1. SALVATION AND LIBERATION IN SIKHISM
Learning Objective from the Exam Board: To know the … “Teachings and beliefs about Karma and rebirth and the aim of Mukhti (Liberation)”

2. The next slide is quick recap of topic areas that you have covered so far; can you think of one/two points you could add to each bullet point without looking at your books, for example:
Oneness of Humanity =
- “There is no Hindu or Muslim, we are all children of God”
- the Khalsa – belief in the brotherhood.

3. Quick Recap- what can you remember about each topic area?
Sikhs should follow the teachings of the 10 Guru’s, particularly Guru number 1 and 10.
Sikhs must try to throw of f the ‘veil of humai’
They must develop a relationship with Waheguru
They must understand the Oneness of Humanity (we are all equal , Khalsa,, sewa)
They must follow the 3 basic principles
They should follow the 5 virtues and avoid the 5 vices
They should be part of and serve the Sangat and Pangat
They should promote the concept of Sewa, especially Langar
They must become more Gurmukh and less Manmukh (slide to follow)
They should attempt to become members of the Khalsa Panth (and wear 5K’s)
They must serve others through Daswandh too (slide to follow)
All Sikhs should strive to achieve a state of Jeevan Mukhti by building up good karma and journey along of the stages of liberation (slides to follow)
Short tasks are optional as you run through the powerpoint

4. GURMUKH AND MANMUKH – KEY WORDS
Sikhs should endeavour to be more Gurmukh
This means be more like the Guru’s
They should accept the Guru’s teachings and live life according to the Guru Granth Sahib Ji
A Gurmukh person will eventually achieve spiritual liberation
They should practise DASWANDH
MANMUKH
This is the opposite of Gurmukh
Manmukh is to be more concerned with MAN – material things
A Manmukh is self-centred
A Manmukh does not follow the teachings of the Gurus
This person only pays lip-service to the Guru Granth Sahib Ji
This person hold on to the vices and does not respect God

5. DASWANDH
DASWANDH
Important concept linked to Vand Chakna (sharing with others)
Requires Sikhs to give one tenth of their income to charity
It can be any charity that you believe in and of any religious tradition ie Oxfam, Christian Aid
Sikh charities such as Khalsa Aid are also very popular
If a person should find it difficult to give Daswandh they should try and give about a tenth of their time, energy, effort to a good cause
Daswandh is a duty upon all Sikhs

6. THE SOUL The Soul is called the ATMA (also known as Jiva)
The atma belongs to God
The atma never dies – the body is a mere vessel for it
Every person/living thing is part of God
Sikhs believe in the TRANSMIGRATION OF THE SOUL i.e when you die the soul is born again in another human body
The objective of a Sikh is to re-unite their atma with God
They must try and break out of the ROUNDS OF BIRTH AND REBIRTH called SAMSARA
They need to do this through a combination of good works – KARMA and religious will.

7. The ATMA
A figure of 8, 400, 000 is quoted in the Guru Granth Sahib to indicate that a soul could be born and reborn this many times before their soul is reunited with God.
The is just to give an idea that it could be that many times that your soul is born again and again – you have no idea and never will as a human. You can only do your best with your life on earth and be as Gurmukh as you possibly can. You have to believe that your good karma is and will be enough. When someone dies in the community it is commonplace to hear people saying that they very much hope the individual has achieved Jeevan Mukhti (especially if they were a good person!!) or the Granthi will express the hope that the soul has moved on and found its resting place wherever that maybe.. One can only hope. No-one really remembers their past life or has come back to tell us what happens, so Sikhs work on the basis that they need to be concerned with the here and now and the future in the knowledge that they will be judged by God although the concept of Judgement is not made a big deal of in Sikhism, it merely says humans who reach that high level of consciousness – ultra Gurmukh – will always be recognised by others – not by them!- so concern with serving others, making a difference and being good is all that matters! Simple 

