Rigorous honesty/ਜ਼ੋਰ ਦਾਰ ਸਚਾਈ

The basic foundation of spirituality lies in Rigorous Honesty, which is generally lacking in individuals of the present times. It is an individual’s own evaluation of him/her self to know how far they have progressed in spirituality and how truthful he/she has been or is? It tells us that lying, cheating, and even a little bit of not giving the whole information, means that one is playing games of mind with oneself.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/spiritual-articles/24464-rigorous-honesty.html
Question arises, could you hide anything from the All-Knowing?

ਅੰਤਰਜਾਮੀ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਸੁਜਾਨੁ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਤਕੀਆ ਤੁਹੀ ਤਾਣੁ ॥

Antarjaamee Parabh Sujaan, Nanak Takee-aa Tuhee Taan.

God is All-knowing, the Searcher of hearts, strength and support of Nanak -----Guru Arjan, Raag Gauri, AGGS, Page, 211-8

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Rigorous honesty is needed not only with others but also with one's own self.
How can one find out?

The wishful religion is purely of promise and not of proof and performance. One should not try to compress life and Truth to restrict the universality of the Faith. Each should independently search the faith and self truthfully rather than others, as they can’t.

ਨਾਨਕ ਪਰਖੇ ਆਪ ਕਉ ਤਾ ਪਾਰਖੁ ਜਾਣੁ ॥ ਰੋਗੁ ਦਾਰੂ ਦੋਵੈ ਬੁਝੈ ਤਾ ਵੈਦੁ ਸੁਜਾਣੁ ॥

Nanak Parkhay Aap Kaou Ta Paarkh Jaan, Rog Daaroo Dovai Bujhai Taa Vaid Sujaan.


Nanak, deem him a true assayer, who can assay him/her self. If someone understands both the disease and the medicine, only then is he a wise physician. -----Guru Angad, Majh Ki Var, AGGS, Page, 148-8

Unless one can crystallize the criticism, one should look for the mote in the eye. If one gets an urge to judge, he is not seeing in the light of God's love. It is necessary to face the people with a moral test. This is a procedure for critical evaluation and a means of determining the presence of higher instincts, and subjugation of lower instincts. Moral growth is not an endowment. It is an achievement made through spiritual growth, evolving as one follows the teachings of Sabd Guru.

The danger to any philosophy comes from degeneration of morals, from beclouding one's mental horizon and from the atrophy of moral and spiritual nature. Individuals put their vested interest first, and truths and ideals go begging. Moral life cannot be lived in aloofness. Morality is the nurse of spirituality. It cannot be kept hidden from the all knower as explained by Bhai Gurdas;

ਕੇਤੜਿਆਂ ਈਮਾਨ ਵਿਚਿ ਕਿਤੜੇ ਬੇਈਮਾਨ ਬਲਾਈ ॥ ਨੇਕੀ ਬਦੀ ਨ ਲੁਕੈ ਲੁਕਾਈ ॥

Katrhay-aN Eeman Vich Kitrhay Baeman Bala-ee, Naykee Badee Na Lookai Looka-ee.

Many are spending honest life and many live dishonestly. Even then virtue and vice cannot remain hidden. -----Bhai Gurdas, Vaar 8, Pauri, 16-6 & 7

Character is not given; it is to be evolved by one and all. Character is Destiny, Lack of it leads to Doom. One should be very tolerant towards others by being good-natured and pleasant to be around. This way one is rarely inclined to do wrong. One should also test his thoughts. One should check the suggestions from one's sub-conscious mind with rigorous honesty and truthfulness.

ਸਚੁ ਤਾ ਪਰੁ ਜਾਣੀਐ ਜਾ ਰਿਦੈ ਸਚਾ ਹੋਇ ॥ ਕੂੜ ਕੀ ਮਲੁ ਉਤਰੈ ਤਨੁ ਕਰੇ ਹਛਾ ਧੋਇ ॥

Such Ta Per JaaNee-ai Ja Ridai Sucha Hoay, Koorh Kee Mal Utrai Tan Karay Hachhaa Dho-ay.

