How Can One Overcome the Anxieties of This World

How can one overcome the anxieties of this world?

By Balpreet Singh, Ottawa Citizen March 27, 2011

Balpreet Singh is legal counsel and acting executive director for the World Sikh Organization of Canada


One of the key teachings of the Sikh faith is acceptance of God's will. All that happens is according to his will and happens for a reason, whether we can understand it or not. Accepting God's will isn't always easy but the alternative is anxiety and worry which is self-destructive. A good analogy is that of a river's current. You can swim within the current but if you choose to fight it, you go nowhere and will eventually exhaust yourself.

The Sikh faith's solution to overcoming anxiety is to connect with God through meditation. Meditation on naam (God's name) brings a stillness and peace. Meditation creates a relationship with God and allows the individual to become aware of God's presence and love. When the believer develops a loving relationship with God then all that happens is taken as God's gift and his will becomes sweet.

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/essays-on-sikhism/35001-how-can-one-overcome-anxieties-world.html
Meditation also allows us to have a larger perspective on life. Meditation lifts us above the everyday like a lotus floats above the water. Much of our anxiety is based on a fixation on things which, in a larger perspective, may be trivial. When we rise above the mundane and look at life in a holistic manner, many anxieties and problems don't seem as pressing or significant.

While the Sikh faith does teach acceptance of divine will, it also teaches that people of faith have a duty to act with courage and bring about change. If the universe is all God's play then the role of his devotees is to act in righteousness to challenge what is wrong and unjust. Action is better than idle worrying and anxiety.

Finally, the Sikh faith stresses the need for "sangat" or companionship and congregation on the spiritual path. It's often helpful to talk about our anxieties with others and to seek guidance. Time spent in the company of other spiritual individuals either in meditation or reflecting on the words of the Gurus is an immediate relief from anxiety.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=35001

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My immediate thoughts are

* Does anything exist outside of Hukam? If so, how do we know what is Hukam and what is not?

* If all things are Hukam (and there is nothing outside of Hukam), where is the motivation towards change and righteousness the author encourages, when we're told to accept the Hukam?

* Would you say that 1984 occurred in accordance with Hukam?

* "Bad" things obviously do happen per Hukam, sakhis say that Guru Arjan Dev Ji accepted that on the hot plate. So what does that say about the nature of Waheguru, if anything?
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=35001

* Would Hukam be better interpreted as "Law" rather than "Will"?

* Is Hukam a process of cause-and-effect as a similar concept to Karma? Wouldn't "Grace" or "Nadar" be more God's Will?
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=35001

Ishna

ISHNA Ji ,
Your questions are very interesting,therefore I woldlike to share my views as

1...Nothing exixst outside the HUKAM.

2...Motivation and changes encourgaed by the author are also under HUKAM Only.

3....Incidence of 1984 can not be excluded from HUKAM

4..NATURE of WAHiGURU ji is like to give strength to accept the HUKAM.

5..HUKAM can be interprated as "LAW" as WILL is subject of choice
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=35001

6..CAUSE and EFFECT take place under HUKAM .GRACE or NADAR are will of
PARBRAHMu,PARMESARu or SATiGURu.

I look forward to your views regarding this.
With best wishes
Prakash.S.Bagga
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=35001
3

Prakash ji


Here is where I do not agree: It is true that Hukam is "Law" or "Ordinance" in terms of its definition working from language to language. But is hukam not greater and different from mere laws that govern creation. The laws of nature, both those we know and those we have yet to discover, are part of hukam. Yet they affect only the material plane of existence and creation.

Here I agree that Grace/Nadar are willed by Parbrahm, but that is not the same thing as saying Grace/Nadar are equal to the "will" of Parbrahm.

Some questions imho need attention before we understand "hukam" and "grace." What is the nature of Parbrahm/SAT? What is our relationship to Parbrahm/SAT? We want to connect deeply with the SAT through in love ... Without thinking about our connection to Parbrahm/SAT, it is hard to grasp how, as soul brides, we can fall in love an abstraction because of "hukam" or "laws." It is not, on the other hand, hard to understand that we want to be the soul brides of SAT, and we want to be dyed in the color of love. In that state of love, we may Gurprasad discover that it is "hukam" that binds us to the SAT. Hukam is the food of love. Just my thoughts about a different way of thinking about "hukam."


At the end of the first pauree of Japji, Guru Nanak says, ਹੁਕਮਿ ਰਜਾਈ ਚਲਣਾ ਨਾਨਕ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਨਾਲਿ ॥੧॥ Hukam rajā▫ī cẖalṇā Nānak likẖi▫ā nāl. ||1|| O Nanak, it is written that you shall obey the Hukam of His Command, and walk in the Way of His Will. ||1||


In so many words, I am asking about this,

• Does this mean that we should accept "hukam," almost like a key word to explain events, understanding it or not?
  
• Or, does this mean that we understand hukam only when we realize how great is the SAT and how deep is that love? Do we then submit helplessly to hukam in love and awe, and thence overcome duality?

The end of the second Pauree suggests the second question, not the first, is way hukam works.