8. Liberation and Salvation
Upon death when a persons atma does eventually merge with Waheguru it is said that the person achieved the state of JEEVAN MUKHTI (soul-release)
Becoming Jeevan- Mukhti means that the person has achieved LIBERATION and reunited their soul with Waheguru = SALVATION
Sikhs do not believe in Heaven and Hell as places. Kabir (author in GGS) writes “Which is hell? Which is the poor heaven. The saints condemn both … we have nothing to do with any by the grace of the Guru’s”. Heaven and hell are just concepts/metaphors to describe states of being.
Sikhs should not fear death – becoming Jeevan Mukhti is the ideal state

9. KARMA AND RELIGIOUS WILL
Law of Karma states that man is the product of his actions in the present and his past lives (although he will not be aware of his past lives/actions!)
Man must reap good Karma – every event has a cause – Law of Causality
Guru Nanak said man reaps what he sows and receives due reward according to the good and bad he does in life.
Any bad action in this life can be ‘paid for’ by doing good in this life too– but it must come from the heart
Those that do not try to become Gurmukh will be “condemned to the underworld of Narak …to suffer great agonies” GGS, this is just a metaphor not a place.
Note The law of karma according to hindus is different in that they believe that the soul will only move up or down according to the Hindu Varna – the Caste Sysytem. A Hindu has to go through the caste stages – but in Sikhism achieving salavaion and liberation is open to anyone as long as they have clocked up good karma – enough to achieve the state of Mukhi – when that happens is up to God. A person can only do their best. If an individual thinks they are a perfect being and believe they have achieved enough good Karma to merge with Waheguru – they HAVE NOT because by making that very statement they have shown HUMAI !!

10. A BIG QUESTION …
If God is all powerful and the creator (Karta Purkh) and destroyer of karma then there appears to be no point in trying to change things in life as a persons future is pre-ordained – already mapped out by God …
So why bother with anything …. ?
{Sikh response follows …..}

11. SIKH RESPONSE Man is not a helpless puppet
God has overall control over our destiny but he has given man FREE- WILL and REASON to control his actions and course of life
AN ANOLOGY
The Earth revolves around the Sun and is influenced by it, but it also has its own revolving motion. God (the Sun) controls the Universe and is all powerful and will exert his influence, but ultimately the Earth (the individual) also revolves under its influence, but also of its own accord.
Therefore ….

12. Efforts of an individual are necessary to improve
Man is responsible for himself
Man cannot blame God for his destiny
Man must think of the present and the future
Karma can be changed by RELIGIOUS WILL ie prayer, and by the GRACE OF GOD
“No-one is saved by mere talk, nor by reading lots of books … the body does not achieve mukhti without loving devotion” GGS59

13. Five Stages of Liberation
Sikhs believe there are Five Stages (Khands) that a human
must be aware of to help them along the journey to
achieving the state of Jeevan Mukhti
The stages are seen as a SPIRITUAL JOURNEY in life, they show commitment.
The stages were written by Guru Nanak in the Japji prayer
A person who progresses along these stages will radiate joy and peace and are able to exercise control over their mind and body as they are truly on a path to becoming Gurmukh.

14. SIKH STAGES OF LIBERATION (Khands):
ACTION, KNOWLEDGE, ENDEAVOUR, GRACE, TRUTH

15. EXPLANATION OF EACH STAGE
1. Dharam Khand: righteous action, this is about doing the right thing on earth, building up good karma, and being morally aware
2. Gian Khand: realm of Knowledge – this is building up intellectual knowledge (life/education/profession) and knowledge about God, creation and the awe and wonder of the universe
3. Saram Khand: spiritual endeavour – throw off all humai and be truly humble, this requires strict discipline and going deep into your consciousness and getting rid of egotistical ideas and earthly attachments
NOTE: FIRST THREE STAGES ARE AS FAR AS
A HUMAN CAN GO BY EFFORT
You could print the handout with the explanations and give them out to stick in their books if preferable

