Sikh Beliefs about the Universe and Human Beings » Maya, Manmukh and Haumai

Why do people go wrong? A Sikh answer

In Why Do People Do Wrong? Selfishness, Greed and Sin you looked at selfishness, greed, ignorance and sin, and at the idea that they are root causes of wrongdoing. Now we look at how Sikhs explain them. In Body, Man and Atman: Human Nature in Sikhism you learned that every person carries a spark of God's light. So why do people who carry that light still do harm?

Sikhs do not teach original sin (the idea that people are born guilty). They teach that people are born with God's light inside, but that their man, the mind or heart, can be pulled away from God. The Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy scripture, gives three key words for this.

Key terms:

• Maya: the pull of the passing material world. Sikhs do not say the world is unreal, because God made it. Maya means being so attached to money, possessions, status and pleasure that they seem to matter most, when they do not last.
• Haumai: ego, the 'I-me' feeling. It is the pride that puts 'me' and 'mine' first and builds a wall between a person and God.
• Manmukh: a person who is 'facing their own mind' (man means mind and mukh means face). They follow their own wishes and not the teaching of the Guru.
• Five thieves: five weaknesses that grow from haumai and steal a person's peace and goodness.
• Seva (also spelt sewa): selfless service to others, with no reward in mind.
• Grace: God's kindness and help, given freely and not earned.
• Sangat: the holy company, a gathering of people who worship and learn together.

Maya: loving what does not last

Everything in the material world changes and ends. Houses fall down, money is spent and fame fades. Sikhs teach that the trouble starts when a person treats these passing things as if they were the real goal of life. The more a person is caught up in maya, the less they think about God or about other people.

Think of someone who works only to buy a bigger car, then a bigger one again. Each time the happiness fades. Sikhs say this chase cannot satisfy, because it looks for lasting joy in things that do not last. Maya is not the same as wealth itself. A Sikh can work, earn and own things. The problem is attachment, when things own the person.

Haumai: the root of the problem

Guru Nanak, the first Guru, taught that haumai is at the heart of what goes wrong. Haumai makes a person say 'I did this', 'this is mine' and 'I am better than you'. It cuts them off from God, whom Sikhs believe is in everyone, and it cuts them off from other people.

The Guru Granth Sahib describes haumai as a long-lasting illness. Like an illness it spoils life, but it can be treated. Haumai is a problem to be cured, not a fate.

Manmukh: living by my own mind

A manmukh is a person ruled by haumai and maya. They ask only 'What do I want?' and do not ask what God wants or what is fair to others. Imagine a cricket captain who takes all the praise for a win and blames the team after a loss. That is haumai at work. A manmukh stays stuck, going round and round in their wishes, and Sikhs believe this keeps the soul far from God.

The opposite is the gurmukh, a person who faces the Guru. That way of life is studied in Mukti, Gurmukh, Nam Simran and Sewa.

The five thieves

Sikhs teach that haumai gives rise to five thieves. They are called thieves because they sneak in and steal a person's peace, good sense and goodness.

Pride (ahankar) is thinking you are better than others. It is closely linked to haumai. Each thief puts 'me' first.

How these cause wrongdoing

• Greed and pride lead to cheating, stealing and unfair treatment of others, because the person wants more than their share.
• Anger leads to hatred, violence and revenge.
• Attachment, when it becomes too strong, can make someone put their own family or possessions first and ignore everyone else's needs.
• Haumai hides the idea that everyone carries the same divine light, so harming others feels easier.

So Sikhs see selfishness and ignorance (here, of God and of our oneness with others) as root causes of wrongdoing. It starts in the man.

Can these be overcome?

Yes. Sikhs teach that a person is not trapped. The main ways are:

• God's grace: many Sikhs stress that no one defeats haumai by their own strength alone. God's grace is needed.
• Remembering God: keeping God's name in the mind, through prayer and meditation, makes the mind calm and less selfish.
• Service: serving others (seva) with no reward in mind weakens pride and the 'I-me' feeling.
• The sangat: spending time with people who sing God's praise and learn the Guru's teaching helps a person stay on track.

Sikhs differ a little in emphasis. Some stress God's grace; others stress a person's effort. Most accept that both matter, and that it is a lifelong effort.

Who is responsible for hatred, injustice, violence and war?

Sikhs teach that human beings are responsible, because these evils grow from haumai and the five thieves. Hatred comes from anger and pride. Injustice comes from greed and from people who care only for their own group. War often comes when rulers or groups want power or land.

Are they inevitable? Sikhs would say they are common, because maya and haumai affect everyone, but they are not unavoidable. Each person can work on their own mind, and the Gurus taught that all people are equal and should be treated with respect. Sikhs pray for the good of all (sarbat da bhala).

Sikhs also teach that a person must not stand by when others are wronged. The Gurus taught that force may be used only as a last resort, after peaceful ways have failed, to defend the innocent and justice, and never out of anger or greed. So there are different views: some Sikhs stress peace and prayer; others stress the duty to defend the weak.

Exam-style question

(a) Identify three of the five thieves in Sikh teaching. [3 marks]

(b) Choose one religion. Outline two teachings about the causes of human wrongdoing in this religion. [4 marks]

(c) Choose one religion. Explain why people in this religion believe that selfishness can be overcome. [6 marks]

(d) 'Selfishness is the main cause of the world's problems.' Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]