindu ka guru, musalmaan ka pir), but now be father for Christians. At a seminar conducted at Simla, by the Panjab Historical Society Lahore in early 1900, the lieutenant governor of Punjab, who was presiding over the seminar said, " according to what had been told by the speaker, Guru Nanak was a great Christian." If he was born in the west, Sikhism would have been the world religion in this age of Science and Technology. 

 Sikhism is conceptually a universal religion with none of the problems like creation vs evolution, or immaculate conception, or the only son of God or last prophet, or worshiping stones or priestly class. In fact, gurbani explains that there is no such thing as immaculate conception (Jaise maat pita binu baalu na hoee.. SGGS, p 872; meaning: without a mother and father there is no child), or rising from the dead-- resurrection (Kabir maanis janam dulambh hai, hoi na barai baar.. SGGS, p 1366; meaning: Kabir, precious human existence, does not just come over and over again). 

 Our collective survival lies in recognizing new realities about religion, and its positive relationship to science and spirituality. We must recognize the path of secular humanism, based upon the principles of logic and reason. Right interpretation of Nanak’s philosophy can provide us new realities. This alone offers the hope of providing everybody on this globe with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

Courtesy: “Science, Religion & Spirituality”

Science, Religion, and Spirituality: In Search of God

Science, Religion, and Spirituality: In Search of God 

 Dr. Sukhraj S. Dhillon Mountain House, CA 95391, USA 

 Science and religion have traditionally been treated like oil and water--they don’t mix. They don’t mix because we have been led to believe that religion is a form of subjective fundamental belief whereas science is objective verifiable phenomenon. In this article, I have developed a formula to mix science and religion and to explain that the concept of God has practical value only if we accept it as part of us. A scientist may find difficult to believe that some wise old man or woman sitting up in heaven is keeping track of everything, but can’t deny the incredible awareness and intelligence that exists in life, in nature, and in us. It’s being a scientist that makes us spiritual. 

 The questions about God, hell, heaven, and rebirth, and their relationship to realization, enlightenment, and spirituality, have occupied our mind for centuries in one form or another: What is God? Does He/She really exist? Why do we search for God? Do religions really believe in the same God? Why are there religious wars? Is there really a place such as heaven or hell? What was our past life? What will be our future life? Is there really such a thing as past life or future life? 

 Religions and prophets have been preaching about God, hell, and heaven for centuries, and millions of people have cultivated belief in these phenomena. The revolution of science and technology in this century has forced many of us to reevaluate the doctrines and tenets of our faith. Should we believe in creation or should we believe in evolution? Should we believe in heaven and God's court of justice when we look up in the sky, or should we believe in the space, the planets, and the galaxies up there? I hope this article provides a fresh insight into the mysteries about God, hell, heaven, and rebirth--and leave us wiser, peaceful, and enlightened.  

What is God? 

 The philosophy of religion or the institute of God is the human's greatest discovery. God is not a physical object. It is a state of mind. God is the Electromagnetic pulse of energy that gives life and lives within all. What we call our conscious/soul is part of God within us. That is why great prophets and religious scriptures say God is everywhere (omnipresent). Whenever, wherever, our mind is with us, God is there; and the saying goes “God resides in our hearts- -not in temples, mosques, or churches. Bernie Siegel (author of Love, Medicine & Miracles) says same thing, “God resides in each of us.” In other words, God is a spirit that exists in every person. The rich, the poor, the king, the subject, the religious, the atheist, the sinner, the sage, the Easterner, the Westerner, the Christian, the Jew, the Hindu, the Muslim, the Sikh, the Buddhist, and on and on.... This is consistent with what the Christians preach: “We are ideas of God!” And ideas come from--the divine mind. Only people (Homo sapiens) among the animal species are fortunate enough to have a powerful mind and experience the presence of spirit in their mind. The recognition of that spirit is what gives us spiritual living or realization of God. Completely illuminated human beings know that God is present in the deepest and most central part of their own soul. God is not outside the world. God is the world. So, philosophically, God is a State of Mind; OR It’s our mind, which is God! OR God is a spirit that exists in each one of us! (lf you're confused, don’t worry! Read on!!)  

“God is not outside the world. God is within us. Live a Holy, Healthy, Happy Life.” 