Then alone the man is known as true, if the truth were in his heart. The filth of falsehood departs, and the body is washed clean. -----Guru Nanak, Raag Asa, AGGS, Page, 468-8

Check your thoughts. What thoughts should I expect? Am willing to write them down? It is not making one's mind blank as in meditation, but trusting God to guide one's mind, thought, life and imagination. Behind every general need is a particular moral need. When one surrenders to Akal Purkh, all will be in order. Ask your self, “why I have been thinking of absolute honesty, but not living honestly?” Absolute honesty demands that one should no longer wear a mask. Sharing one's dishonesty is being honest even if it hurts. Every time, one registers aloud the new attitude and change of heart with absolute honesty, another bridge is burnt behind him and another stake is driven in to anchor and mark one's progress. It is being honest to God, self, and other people. It is giving one's real self to another person, overcoming temptations and rendering service to the others.

One needs to read AGGS with understanding to get its guidance. AGGS is all about Truth and honesty.

Can one find it in him/her self?

It is not like being a little pregnant -- either one is pregnant are or not. Either one is honest or not. Simplicity is bliss. Pray to Akal Purkh for humility, patience, courage, faith and love. These things are not granted by Akal Purkh, but learned if one has the will to do so. Just trust the God. Any kind of goodness that one tries to achieve with effort will be self-righteous. The only effort one has to put in is of daily surrender to the Will of God (ਭਾਣਾ). One finds release not by his own efforts but by what Akal Purkh does for him and in him, when one opens every area of his life to It. The quality of life is an adventure not an arrival. Maturity and spiritual progress comes from fuller self-renunciation and surrender to Its Will. This can bring one ****her along the way in spirituality.

All the present problems are self-inflicted in ignorance. Ignorance of reality is no excuse. The only cure is self-knowledge which is attained when an individual becomes conscious of his infinite worth, and then he/she begins to make spiritual progress towards God.

Truth and rigorous honesty are the only tonics to invigorate the mind towards the right thought. Truth is discovered, recognized, lived and then realized in mind. Truth is the only source of all Cosmic and mundane riches. Truth is its own reward. It builds one, who builds on it. A well-trained mind, trained to concentrate on truthful living and realizing the truth, is the need of every individual.

For the truly faithful, no miracle is necessary, but for those who doubt, no miracle is sufficient.

Truth never gets old:

ਸਚੁ ਪੁਰਾਣਾ ਹੋਵੈ ਨਾਹੀ ਸੀਤਾ ਕਦੇ ਨ ਪਾਟੈ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਸਚੋ ਸਚਾ ਤਿਚਰੁ ਜਾਪੀ ਜਾਪੈ ॥

Such PuraNaa Hovai Naahee, Seeta Kaday Na Paattai, Nanak Saahib Sacho Sachaa Tichar Jaapee Jaapai.

The Truth does not grow old; and when it is stitched, it is never torn again. O Nanak, the Akal Purkh and Master are the Truest of the True. While we meditate on God, we see It.-----Guru Nanak, Raag Sorath, AGGS, Page, 956-1
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24464

Conclusion:

Sikh Faith has a simple philosophy: to lead an honest, truthful life of a householder. No one cares how much you know, until he knows how much you care. When one reflects on the divine knowledge truthfully with rigorous honesty, only then one can become a benefactor to the others.

ਵਿਦਿਆ ਵੀਚਾਰੀ ਤਾਂ ਪਰਉਪਕਾਰੀ ॥ ਜਾਂ ਪੰਚ ਰਾਸੀ ਤਾਂ ਤੀਰਥ ਵਾਸੀ ॥

Vidi-aa Veechaaree TaaN Par-upkaaree, JaaN Panch Raasee TaaN Tirath Vaasee.

Contemplate and reflect upon knowledge, and you will become a benefactor to others. When you conquer the five passions, then you shall come to dwell at the sacred shrine of pilgrimage. -----Guru Nanak, Raag Asa, AGGS, Page, 356-14


“That sacred shrine is the Truth”

Virinder S. Grewal
Williamston, MI

 
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Really good post.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24464

I struggle with rigorous honesty all the time.

Sometimes I am dishonest to myself. I want to please everyone and want to be liked and therefore say and do things that I am sometimes uncomfortable with.

