[Edit] Some of the wording used in the write up below may not be my own, can't remember how I stitched it together, sorry. Treat it author anonymous. It's not produced as an authoritative document per se, but more of a contemporary society artefact at a time when Sikhism was in its cradle. Because it has a profound meaning, I thought it worthy to share.
It must have been 40 years or so when I first came across the term philosopher's stone. I remember reading an article about the philosopher's stone in a newspaper, somewhere in France. I was excited and eager to learn more. The information was mind blowing, and left me bewildered. Looking back now, it all makes sense why.
The article to the best of my recollection was something along the lines...a young spinster woman met a handsome young man at a gathering, who was unknown or unseen before, a complete stranger. Other then the magical chemistry across a crowed room, there was something else, something more bizarre and unexplainable. She was drawn to this man like flux to a magnet. Nothing came of their meeting other than an informal silence breaking social chit chat before they went their separate ways at the end of the gathering. That's not all, claimed the girl, she met the same stranger at a dinner n dance some decades later when she nearly fainted. Why ? Because he hadn't aged a day since they last met and she, albeit the same woman, aged, frail and gracefully greyed. And, he, the young n handsome who took her fancy remained ever so green.
The man, it said possessed the philosopher's stone.
For me it was this yearning, this quest to find out what the philosopher's stone was and whether it could be found for real.
The philosopher's stone is an ancient symbol of the perfected and evergreen man whose divine nature shines through a chain of purified and unfolding events. As the rough diamond is dull and lifeless when first removed from the earth's crust, so is the spiritual nature of man in its fallen state reveal, little if any, its inherent luminosity. Just as in the hand of the skilful gem cutter is the shapeless stone transformed into a sparkling gem, so too is the soul of man upon the lathe of the divine being grounded and polished until it reflects the glory of its creator.
The perfecting of the diamond soul through philosophical and alchemical art was the Great Works of the ancient past. The philosopher's stone is a legendary substance, supposedly capable of turning inexpensive metals into gold, the alchemist. It was sometimes believed to be an elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and possibly for achieving immortality. For a long time, it was the most sought-after goal in western alchemy. To the mystic, the philosopher's stone is perfect love, which transmutes the ordinary into extra-ordinary and resurrects the dead from the brink of extinction.
In philosophy, the stone of the wise man is to find the absolute in the infinite, the never changing, the never ageing, the never dying and the ever-lasting secret of life. Some speak of the Holy Grail as being the Philosopher's stone, for it is all spiritual, the wisdom of the saints, sages and philosophers. He who possesses the philosopher's stone possesses "truth" [satnam], the greatest of all the treasures, and is therefore rich beyond the calculation of man. He is immortal because reason takes no account of death and is healed of ignorance. The philosopher's stone is divine power, which all seek but few find.
In this manner of speaking, the philosopher's stone is spiritual, which will impart it's true nature and perfection to all it comes in contact with. Guru Arjun Dev Ji describes it as ਗੁਰਿ ਨਾਨਕਿ ਅੰਗਦੁ ਵਰ੍ਯ੍ਯਉ ਗੁਰਿ ਅੰਗਦਿ ਅਮਰ ਨਿਧਾਨੁ ॥ ਗੁਰਿ ਰਾਮਦਾਸ ਅਰਜੁਨੁ ਵਰ੍ਯ੍ਯਉ ਪਾਰਸੁ ਪਰਸੁ ਪ੍ਰਮਾਣੁ ॥੪॥ 1407 SGGSJ [translation: Guru Nanak passed it to Angad, Angad to Amardas, Amardas to Ramdas and Ramdas to Arjun - touching their feet, I Arjun, have become like them, the philosopher's stone]. In succession thereafter, it remained with the final master, Guru Gobind Singh, who before his departure from the physical plane, bestowed all of the majesty and wonder of the philosopher's stone unto Guru Granth Sahib.
The Sikh devotees begin the day early in the morning with the inauguration of Guru Granth Sahib in the palanquin, where they anoint it with perfume, put to bed in the evening, spread canopy over it and cover it with beautiful rumallas and shower flowers on it. This process has transformed Guru Granth Sahib into Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji [SGGSJ]. Such love, devotion, and precious facts have transformed the Bani into Guru, the philosopher's stone.