 Religion-spirituality and science can come together. God is scientific. God is light. God is darkness. God is intelligent, loving energy. God is nature. God is in us. God is psychoneuroimmunology when we witness miracles of healing. God is all. Some of us may distinguish between religion and spirituality; religion may be a possessive and destructive force that doesn’t allow expansion of mind, whereas spirituality is a healing force with no rules attached to God’s love or God’s ability to sustain us. We should remember the real purpose of a religion is spirituality; and we should try to stay away from names and definitions. God, for example, is one of the many names of the same divine force or energy. 

 For those who feel comfortable with the word God or Creator, it’s a divine word! It brings peace of mind. With prayer, we speak to God. With miracles, God responds. Science now explains miracles of healing through the mind-body relationship. With prayer we awaken the spirit in our mind, and the transformed-spiritual mind causes hormonal and other chemical changes that eventually may result in healing. As such, God or Creator is not a separate entity, it’s part of us- -present right in our mind all the time. God is within us every moment, in every circumstance. He/She is to our left and to our right, before us and behind us, above us and beneath us. God watches every act--criminal or noble--and every moment, whether we’re alone or in a crowd. We cannot deceive God (our own mind) by thinking nobody is watching us. 

 What about our belief in God's form of existence or court of justice? Nobody could describe the physical or descriptive existence of God in the past, nobody can describe it now in the present, and nobody is likely to describe it in the future. For an atheist there is no God because physical existence cannot be proven. And that is why discussion on existence or nonexistence of God never gets anywhere. God's existence cannot be proved or disproved. God is not a body like us sitting somewhere in the sky. We have launched rockets into the space, we have built space-station, we have analyzed moon rocks, we have taken close-up pictures of the planets--we don’t find even primitive life form, never mind finding God in the sky. Science may not find God in the sky who keeps track of everything, but the incredible awareness and intelligence that exists in life, in nature, and in us on this Earth is a form of God's scientific existence. 

 It’s impossible to see God, because He/She is an integral part of our mind. Since we are God, we obviously can’t see God, just as, for instance, an eye cannot see itself and an ear cannot hear itself. And Zenrin puts in simply, “Like a sword that cuts, but cannot cut itself; like an eye that sees, but cannot see itself.” Our soul and God are one. The individual soul (atma) is part of universal or original or supreme or perfect soul called Parmatma (name of God in eastern scriptures). The attempt to bring the soul and God together merely perpetuates the illusion that the two are separate. It’s not so, and we’re already It. To know God is to be God; the two are not at all separate, points out the Hindu scripture Upanishad. If God and we were two separate entities, then we could see, hold, and go around Him/Her in a ceremonial worship! However, in various religions we find unique ways to worship God. Practitioners use symbols of godhead varying from images to holy books and even imaginary pictures. 

 The great prophets, Christ, Mohammed, Nanak, Buddha, Krishna, and Mahavir, all provided avenues to the realization of God or to awaken the spirit that exists in our minds. These paths are different, but the destination or message is similar. More importantly, there is one common element; they all focus on something that exists in our minds and strive for a realization or spiritual awakening that forms the basis for a changed or spiritual state of mind. 

 If God is a state of mind with awakened spirit, what is that state of mind‘! 

 That state of mind is without fear, without enmity, immortal without the fear of death or birth, complete within itself--timeless, ageless, and form- less (Akaal Moorat). We know that only the physical body ages, spirit is not affected by time or age or birth or death. A few blessed ones realize that state of mind (Nirbhau, Nirvair, Akaal Moorat, Ajooni, Saebhang, Gur Parsad Mul-Mantra or Basic Principle, Japuji). Nanak, Mohammad, Christ, Buddha, Mahavir, and other great prophets attained such a state of mind. They were able to awaken the spirit that existed in their minds. They realized the presence of spirit (God). In other words, they found God. 

 It is that state of mind with awakened spirit which Rajnish called orgasmic, saints call peaceful, psychiatrists call tranquil, and drug addicts call getting high. " 

 Many spiritual masters have called this enlightened state of mind by different names. Buddha called it “the enlightened one.” Christ and Messiah also meant the same. St. Paul called it “the peace of God that passeth understanding” and Richard Maurice Bucke named it "Cosmic Consciousness.” Guru Nanak described as “realization of ultimate truth.” In Zen it is satori, in yoga it is samadhi or moksha, in Sufism it is fana, in Taoism it is wu or the Ultimate Tao. Gurdjieff labeled it “objective consciousness”; Sri Aurobindo refers to it as “illumination,” “liberation,” and “self-realization.” Dante said, “trans-humanization into a God.” Likewise, enlightenment has been symbolized by many images; the thousand-petaled lotus of Hinduism, the Holy Grail of Christianity, the clear mirror of Buddhism, Judaism’s Star of David, the yin-yang circle of Taoism, the mountain top, the swan, the still lake, the mystic rose, and the eternal flame. 

