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Is There Such Thing As Ghosts According To Sikhism?

Rani Sandhu

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Feb 7, 2009
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Hi All,

I am just curious if there is such thing as 'Ghosts' according to Sikhism? Please let me know your opinions on this topic...thanks.

Regards,

Rani:)
 

Randip Singh

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May 25, 2005
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Hi All,

I am just curious if there is such thing as 'Ghosts' according to Sikhism? Please let me know your opinions on this topic...thanks.

Regards,

Rani:)

They are used as metaphors, and there will be people who take these references in Bani as metaphors as proof of existence. As Sikhs we don't concern ourselves with such things.
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

Sawa lakh se EK larraoan
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Jul 4, 2004
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right..just metaphors....
Once a "Sikh" approached Guru Gobind Singh Ji and complained...Guru Ji..I see ghosts and demons ...
Guru Ji asked him..Do you keep Rehit...NO...
Do you ever read Gurbani,,Japji..Sohila..Sukhmani..etc....NO
Then YOU are more Ghost and Demon than any i know..says Guru Ji...

So YES..those types of ghosts and demons DO EXIST among US...Plenty of us so called SIKHS are these...

Once a person suffering from diarroehea soiled his chadar and became scared his wife would scold him.... so he bundled the chadar and threw it out of his window...it fell on to a DRUNK..walking home in the street.... as soon a s the chadar overwhelmed the drunk...he beagn to lash out wildly in all directions until he was all covered in ****... a policeman came along and asked him..whats happening.... i JUST BEAT THE **** OUT OF A GHOST..replied the drunk....:happy:
 

kds1980

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Apr 3, 2005
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Hi All,

I am just curious if there is such thing as 'Ghosts' according to Sikhism? Please let me know your opinions on this topic...thanks.

Regards,

Rani:)

Different sikh scholars have different opinion on it

Like Gyani Sant singh ji maskeen ghosts do exists while there are other sikh scholarswho do not beleive in ghosts.So I think sikhism is neither pro ghosts nor it is Anti ghosts
 

Gyani Jarnail Singh

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aad jio..
these are what makes my classes so interesting..that time flies....
no one is ever bored.....since my gurbani vichaar/history classes run continuously for 4-6 hours non stop....i need these to liven things up..as well as get my point across...pointedly !!(pun intended)...so i have a large collection....my dad was one up on me..he could compose poetry on the spot to explain the point...i just cant do that..sad..because his two liners..or limericks in punjabi are hilarious....so many would get tummy aches from laughing so much...thats why he was a much better teacher than me..i really miss him.....god took him early..much too early..hukm.:happy:
 

dalsingh

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Jun 12, 2006
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I think Panjabi folk culture has a strong belief in such things. I remember my grandma telling us really "out there" ghost stories that both captivated and scared the cr4p out of me! She was illiterate and such tales were common back then. I remember once (about 10 years ago) telling a particular story to my mates and then one of them asking where my family were from. When I told him he said he knew the story was bullcrap because his own grandma told him the identical story.

Both grandmas claimed to have witnessed the incident even though they lived at opposite ends of the Panjab.

As for Sikhi and ghosts - I think that it is a point of view. From my (limited) understanding overall Sikhi doesn't dwell on ghosts (pooths or preth in Panjabi), although it could be one of the 84 million forms. What becomes unhealthy is that often superstitious families will blame such things for negative events that take place (such as a miscarriage or divorce) and promptly run to some Sant-Baba type for a solution. Often they are fleeced or become akin to members of cults in the process.

Really striking use of ghost imagery is used more extensively in the Dasam Granth, where ghosts are often portrayed as stalking the battlefields. I personally do not believe we are to take such things literally.
 

Tejwant Singh

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In our Indian culture especially in the Punjabi culture, the denial of mental problems that one may have invented bhoots and bad spirits. As the majority of the population was illitrate, hence could not read nor write, everything was passed down orally and when this happens it is like the 'telephone game', what is said to the first person totally changes when it gets to the 30th one. And here we are talking about millions of people and quite a few generations. That's why the culture Sadhus, most of them fake had a lot to do in shaping the uneducated culture of India. The people depended on others so called " educated charlatans" and whatever bizzarre stories they said were trusted as truth and passed on to the next generations.

One can see the perfect example of this in Kabir's Salok beautifully interpreted by Aad ji which I have posted at the bottom of this post.