A good example of this is children out of wedlock, I find it really difficult to accept why people who are together and have children but will not marry. (yes I have been through all the debates).

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24464
My wife has a friend like this and I felt uncomfortable with her (and her partner) having too much contact with my children. I didn't say anything and kept saying it was OK, when inside it was eating me up. I consider myself very Liberal, but have a real problem with men who won't commit themselves to marriage or when they do its taken lightly.

Finally, I stated what I felt and was very honest. It caused a bit of tension between me and my wife (and maybe I am old fashioned), but I feel better for being honest. I feel better for knowing in my heart that Guruji wants us to commit to each other in public, in front of everyone, with both eyes open, with no pressure and bring children up in an environment where their parents are united.

Sometimes being rigorously honest means being true to yourself and what you believe.

Dear Randip Ji,

It is not easy to be truthful to your self. I and Manjit (My wife) talk on this subject on day to day basis and try to be truthful but still some times to make the things easy we had been untruthful.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24464

We are in between two cultures. Children born here and married to another culture is more difficult, even my three sons do have AGGS in their homes in separate rooms but only one of them reads it on daily basis and consults me every morning and talk on the subject
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24464

In the long run it helps a great deal. Thanks for sharing your personal honesty.

Cordially,

Virinder

Very interesting write up, honestly speaking. But I beg to differ that honesty is as black and white as being pregnant or not. Honesty is like the step ladder of spirituality. Honesty is not measured by the self but by the second or third person. Saying that," I am honest" is like saying "I am humble". Only the other person carries its yardstick, not the self.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24464
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24464

The core of honesty is bhavna- the true intention. Most of us who live in the US must have watched on TV an unemployed optician dad,robbing a convenience store with his 9 year old daughter by his side. He was successful and got less than two hundred dollars and one could see from the tape that he said his daughter was hungry and the money was for her and he was doing this for her. I know it is an extreme example but it shows that he was dishonest to rob but honest to do so in order to feed his daughter.

The tiller of honesty is how well we control Kaam, Krodh, Lobh, Moh, Hankaar at the same time because they tend to over lap and at times they create a tug of war within.

Thanks to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji we can find the tools how to train ourselves to be honest from all aspects all the times. It is a learning process and learning always takes time and one can not learn everything at the same time.

So in order to be absolutely honest one has to be honestly seeking the only Honest Tillerman- Ik Ong Kaar.

Tejwant Singh

Guru piayario Jios...

Modern living has made "honesty"....such a joke.
Today we are so used to lying....how many times do we decline to answer the phone by looking at the Caller ID....or tell our children/wife to lie...not at home...
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24464
Once a long long time I followed my dad to a sangat members house to collect the Gurdwara Chanda...a small child came out and told us...Mera Daddy kahendah..gyani nu kahedeh mehn ghareh nahin haiga...MY daddy told me to tell you that he is not home. Those days we didnt have Caller ID/Maids..so we had to tell the lies oursleves...now we have modern technology.
Various other forms of dishonesty are just too common..we dont even think twice about that.
Is that why the world is in a worse position than before..and we blame KALYUG for that ?? Is the time Kalyug or US !!
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24464
We are in the Speed age..where everything seesm to get speedier daily...pedestrians..to bicycles..to motor bikes..to feraris..rockets....and the Same Way....we "misread" between the lines..jump to conclusions and race to lay the blame at the other's door....oh he is "against me.." or "for me"...and neither coudl be nearer the truth !! the "for me" couldl be the one "against me"..or NEITHER.
Its mainly because the KHOT is in OURSELVES..we get the COLD FEET at being found out...real intentions discovered....while all this while we were confident of having covered our tracks...every murderer thinks he/she has committed the perfect crime..covered every track...BUT alas..not so.
I alwasy beleived that even OUR WRITING reveals our character....the writing is an outer expression fo teh inner soul....what is deep down and buried inside us..surfaces in our words..our faces..our actions..our voices...our BODY LANGUAGE...etc etc. The OUTER is a mirror image of the INSIDE..The TWO CANNOT be DIVORCED from each other...no way !! That is why Gurbani/Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji..our Gurus LIVES..everything takes both the Inside and the outside as ONE ENTITY. Which is Harder to achieve..accomplish..is STRESSED much more...what is EASIER..is left unsaid...as it is logically what will follow as the result of improving the INSIDE. For the Inside we read Gurbani..for the OUTSIDE we see and follow what the GURUS, the Sahibzadahs, the Martyrs, the Singhs, the Shaheeds, did..as PRACTICAL in their DAILY LIVES. Otherwise we can also say that the GURUS didnt do as they preached ?? NO we cant because the GURUS did exactly what they preached..Avar updesseh aap na kareh is NOT their style.