 How an individual describes the enlightened state of mind may seem quite different and even opposed. As one and the same pain may be described either as a hot pang or a cold sting, so the descriptions of the enlightened experience may take forms that seem so different. One person may say that he/she has found the answer to the whole mystery of life, but somehow cannot put it into words. Others will feel that they have experienced, not a transcendent God, but their own inmost nature. Some will get the sense that their egos or selves have expanded to become the entire universe, whereas others will feel that they have lost themselves altogether and that what they called their egos were never anything but abstractions. Some will describe themselves as infinitely enriched, while others will say they haven't a care in the world. A theist may call it a glimpse of the presence of God. 

 Irrespective of that experience, we can call this state of mind with awakened spirit “the spiritual state of mind.” In everyday living, spiritualism is experienced as kindness, forgiving, mercy, compassion, peace, joy, acceptance, non-judgment, joining, intimacy, and an absence of need to dominate others. Spiritual beings focus on authentic personal empowerment, utilize multidimensional thinking, and believe loving guidance is available. They feel connected to all of humanity and practice a life without desire to control someone or to prove that they are right and the other person is wrong. They know a dimension beyond cause and effect. They are motivated by morality, serenity, and quality of life. They recognize a violent response to evil as participating in evil and focus on what they stand for. They feel a sense of responsibility and belonging to the universe. They have a tendency to extend love and help others rather than feel enmity and competition. Their minds are not controlled by anger, fear, lust, greed, attachment, false ego, or envy. Their existence is not affected by time and age. They are not afraid of getting old or of dying young. They see no sin in the world to escape from. 

 Nonspiritual people, on the other hand, are in a state of fear and experience anger, abuse, pain, greed, addiction, selfishness, obsession, corruption, and violence. They hold grudges and seek revenge for perceived wrongdoing. They are only motivated by achievement, performance and acquisitions. They feel separate from all others.  

Why is there a spiritual need to search for God?  

“Possession of material riches, without inner peace, is like dying of thirst while bathing in a lake.” --Paramhansa Yogananda 

 To satisfy the sense may be the major challenge for some of us, but it is actually the easiest part. The mind and spirit require continual attention and stimulation. It is not until we assume responsibility for the enhancement of the total self that we can live full lives. 

  For the sake of simplicity, let's divide human life into three levels of existence. All three levels, we may point out, are a normal part of the human life cycle. lt’s how we handle these levels that create hell or heaven in our lives. 

 1. The first level of our existence as a highly evolved animal leads us to search for sensual pleasures such as lust, drinking, smoking, drugs and anything that satisfies or pleases the senses. Many people may spend their entire life right at this level. 

2. The second level of our existence as we advance leads us to think more like humans since we live as a civilized society. That is to have a well-paying and respectable job, a good house, an expensive car, and other materialistic desires. All this is a normal character of ego which requires strength, strategy, and effort to achieve material possessions. Most of us spend our life rising only to second level. 

3. The third or highest level of our existence demands something more than the first level of sensual pleasures and the second level of materialistic living. It provides an extra touch to the first and second levels! That third level is spiritual living or enlightenment, which we can call the ultimate achievement in human existence. It is because of this desire that we find well educated, highly intelligent, extremely successful, wealthy people looking for a spiritual leader or guru. These are the people who desperately follow those who can provide some insight into spiritual philosophy, whether it is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi or Bhagwan Rajnish or Swami Prabhupada--author of English version of Bhagvad Geeta and founder of International Society of Krishna Consciousness in the western world, which provided the seed of Hare Krishna movement. 

 Most often the spiritual gurus are from the east since the western society is very big on action and there is no guidance for spiritual advancement. Owing to this spiritual need or void, 2500 or more cults exist in the U.S. alone. Cult leaders come from both east and west. Cult leader Jim Jones poisoned hundreds of his followers in the 1980s and David Koresh lead 86 people to burn themselves to death at Waco, Texas in 1993. Luc Jouret led over 50 members to forced death in Canada and Switzerland in October 1994. In March 1997, 39 followers of Heaven's Gate died in a mass suicide in Rancho Santa Fe, California near San Diego. It’s the understanding of spirit in our own mind that can save us from cult incidences. 