All these Bhoots and evil spirits were invented by these kind of Sadhus that Kabir ji is talking about.

Thanks to Guru Nanak, we can get rid of this kind of belief system only through Shabad Vichar.

Tejwant Singh

ਕਬੀਰ ਪਰਦੇਸੀ ਕੈ ਘਾਘਰੈ ਚਹੁ ਦਿਸਿ ਲਾਗੀ ਆਗਿ
कबीर परदेसी कै घाघरै चहु दिसि लागी आगि ॥
Kabīr parḏesī kai gẖāgẖrai cẖahu ḏis lāgī āg.
Kabeer, the robe of the stranger-soul has caught fire on all four sides.

ਖਿੰਥਾ ਜਲਿ ਕੋਇਲਾ ਭਈ ਤਾਗੇ ਆਂਚ ਲਾਗ ॥੪੭॥
खिंथा जलि कोइला भई तागे आंच न लाग ॥४७॥
Kẖinthā jal ko▫ilā bẖa▫ī ṯāge āʼncẖ na lāg. ||47||
The cloth of the body has been burnt and reduced to charcoal, but the fire did not touch the thread of the soul. ||47||

ਕਬੀਰ ਖਿੰਥਾ ਜਲਿ ਕੋਇਲਾ ਭਈ ਖਾਪਰੁ ਫੂਟ ਮਫੂਟ
कबीर खिंथा जलि कोइला भई खापरु फूट मफूट ॥
Kabīr kẖinthā jal ko▫ilā bẖa▫ī kẖāpar fūt mafūt.
Kabeer, the cloth has been burnt and reduced to charcoal, and the begging bowl is shattered into pieces.

ਜੋਗੀ ਬਪੁੜਾ ਖੇਲਿਓ ਆਸਨਿ ਰਹੀ ਬਿਭੂਤਿ ॥੪੮॥
जोगी बपुड़ा खेलिओ आसनि रही बिभूति ॥४८॥
Jogī bapuṛā kẖeli▫o āsan rahī bibẖūṯ. ||48||
The poor Yogi has played out his game; only ashes remain on his seat. ||48||

"The robe of the stranger-soul:" The robe is the flesh, muscle and bone -- this can also mean the false ego or false self which entangles us in avidya, or ignorance of the true self. As long as we persist in attachment to products of our own thinking, our soul remains a stranger. We are estranged from our true identity. But when the robe is burnt the soul is untouched, unharmed. The soul is immortal, durable and pure. The soul can join with What is Great (Al Kabir).

There is a repeated metaphor of a thread that weaves through the soul, joins the soul to What is Great (making a jug with something better than the pretentiousness of our false self) because "the fire did not touch the thread of the soul."

The begging bowl is the sign of the humility of the Yogi. But Kabir is telling us that this begging bowl describes the pretense and self-delusion of the Yogi. The Yogi's identity or false self is all tied up in the image of poverty, humility and renunciation. But to what end? The Yogi will also die, leaving a pile of ashes where he sits. And what seat is that? The seat from which the sadhus would preach to others, even while they were entangled in their own avidya and delusions. The yogi dies and all of his samskara (mental formations, habits, and experiences) attach to him regardless. There is a better way.

Some notes: George Wescott, a fellow of Allahabad University, relates in 1907 that Kabir himself believed that meditation of the Naam was the only path to release from the cycle of life and death. At the time of his arrest at the age of 60 the Qazi (Sheik Taqqi) accused him of claiming to have Divine powers. Brahmins accused him of defying sacred traditions. When the emperor Jodhan banished Kabir rather than having him executed for heresy, the same Brahmins may have tried to burn him alive in a hut (the robe of the stranger-soul has caught fire on all four sides). The yogi he speaks of may have been Gorath Nath who was the founder of the Nath yogi sect (The poor Yogi has played out his game).

http://www.sikhism.us/gurmat-vichaa...ni-contemplation-selok-bhagat-kabir-ji-6.html

__________________

 
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dalsingh

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Jun 12, 2006
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In our Indian culture especially in the Punjabi culture, the denial of mental problems that one may have invented bhoots and bad spirits.