Just as a side note. I don't think it is a cultural thing.

I have many white friends to strictly believe that children should be had within marriage. I think it is about values and being true to those values.

I see such parents as putting Hankaar (their own egotism) infront of truth. We stay silent but it eats us up inside.

Regards

Dear All,

Thanks all for their comments. I want to share a little story of 1971. I was traveling with my family and flying to SFO. My son was 6 years old. At that time 5 years old could fly free. The counter clerk asked me how old is your son, I said 5. My son in front of me said, no dad I am 6. I felt so humiliated at the honesty of the young son that I will never do it again. But still in fact despite trying a little pregnancy still goes on.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24464
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24464

Virinder S. Grewal

Dear Randip ji,
Not every religious per is nor will can be spiritual. There can be very few people who are religious and spiritual, very far and between. Most religious people are arrogant and egoistic. Every religious person believes that his/her religion is THE best religion in the world. Is this not arrogant and egoist? Most religious person say there is only one God, but then one I believe is the true God. If he only thinks what he is saying then he can know.

Truthful is very hard, but very easy to preach. Most religious person doesn’t even know what is the truth. Is there one Truth? There are as many truths as the population of the world. We all have our truth. Just look at it even in one religion there are conflict among the believers. They are killing fellow believers in the name of the truth. This thing was going on from the beginning of the time and it will not change. No matter how many Gurus and prophets will come to wake us up. It is not the Guru or book can person spiritual. It will be the person who will change by him/her self. Women are more spirituals then men.
Let’s look at the problem you are having with the children born out of wedlock. Are you not judging people according to your stander? Who started this marriage thing? Was it woman for her security or man want to own the wife? Animals don’t have marriage and they do not judge other animals for not getting married. It is only the humans who judge others. The one person born out of wedlock, he is the most respected and worshiped in the world. He did not have any kingdom. He never wore a crown yet kings and famous men of the world for the last 2000 years been bowing their head to him..
You want to be honest and curse the people who don’t marry and take on the responsibility. You even make your wife life miserable just because it does not fit to your standards. Is the piece of paper is good or his word? If person’s word is not good then piece of paper is not going to be good. Looks to me you want every one to do what you think is right. Is that not controlling? Most of the time we don’t even have a heart to heart chat with the person about it and try to understand his/her situation. But we jump to condemn him/her for some thing they don’t do to our standard.
The spirituality is to respect all life not to hate. If we want him/her to live up to our values, whose values we are living upto? Sikhism do not have the monopoly on the value.
Ask others about their view on Sikhism? And you will see what they really think. But we don’t care about what others think, we just want to tell others that they are doing wrong things. If one have real friend he/she will tell you. But if you just ask any one street he/she will be polite and will not tell you what you are wrong. Just look at you’re your wife, it is you who is having bit of tension with her but she don’t tell you to change your ways. If unmarried couple living next to my house and they have kids. How will I know that they are not married? I pried into their personal life. Is that right thing to do? How doe that affect my marriage? They were fine till I come to know that they are not married. Their kids are just like my kids and they get along fine. Now that I know that they are not married and now it is not ok. Have they changed because you married? They did not say any thing to you but you are the one who changed.

To become spiritual one have to look in side. Not to judge people. Make the change from with in. Don’t try to change the world.

The same goes toward gays lesbians disable different colors and further more toward other religions.
seeker3k@gmail.com

Dear Seeker3k Ji,

Please accept my gratitude in writing your message. No one can change any one but self. I just wrote the very sentence few minutes ago.
Thanks again.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=24464

Virinder