Creation

[missraagni]

I am doing R.S GCSE and the topic is creation of the world. My school is mainly dominated by muslims and christians so all our R.S. GSCEs are based on their beliefs. I respect their beliefs but I don't agree with them. My teacher said in the ten years she had been teaching at my school I was the first person who knew the most about Sikhism. This is quite disheartening beacuse I am not an expert at all.

What is the Sikhi side of creation? I believe in the big bang and evolution. But I don't believe in the genesis story and that. How can I do a GCSE and write a load of stuff I personally don't believe in? Please help!

[OhTwadi]

wonders of search feature :lol: took me under 5 mins

http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?showto...amp;hl=creation

http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?showto...amp;hl=creation

http://www.sikhsangat.com/index.php?showto...amp;hl=creation

[SikherOfTheNaam]

Vaaheguroo Jee Kaa Khaalsaa Vaaheguroo Jee kee Fateh!

Hey :lol:

As far as i know the creation story for sikhi is that Maharaj was meditating before the beginning of time and then in an instant he created the world - in the form of the big bang. He added maya to the world and allowed evolution of humankind over the years and we are where we are today. I also do not believe in the story of genesis however, God gave christians that story to believe in and we have ours :T:

Hope this helps,

Khalsa 123

[natsilahk]

Vaaheguroo Jee Kaa Khaalsaa Vaaheguroo Jee kee Fateh!

Hey :lol:

As far as i know the creation story for sikhi is that Maharaj was meditating before the beginning of time and then in an instant he created the world - in the form of the big bang. He added maya to the world and allowed evolution of humankind over the years and we are where we are today. I also do not believe in the story of genesis however, God gave christians that story to believe in and we have ours :T:

Hope this helps,

Khalsa 123

This sounds a little far-fetched and abstract. It's simply putting "God" in the place where we "lack knowledge." Just because we do not know an answer, does not mean God created it.

And if God created evolution and millions of years later humans were born, we have no need to meditiate/think/pray/connect with God.

I feel like Sikhi really doesn't try to answer this question. GGS is a book of life, not a history book.

[dalsingh101]

Vaaheguroo Jee Kaa Khaalsaa Vaaheguroo Jee kee Fateh!

Hey :lol:

As far as i know the creation story for sikhi is that Maharaj was meditating before the beginning of time and then in an instant he created the world - in the form of the big bang. He added maya to the world and allowed evolution of humankind over the years and we are where we are today. I also do not believe in the story of genesis however, God gave christians that story to believe in and we have ours :T:

Hope this helps,

Khalsa 123

Christians, Jews and Muslims all share a belief in that story. We have to be careful in saying that God gave them that story, I don't know why God would want to lie to them.

The fact we have strong evidence against Adam and Eve theory in the face of hundreds of fossilised dinosaur remains says it all to me.

To the original poster:

The following links may help. I haven't checked them all out, so use your judgement. The first is a video clip.

http://intiation-for-sikhism.blogspot.com/...f-universe.html

Also:

Sikh

For millions upon millions, countless years was spread darkness,

When existed neither earth nor heaven, but only the limitless Divine Ordinance.

Then existed neither day or night, nor sun or moon;

As the Creator was absorbed in an unbroken trance.

Existed then neither forms of creation, nor of speech; neither wind nor water.

Neither was creation or disappearance or transmigration.

Then were not continents, neither regions, the seven seas, nor rivers with water flowing.

Existed then neither heaven or the mortal world or the nether world;

Neither hell or heaven or time that destroys.

Hell and heaven, birth and death were then not--none arrived or departed.

Then were not Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva:

None other than the Sole Lord was visible.

Neither existed then female or male, or caste and birth--

None suffering and joy received.

Unknowable Himself, was He the source of all utterance; Himself the unknowable unmanifested.

As it pleased Him, the world He created;

Without a supporting power the expanse He sustained.

Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva He created and to maya-attachment gave increase.

(To a rare one was the Master's Word imparted.)

Himself He made His Ordinance operative and watched over it:

Creating continents, spheres and nether worlds, the hidden He made manifest.

Creating the universe Himself, He has remained unattached.

The compassionate Lord too has made the holy center [the human being].

Combining air, water, and fire, He created the citadel of the body.

The Creator fashioned the Nine Abodes [of sensation];

In the Tenth [the superconscious mind] is lodged the Lord, unknowable, limitless.

The illimitable Lord in His unattributed state of void assumed might;

He, the infinite One, remaining detached:

Displaying his power, He himself from the void created inanimate things.