Definitely a factor!!! I've heard families speaking of "possessions" and the symptoms seem absolutely identical to some form of schizophrenia.
 

sahota4eva

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Aug 6, 2010
1
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Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ke Fateh .. Freind, Do Not Worry Because The Guru Ji's Are Following Every Step Along With You .. Although If You Are Really Really Concerned As Such Things Then I Would Reccomend You To Spread Amrit Around Your Whole House And Apply Paat (Prayer). I Would Prefer The Sukhmani Sahib Ji Because This Paat Is Available Throughout The Whole Day. You Can Read It Yourself, Get A Dear Sevadaar Or Play The Paat On A Digital Device. If You Are Not A Amrit-Tari Then I Would Strongly Tell You To Follow God's Rules For At Least A Week Or Month. After All These Steps Have Been Followed Then Hopefully The Evil Spirits/Energy's Should Be Gone,If Not Then I Am Telling You To Go To A Proffesional. I Hope My Advice Helped. (If This Did Not Help Than Pardon Me I Am Only 11)
 

spnadmin

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Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ke Fateh .. Freind, Do Not Worry Because The Guru Ji's Are Following Every Step Along With You .. Although If You Are Really Really Concerned As Such Things Then I Would Reccomend You To Spread Amrit Around Your Whole House And Apply Paat (Prayer). I Would Prefer The Sukhmani Sahib Ji Because This Paat Is Available Throughout The Whole Day. You Can Read It Yourself, Get A Dear Sevadaar Or Play The Paat On A Digital Device. If You Are Not A Amrit-Tari Then I Would Strongly Tell You To Follow God's Rules For At Least A Week Or Month. After All These Steps Have Been Followed Then Hopefully The Evil Spirits/Energy's Should Be Gone,If Not Then I Am Telling You To Go To A Proffesional. I Hope My Advice Helped. (If This Did Not Help Than Pardon Me I Am Only 11)

sahota4eva ji

I strongly recommend that you study the Sikh Rehat Maryada in order to reorient yourself as to the fundamentals of Sikhism. Starting with the notion of spreading amrit aruond the house, recitation of paat for the clearing of ghosts, or following "god;s rules" to the same end. These suggestions, for the benefit of innocent readers, are not consistent with the teachings of Guru Nanak who devoted his life from childhood to clearing the veil of superstition, ritual and fear of the supernatural from the minds, hearts and lives of any and all he contacted. Sikhism is not a fear-based religion.

Here is the rehat. Section 4 is most relevant to the part of the thread. Thanks http://www.searchsikhism.com/rehat.html
 

spnadmin

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sahota4eva ji

I strongly recommend that you study the Sikh Rehat Maryada in order to reorient yourself as to the fundamentals of Sikhism. Starting with the notion of spreading amrit aruond the house, recitation of paat for the clearing of ghosts, or following "god's rules" to the same end. These suggestions, for the benefit of innocent readers, are not consistent with the teachings of Guru Nanak who devoted his life from childhood to clearing the veil of superstition, ritual and fear of the supernatural from the minds, hearts and lives of any and all he contacted. Sikhism is not a fear-based religion.

Here is the rehat. Section 4 is most relevant to the part of the thread. Thanks http://www.searchsikhism.com/rehat.html

randomsikh ji

Please reread the above. Thanks. The answer to your question is not a matter of opinion.
 
Jan 6, 2005
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Earthbound Entities

Earthbound entities

By: James Van Praagh
( From his book : "REACHING HEAVEN" - A spiritual journey through life and death )


Once the spirit has shed its physical vehicle, it resides in its etheric
counterpart. In this state the spirit has an immediate feeling of peace and
freedom. likewise, there is a strong sense of lightness and buoyancy because the
weight and gravity of the physical body no longer exist. The spirit remains in
this gray, misty etheric double for a very brief time, perhaps just moments,
before the etheric sheath is shed and the spirit moves into its astral form. In a
way you could say that the etheric sheath is a bridge from the physical to the
astral. In most cases this transition is swift.

However, when a spirit is very close to its family and is not ready to accept the
fact that it is dead, the earthly ties become a type of entrapment. In such a
situation a spirit will stay very close to its corpse. Often, it will make futile
attempts to communicate with family members. it is quite common for this type of
spirit to attend its own funeral. Many times this act helps a spirit to realize it
is no longer a part of a physical existence.
By then it is finally ready to move onward to its spiritual home. occasionally, however, a spirit gets "stuck" and
becomes what is referred to as "earthbound." Often it is a person's belief system
in life that keeps him "earthbound" after death. let me explain what i mean by a
person's belief system.