It must have been 40 years or so when I first came across the term philosopher's stone. I remember reading an article about the philosopher's stone in a newspaper, somewhere in France. I was excited and eager to learn more. The information was mind blowing, and left me bewildered. Looking back now, it all makes sense why.
The article to the best of my recollection was something along the lines...a young spinster woman met a handsome young man at a gathering, who was unknown or unseen before, a complete stranger. Other then the magical chemistry across a crowed room, there was something else, something more bizarre and unexplainable. She was drawn to this man like flux to a magnet. Nothing came of their meeting other than an informal silence breaking social chit chat before they went their separate ways at the end of the gathering. That's not all, claimed the girl, she met the same stranger at a dinner n dance some decades later when she nearly fainted. Why ? Because he hadn't aged a day since they last met and she, albeit the same woman, aged, frail and gracefully greyed. And, he, the young n handsome who took her fancy remained ever so green.
The man, it said possessed the philosopher's stone.
For me it was this yearning, this quest to find out what the philosopher's stone was and whether it could be found for real.
The philosopher's stone is an ancient symbol of the perfected and evergreen man whose divine nature shines through a chain of purified and unfolding events. As the rough diamond is dull and lifeless when first removed from the earth's crust, so is the spiritual nature of man in its fallen state reveal, little if any, its inherent luminosity. Just as in the hand of the skilful gem cutter is the shapeless stone transformed into a sparkling gem, so too is the soul of man upon the lathe of the divine being grounded and polished until it reflects the glory of its creator.
The perfecting of the diamond soul through philosophical and alchemical art was the Great Works of the ancient past. The philosopher's stone is a legendary substance, supposedly capable of turning inexpensive metals into gold, the alchemist. It was sometimes believed to be an elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and possibly for achieving immortality. For a long time, it was the most sought-after goal in western alchemy. To the mystic, the philosopher's stone is perfect love, which transmutes the ordinary into extra-ordinary and resurrects the dead from the brink of extinction.
In philosophy, the stone of the wise man is to find the absolute in the infinite, the never changing, the never ageing, the never dying and the ever-lasting secret of life. Some speak of the Holy Grail as being the Philosopher's stone, for it is all spiritual, the wisdom of the saints, sages and philosophers. He who possesses the philosopher's stone possesses "truth" [satnam], the greatest of all the treasures, and is therefore rich beyond the calculation of man. He is immortal because reason takes no account of death and is healed of ignorance. The philosopher's stone is divine power, which all seek but few find.
In this manner of speaking, the philosopher's stone is spiritual, which will impart it's true nature and perfection to all it comes in contact with. Guru Arjun Dev Ji describes it as ਗੁਰਿ ਨਾਨਕਿ ਅੰਗਦੁ ਵਰ੍ਯ੍ਯਉ ਗੁਰਿ ਅੰਗਦਿ ਅਮਰ ਨਿਧਾਨੁ ॥ ਗੁਰਿ ਰਾਮਦਾਸ ਅਰਜੁਨੁ ਵਰ੍ਯ੍ਯਉ ਪਾਰਸੁ ਪਰਸੁ ਪ੍ਰਮਾਣੁ ॥੪॥ 1407 SGGSJ [translation: Guru Nanak passed it to Angad, Angad to Amardas, Amardas to Ramdas and Ramdas to Arjun - touching their feet, I Arjun, have become like them, the philosopher's stone]. In succession thereafter, it remained with the final master, Guru Gobind Singh, who before his departure from the physical plane, bestowed all of the majesty and wonder of the philosopher's stone unto Guru Granth Sahib.
The Sikh devotees begin the day early in the morning with the inauguration of Guru Granth Sahib in the palanquin, where they anoint it with perfume, put to bed in the evening, spread canopy over it and cover it with beautiful rumallas and shower flowers on it. This process has transformed Guru Granth Sahib into Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji [SGGSJ]. Such love, devotion, and precious facts have transformed the Bani into Guru, the philosopher's stone.
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