  “To seek spiritual power, there is no need to seek it through any occult hierarchy, any guru, any doctrine,” says J. Krishnamurti. “The important thing is to free our mind of envy, hate, and violence; and for that we don’t need an organization.” He calls people to examine their own hearts and minds to see the egotism and self-ignorance at the root of all sufferings and troubles; that is precisely what prevents enlightenment and spiritual power. 

 The spiritual power doesn’t come from the same sources that feed our ego. Ego power is an important part of society in the worldly sense. It requires strength, strategy, and efforts to achieve things that have a social value. We like a well-paying respectable job regardless of whether we're good at it, and it’s because of ego power we often are attracted to other material possessions. 

 Our efforts to achieve ego power, however, don’t necessarily empower the spirit or soul. The spiritual power comes from living close to the heart. It comes from unexpected sources such as failure, sickness, and loss. For example, when we endure through loss of job or illness, we find inner strength that strengthens our spirit. Spiritual or soul power also comes from being ourselves doing what we’re good at. Inherent qualities such as intelligence, attractive appearance, and even powerful voice provide soul power. Spiritual power comes from doing something for community or country. Although we may not see a benefit in the worldly sense, it nurtures the spirit and feeds the soul. When we fail to nurture our soul, we fail to live in peace with ourselves in the face of illness, loss of job or loss of loved one. It was perhaps the spiritual power, more than her wealth or recognition that provided Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis the strength to live through life-crises up to the last minute of her life-- May 19, 1994. It is for those successful, intelligent people who are looking for a spiritual power this article, I hope, will play a significant role. And please remember, a life lived in a spiritual state of mind or enlightenment is an everyday life with an extra dimension.  

How about hell, heaven, and rebirth? 

It’s our mind that creates hell!!  It’s our mind that creates heaven!!! 

 And it’s the liberation of our mind or soul/conscious which is part of God in us, from the fear of death or other miseries of the world that is liberation from birth and death cycle. Buddhism calls it Nirvana. 

 Does hell or heaven exist as a particular place? No one has seen! But a person is in heaven if he/she is in spiritual state of mind; and is in hell if he/she loses control of mind. And our personality is the reflection of our state of mind. If our state of mind is saintly, we are a saint; if our state of mind is love, we are lovable; if our state of mind is complete, we are complete; if our state of mind is intelligent, we are intelligent; if our state of mind is unlimited, we are unlimited; if our state of mind is hope, we are hopeful; if our state of mind is honest, we are honest. On the other hand, if our state of mind is devilish, we’re devils; if our state of mind is evil, we become evil person. When, for example, we lose our control of mind to drugs--we’re opening the door to hell. 

 Satan or evil is nothing but a counterpart of goodness. We know heat exists, but its counterpart cold doesn’t exist. Cold is merely the deficiency or lack of heat. Similarly, light exists, but its counterpart darkness doesn’t exist. Darkness is merely the deficiency of absence of light. Same is true for evil--evil doesn’t exist, but its counterpart goodness exists. It is simply the deficiency or absence of goodness that we have named evil. And evil is what leads us to the door of hell. Evil mind is the mind out of control. It’s like the fire, which is our servant for cooking and keeps us warm, but becomes evil when it gets out of control.  

Conclusion 

 All the thoughts here are part of a single concept. By improved state of mind or spiritual state of mind or sharpening our faith, we can add an extra dimension to everyday life. This concept ignores neither science nor religion, and removes the cloudiness of fear and confusion that interferes with achievement of ultimate happiness; Those who are in the business of saving souls after death should focus on the soul when they are still living on this planet. 

 This article is Yale-educated Dr. Dhillon’s personal conviction that has two pillars: an advanced degree in life sciences, molecular biology and evolution from the west and a fascination with spirituality from the east crafted out of studies at Yale University, U.S.A. in the west and Punjab University, India in the east. His views are expressed in over 12 books in self-help and spiritual series, several research articles, on television, in newspapers, and workshops. 

This article was taken from his book manuscripts on "Science, Religion & Spirituality," "In Search of God," and "Soul and Reincarnation." Those who would like to learn more – these titles are now available at various Book Sellers including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. END