Tags
afterlife, bereavement, chaplaincy, gurinder singh mann, harpreet singh, intimations of immortality, pastoral care, religion, Sikh, sikh scriptures, SIkhism, spiritual care, spirituality
In the aftermath of the tragedy in Wisconsin of the murders at the Sikh Temple, this article was written, providing a brief overview of how Sikhism views the afterlife.
For Sikhs, The Soul Lives On Long After The Body Dies
(RNS) Funeral services will be held on Friday (Aug. 10) for the six Sikhs killed at a Wisconsin temple last Sunday. The bodies of the deceased will later be cremated — but their souls will live on, Sikh tradition teaches.
Sikh scriptures don’t dwell on what happens after death. Instead, the faith focuses on earthly duties, such as honoring God, performing charity and promoting justice.
“The afterlife is not a primary concern,” said Gurinder Singh Mann, a religious studies professor at the University of California-Santa Barbara. “It’s a very life-affirming belief system.”
Still, like many religions, Sikhism includes intimations of immortality.
Founded in 15th-century India, Sikhism was born in the same cradle as Hinduism and Buddhism, both of which posit reincarnation. Like those faiths, Sikhism teaches that the goal is to escape from the cycle of death and rebirth.
But unlike Hindus and Buddhists, Sikhs believe that humans can’t liberate themselves through meditation and virtuous living — only God’s grace offers freedom from rebirth.
“We don’t think that, ‘Well, I’ve done these wonderful things, I get a ticket to heaven,'” said Mann. “That’s a divine decision.”
For those fortunate enough to escape rebirth, the ultimate destination is a return to the divine soul from which all beings emanate, said Harpreet Singh, a South Asian studies scholar at Harvard University. A Sikh hymn often sung at funerals says, “Like droplets of water are in an ocean wave and the ripples of a stream, I am immersed in the Lord.”
A host of metaphors are used to describe that indwelling with God. Some Sikh scriptures describe a divine court in the afterlife, as if God were a supreme king. Ultimately, though, God is less like a monarch than a transcendent force, at once visible and invisible.
“In our culture, it’s not the end when somebody dies,” Amardeep Kaleka, whose father, Satwant Singh Kaleka, was killed in Sunday’s shooting, told CNN. “Their soul and energy kind of transcends, traverses into the universe and helps influence other events.”
That’s why Sikh funerals end on a happy note, Singh explained. Like jazz funerals in New Orleans, which begin with a dirge and conclude with a swinging spiritual, Sikh services include verses from the Anand Sahib, or Song of Bliss.
“Even though we grieve when loved ones depart, the tradition also teaches us that death is something worth celebrating, because the souls are going to be one with God,” said Singh. “Almost like a drop of water going back into the ocean.”
The World of Pastoral and Spiritual Care 
Very ironically, look at the name “Century 16.” The Century part means 100 years and that year is the 100th anniversary of the very first Sikh Temple in United States of America and the 16 part, and that means 16 days after the Batman shooting in the Century 16 theater, Satwant Singh Kaleka died a hero and a legend stopping the racist gunman and saving many lives that day! There are four other heroes that day: Lt. Brian James Murphy (Semper Fi, Officer Murphy!), Abhay Singh (11 year old body), Amanat Singh (9 year old girl), and Savan Nick “Sam” Lenda (his ancestors came from Poland, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina)! The hole will remain there forever. WE ARE ONE! There are people who forgave the gunman: Amardeep Singh Kaleka (the Emmy Award Winner), Gurmit Singh Kaleka (nephew of hero and legend Satwant Singh Kaleka), Gurjeet Singh Kaleka (nephew of hero and legend Satwant Singh Kaleka), Santokh Singh, and Amarjit Kaur! Do not forget it, y’all!