Once upon a time there was a man named bill, who lived on the planet earth. He was
an agnostic; he had no religious or spiritual beliefs. Bill was certain of only
what he experienced. his attitude was, "when you die, you die. There is nothing
more." During his life bill was solely concerned with two things: himself and his
possessions. His main purpose in life was to accumulate as much money and as many
possessions as possible, even if it was through exploitation of or detriment to
others.

One day bill dies and awakens on the other side. He quickly realizes that he is
not really "dead," just in another, lighter form. however, he still possesses his
earthly, materialistic mind-set. With great impatience he tries to hold on to his
possessions, only to find that he cannot. he does not understand that the etheric,
gray, dull mist in which he is engulfed is a mere shadow of his former physical
world. Unaware and unprepared, bill continues to roam the earth as a ghost,
visiting his house and contacting his family in an attempt to communicate with
them. this "in-between" state may last a few hours, months, or even years,
depending on bill's desire to leave the physical behind and move into the astral
or higher realms. fortunately, none of us have to go through the same etheric
entanglement as bill if we maintain some sort of higher spiritual awareness.

A few years ago, my knowledge of earthbound entities came to me first hand
through a friend. mike was a college professor who taught world history. He was so
rational that he could not be convinced that the spirit world existed. mike knew
the type of work i did and even sat in some of my seances, but he didn't believe
in any of it. Even when i conveyed messages from several of his deceased
relatives, he didn't give them much credence. looking back, i realize now that he
sat in those seances merely to appease me. during the course of our friendship,
mike was diagnosed with a terminal disease and became quite despondent. I
reassured him time after time that life doesn't end, but nothing i said helped him
to rest easy. in time he became bitter and reclusive.

Mike died not long after his terminal diagnosis. two days after his transition, he
paid me a visit from the spirit side. I remember it vividly. It was early morning,
and i was suddenly awakened by the appearance of a six-foot etheric body
shimmering at the foot of my bed. I couldn't get over how real mike looked, even
down to his blond hair. he stared at me, then telepathically asked, "am i dead?" i
sent back my thought, "yes, mike, you are." he replied, "thanks." On that note he
disappeared. Immediately following his departure, i perceived the presence of an
african woman dressed in incredible tribal robes. i knew instinctively that she
was one of mike's spiritual guides. i heard her say to me, "thank you. he had to
hear it from someone he knew." then she, too, vanished into the ether.
The sad thing is that the world is filled with earthbound entities. Some, like
mike, realize right away that they are "stuck" and quickly move into the spirit
world. some aren't so fortunate. these earthbound entities roam the physical plane
and "haunt" the living by influencing weak-minded humans. They are "caught" in
between the world of the flesh and the world of spirit. it is unfortunate that our
restrictive and rigid belief systems don't die when we leave the physical body.
Instead, these convictions prove themselves true on the other side.

Earthbound conditions can also occur if a person passes out of the body violently.
Here again, a spirit is lost because it is unprepared and doesn't realize what has
occurred. In many situations like this, a spirit will often continue to do what it
did on earth until it realizes that the body is dead, and it has passed to the
other side. spirits have often expressed anger at such untimely deaths; some even
want revenge. fortunately, there are spiritual beings whose job is to help these
lost spirits cross over to the higher expression of life.

The transition from the physical world to the spirit world is natural and
painless. however, our culture has built this event into one of immense fear,
and people are not properly prepared for it. This causes spirits to become earthbound
because they don't know where they are when they get there. that is why it is so
important that we gain an understanding of the phenomenon of death - so that
everyone's transition will be easy gentle, and complete. We need only grasp that
death is a doorway to life everlasting, and that there is more to come.

( Chapter 4: pages from 42 to 45 )
 

Tejwant Singh

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Jun 30, 2004
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Re: Earthbound Entities

This James Vaan Praagh is the biggest fraudster ever existed. He was exposed by 60 Minutes on CBS. He claims to talk to the dead. He was caught having 'feelers' waiting in line with the people who wanted to know about their dead relatives. He got the information about them before hand through his feelers. One just have to Google his name and his fraudulent actions will show up.

I would urge the Administration to request the content masters to vet the authors,especially who claim to talk to the dead, before posting any articles from them.

Thanks

Tejwant Singh
 

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