ਨਾਨਕ ਹੁਕਮੈ ਜੇ ਬੁਝੈ ਤ ਹਉਮੈ ਕਹੈ ਨ ਕੋਇ ॥੨॥
Nānak hukmai je bujẖai ṯa ha▫umai kahai na ko▫e. ||2||
O Nanak, one who understands His Command, does not speak in ego. ||2||

SPNADMIN Ji,
You are correct in your interpretation.
Since I could not get equivelent word of English for "HUKAM" so the reference of the word LAW was felt better tham WILL.
In fact HUKAM is not only required to be understood but to be recognised as well
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=35001
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=35001
then we will have more affection for the effects of HUKAM.
One can not connect to SAT without knowing what is SAT.So SAT has also to be known and to be recognised.
In fact Gurbaani gives us complete knowledge with what we have to connect,only weare required to recognise this .
Prakash.S.Bagga

God loves some, and does not love others as much. There is no consistency, its all luck. He hands some a lot of pain to the point it breaks them, and keeps others in contentment. Its his will, he LEADS some astray, he keeps them in darkness. He does not give them the strength to come to him or to forgive! He leads them to hurt other human beings.

Hukam is discussed in some depth by Dr Karminder Singh Dhillon in Part 4 of his discource of Japji (available from SPN here).

Dr Dhillon goes as far as to say:

Quote:

...Pauree two introduces what may be considered to be the most crucial, central, and pivotal concept of Sikhi, namely Hukam . This concept is the foundation on which the structure of Sikhi stands. It is the underpinning of the entire philosophy o f Sikhi. Guru Nanak’s spiritual genius, devotional brilliance and spiritually intimate relationship with God allowed him to state the be all and end all nature of God’s Will in an infinitely settling way. In Guru Nanak’s terms, everything is within the Hukam and nothing without it. It follows therefore that Sikhi is Hukam, and Hukam is Sikhi....

He also aptly says this on page 4:

Quote:

But being a foundational and integral concept, Hukam is also one which creates the most basic and primary confusion amongst Sikhs attempting to understand it. ..."

Quote:

It is also the gurbanee view that Hukam is inherent in every single choice that the human intellect makes. A narrative might help illustrate the raw basics of the point. An individual is requested to lift a leg. He lifts his left leg. Now he is asked to lift his other leg. He cannot – unless, of course, he puts his lifted leg down first. The raw basics are that this individual was asked to lift a leg. The choice of left or right was his to make. He used his intellect to calculate (one assumes based on prior experience, ability to balance his body on one leg etc) that it would do best to lift his left leg. But once he lifted his left leg, he could not

Quote:

simultaneously lift his right. In raw terms, this is the inherent Hukam of the choice he made. He also could not lift his right leg, unless he put down his left one. In raw terms again, this the consequence of his first choice. In the simplest of explanations, the individual had the choice of which leg, but he had no control of the consequences. The consequences were written “within his choice” (Nanak Likhiya Naal) and he had no way of going around the consequences. There are real limitations of the human intellect and choice. He has no control over the “law” that he could not lift his right leg unless he put the left one down first. The consequences followed his choice. While the choice of which leg was entirely his own, the consequences were totally beyond him. Modifying this simple narrative involving a physical act (lifting a leg) into a religious matter would turn out as follows: An individual has the choice of joining the sangat in worship or join his buddies in his regular hangout. Another has the choice of spending time indulging in a novel or contemplating on gurbanee. And so on. But if one decided to write out the statements of consequences/rewards/detriments of the choices, one would have to use words such as “unless,” “if and only if,” cannot happen simultaneously etc – suggesting that these were subject to some laws and beyond choice."

This would support a responsible, spiritual person's logical behaviour of "doing the best you can and leaving the rest up to Hukam", rather than a non-violent, passivist "I'll just sit here and let Hukam do it's think since I can't do anything about it anyway" attitude, which doesn't reflect the proactive Sikh spirit.

Dr Dhillon goes on to eventually say (as per my understanding, please correct me if I'm wrong) that as Waheguru is the only thing which is not subject to Hukam, Hukam (by logic) cannot lead to meet Waheguru -- Waheguru ji must circumvent the action of Hukam by Grace to liberate you.

I disagree that hukam is the food of love, because many people by the consequences of hukam come to leave Sikhi and/or are the lowest of the low and never find love or contempate SAT in this lifetime. It's acceptance of Hukam that brings that beautiful love of Truth. I'm not sure too many northern Japanese people are feeling too much love for the Truth right now though.

Comments such as "God loves some, and does not love others as much" and "Its his will, he LEADS some astray, he keeps them in darkness. He does not give them the strength to come to him or to forgive! He leads them to hurt other human beings." appear to be rooted in Abrahamical religious thought when viewed in the context of Dr Dhillon's interpretation of Hukam.

By asking "what is SAT" are we not asking "what is God"?

Just some thoughts by working with Professor Sahib Singh ji's Darpan below for the reference made by spnadmin ji,

What I find is that the word that is most reflective of and used in the context with understanding, living by the will, wishes, directive, guidance and similar is the English phrase,
You might note some variance in the translation with Sant Singh Khalsa ji's great work. I apologize for that if it is a mistake or error.

Sat Sri Akal and hope it is of benefit in the dialog.

Sat Sri Akal.

Ambarsaria ji

This does feel right to me There is a difference between the meaning of the word "hukam" and how it is experienced as "hukam." Peace found within every experience in life. Support and strength rising up from understanding and union. That is how some pass through overwhelming tragedy without becoming cynics, even being able to support another in spite of the tragedy that surrounds them.

This is so wonderful I want to repeat it. When the gap between "me" and "that" is resolved, it no longer makes sense.