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Unlock This CourseIn Death and the Afterlife: Linear and Cyclical Views you met the idea that some religions see existence as a straight road and others as a wheel. Sikhism has a cyclical view. This lesson shows what Sikhs believe happens at death and why.
Key terms:
Remember that karma means actions and their results, hukam is God's will or order, and jot is the divine light or spark in every living thing.
Sikhs believe the soul does not die when the body dies. The body is temporary, but the soul is a spark of God's light (the atman, from Body, Man and Atman: Human Nature in Sikhism). At death the soul leaves the body and is reborn in a new one. Sikhs believe this goes on again and again, through many forms of life, until the soul is united with God. Sikh teaching often describes a very large number of life forms, traditionally given as 8.4 million, to show how long the journey can be.
Good and bad actions have results. Sikhs believe a person's karma shapes the kind of rebirth the soul receives. Sikh teaching also speaks of God's court, where a person's deeds are reviewed (the judge is often called Dharam Raj). Many Sikhs read this as a picture of karma at work, not a trial after death.
Karma works within hukam. Sikhs believe God's order governs birth and death, and that God's grace can lift a soul beyond the cycle altogether.
The soul is not punished for ever. Sikhs do not believe in an eternal hell. The cycle continues until the soul is freed.
For Sikhs, being born as a human is the most valuable of all births. Humans can think, choose and remember God, which other forms of life cannot do in the same way. So Sikhs teach that a human life is a chance that should not be wasted. If a person spends it chasing money, pride and pleasure (the problems of haumai and maya), the soul may be sent round the cycle once more. If a person uses it to remember God and serve others, the soul can break the cycle and be united with God. This freedom is called mukti, and how it is reached is the subject of Mukti, Gurmukh, Nam Simran and Sewa.
Sikhs do not mainly picture heaven and hell as places. Many Sikhs see them as states of mind: being close to God is like heaven, and being separated from God by ego and selfish desire is like hell. Sikh teaching can talk about both in this life as well as after it. Since the soul is reborn, neither is thought of as the soul's final home.
Because the soul continues, Sikhs do not see death as the end. Death is part of God's order, and it happens at the time God has set. Many Sikhs therefore try to accept it calmly, as hukam. They are encouraged not to be overcome by grief, because the soul has moved on and is in God's hands. This does not mean they do not feel sad: losing someone hurts. It means they try to face death with trust. Fear of death, Sikhs teach, is often linked to haumai, the belief that "I" matter above everything.
Because life is a chance, Sikhs try to remember God each day, in prayer and meditation.
Karma makes actions matter, so Sikhs try to do good through sewa and honest work.
If souls may take many forms, every living thing is worth respect.
Sikhs do not all hold the belief in the same way. Some stress the cycle of rebirth, while others say the most important thing is to live well and meet God in this life, whatever happens afterwards.
Paper 1 (a) [3 marks, AO1]: Identify three terms used in Sikh beliefs about death.
1. Samsara (1) 2. Karma (1) 3. Mukti (1)
Paper 1 (b) [4 marks, AO1]: Choose one religion. Outline two teachings about life after death in this religion.
Sikhism teaches that the soul does not die with the body (1), which means it is reborn in a new life form, in a cycle called samsara (1). It also teaches that karma affects the next birth (1), because good and bad actions have results (1).
Paper 1 (c) [6 marks, AO1 and AO2]: Choose one religion. Explain why belief in life after death affects how people live in this religion.
Sikhs believe in samsara, so they believe the soul is reborn many times. They see a human birth as a rare chance to break the cycle and be united with God, so they try not to waste it. This means they try to remember God each day, which is the opposite of being ruled by haumai. They also believe that karma shapes the next birth, so they try to do good through sewa and honest living. Finally, as the soul continues, they try to face death calmly as hukam and not to fear it too much. This belief therefore gives their lives purpose.
Paper 1 (d) [12 marks, AO1 and AO2]: "Sikhs have no reason to fear death." Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion.
For: the soul continues and death is only a change; death is hukam, so Sikhs trust God; a human life lived well can lead to mukti.
Against: grief and fear are natural human feelings, even for believers; karma could mean another rebirth in the cycle of samsara, so some Sikhs may worry; some Sikhs stress living well now over what happens after death, so fear is not the central issue; many non-religious people believe death is the end, so for them fear is a normal response.
Possible conclusion: for believing Sikhs, trust in God and the soul's journey gives strong reasons not to fear death, though the pain of loss remains.
In a 6-mark "Explain" answer, name samsara, karma or hukam and then say what difference the belief makes to how Sikhs live.