16. 4. Karam Khand – realm of grace. The Individual is with God
4. Karam Khand – realm of grace. The Individual is with God. The atma has achieved its goal. It is a state of bliss. Atma has won over humai. If God permits the next stage will be allowed.
5. Sach Khand – the stage of Truth. The final stage. Known as the ‘abode of the formless one’ . It is not a physical place, it’s the final stage of the evolution of human consciousness. One can only experience it, not describe it. The atma is liberated – united with Waheguru at last !
NOTE: ON REACHING THE 4TH STAGE YOU HAVE REACHED THE LIMIT THE ABSOLUTE LIMIT OF HUMAN EFFORT – ONLY GODS GRACE CAN TAKE YOU FURTHER

17. “IF ONE GOES ONE STEP TOWARDS GOD, THE LORD COMES TOWARD ONE A THOUSAND TIMES.” GGS

18. Additional points
Sikhs believe that the soul of each Guru was a liberated soul (atma)
The Gurus’ had already obtained Jeevan Mukhti and were
“at Gods feet” (GGS)
They were sent by God to Earth with a ‘divine spark’ (liberated soul)
Guru Nanak says in the GGS “I did not desire to come as my attention was focussed on Naam, but Waheguru remonstrated with me and sent me into the world”.
This means that the nature of their birth was different
to other humans as they had already been liberated
Technically if a Sikh himself says he is so good/kind/generous
he has not achieved Jeevan Mukhti, because by saying it he
is displaying humai, only others could make the assertion that
a person is well on their way to liberation … and ultimately God
At a Sikh funeral the Granthi will always pray, with the Sangat, that the
Atma of the deceased is re-united with God.
Sikhs accept that the soul of each Guru was liberated – free from the cycle of Samsara. Many Sikhs believe that liberated souls have walked the earth – not just the Gurus. They have been sent to bring knowledge, sense of spirituality back into the world. Karma explains the birth of most people because human birth is the consequence of past deeds, but not so with the Guru’s. The Guru’s are described in the GGs as living in the divine presence of God when the were commanded to resume a human form to preach Gods message to humanity.

19. Practice questions

20. Practice questions
“Sikhs should not fear death” Discuss 6 marks Explain what is meant by the Mukhti. 4 marks “There is no point in a Sikh trying to be good in life as God has already mapped out his destiny”. Discuss. 8 marks What is meant by Daswandh. 2 marks Explain why Sikhs should be more Gurmukh. 6 marks Explain the Sikh concept of Karma. 5 marks Explain the importance of three of the five stages of liberation. 6 marks How can a Sikh achieve salvation and liberation. 15 marks

21. Task: “Sikhs should not fear death”
What could you write in this sort of question??
In your books write a list of bullet points for both sides of the argument
# No – they should not fear death because …….
# Yes they should/might fear death because of ……
@ least 3/ 4 points for both sides

22. SIKHS SHOULD NOT FEAR DEATH BECAUSE ….
SIKHS MAY FEAR DEATH BECAUSE ….
- Its inevitable part of life, Gods plan
- Do not know for sure what happens after death
- Came from waheguru – go back to waheguru
- Death may have been distressing/illness
- Atma broken out of cycle of samsara
- Leaving loved ones behind
- Objective is to achieve Jeevan Mukhti = no fear
- No way of knowing where one is in the cycle of transmigration
- Will be in state of bliss
- Maybe young to die
- If you have cultivated good karma no need to fear
- No one has come back from an afterlife & told us
- If you have tried to be Gurmukh no need to fear
- GGS contains metaphorical images that can sound scary
- If you have practised 3 principles/avoided vices-virtues, done sewa then nothing to fear
- You don’t know if you’ve done enough to achieve Mukhti
- If you have thrown off ‘veil of humai’ nothing to fear
- You might not relish the thought of rebirth of the soul
Note: In a 15 mark question are you expected to consider different views. In an 8 mark question you can present different ideas too. In the above example you can consider a devout Sikhs views {Khalsa Amritdhari Sikh]/a not so devout Sikh [Sehajdhari Sikh}/, or something in between [ie Keshdhahri Sikh] and general secular views. The objective is to give different views, but it does not have to be a balanced argument. However the answer must include religious teachings/beliefs. Examples and quotations should be used wherever possible.