From the unattributed void were created air and water.

Raising creation, He dwells as monarch in the citadel of the body.

Lord! In the fire and water [of the body] exists Thy light;

In Thy [original] state of void was lodged [unmanifest] the power of creation.

Also:

“The Creator created himself ... And created all creation in which He is manifest. You Yourself the bumble-bee, flower, fruit and the tree. You Yourself the water, desert, ocean and the pond. You Yourself are the big fish, tortoise and the Cause of causes. Your form cannot be known.” (1016)

ARC Home > Faiths and Ecology > Sikhism > Sikh statement :

Sikh Faith Statement

“Creating the world, God has made it a place to practice spirituality.” —Guru Granth Sahib (1035)

This statement was compiled under the guidance of Sri Singh Sahib Manjit Singh, the Jathedar of Anandapur, who is one of the five spiritual and temporal heads of Sikhism; and Sri Akhal Takhat Sahib, his deputy.

The Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, declares that the purpose of human beings is to achieve a blissful state and to be in harmony with the earth and all creation. It seems, however, that humans have drifted away from that ideal. For the earth is today saturated with problems. It is agonizing over the fate of its inhabitants and their future! It is in peril as never before. Its lakes and rivers are being choked, killing its marine life. Its forests are being denuded. A smoky haze envelops the cities of the world. Human beings are exploiting human beings.

The Sense of Crisis

There is a sense of crisis in all parts of the world, in various countries and among various peoples. The demands of national economic growth and individual needs and desires are depleting the natural resources of the earth.

There is serious concern that the earth may no longer be a sustainable biosystem. The major crises facing the earth—the social justice crisis and the environmental crisis—together are heading the earth toward a disastrous situation. The social justice crisis is caused by humanity’s confrontation with itself and the environmental crisis is caused by humanity’s confrontation with nature.

The social justice crisis is that poverty, hunger, disease, exploitation, and injustice are widespread. There are economic wars over resources and markets.

A Sikh theologian, Kapur Singh, explains that Sikhism has three postulates implicit in its teachings:

*There is no essential duality between spirit and matter.

*Humans have the capacity to consciously participate in the process of spiritual progression.

*The highest goal of spiritual progression is harmony with God, while remaining earth-conscious, so that the world itself may be transformed to a spiritual plane of existence.

The rights of the poor and the marginal are violated. Women, constituting half the world’s population, have their rights abused.

The environmental crisis caused by humanity’s exploitation of nature is leading to the depletion of renewable resources, destruction of forests, and overuse of land for agriculture and habitation. Today pollution is contaminating air, land, and water. Smoke from industries, homes, and vehicles is in the air. Industrial waste and consumer trash is affecting streams and rivers, ponds and lakes. Much of the waste is a product of modern technology; it is not biodegradable and not reusable, and its long-term consequences are unknown. The viability of many animal and plant species, and possibly that of the human species itself, is at stake.

A Sikh Solution

This crisis cries out for an immediate and urgent solution. The crisis requires going back to the basic question of the purpose of human beings in this universe and an understanding of ourselves and God’s creation.

We are called to the vision of Guru Nanak which is a World Society comprising God- conscious human beings who have realized God. To these spiritual beings the earth and the universe are sacred; all life is unity, and their mission is the spiritualization of all.

Guru Nanak laid the foundation of Sikhism in the late fifteenth century. His writings, along with those of other human Gurus who succeeded him and of other spiritual leaders, are included in the scripture known as Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Granth has been the Guru and Divine Master of the Sikhs since 1708, when Guru Gobind Singh declared that there would be no more human Gurus. Guru Nanak and his successors during their lifetime worked toward creating an ideal society that has as its basis spiritual awareness and ethical integrity. The name “Sikh” means disciple or learner of the Truth.

Guru Nanak in his philosophy states that the reality that humans create around themselves is a reflection of their inner state. The current instability of the natural system of the earth—the external environment of human beings—is only a reflection of the instability and pain within humans. The increasing barrenness of the earth’s terrain is a reflection of the emptiness within humans.

The solution to problems manifest in our world lies in prayer and in accepting God’s hukam. It is difficult to translate certain Sikh concepts accurately. Hukam is one such concept—it may be best described as a combination of God’s will, order, and system. With an attitude of humility, and surrender to the Divine Spirit, conscientious human beings can seek to redress the current crises of the environment and of social justice. In the Sikh Way this is done through the guidance of the Guru, who is the Divine Master and messenger of God.

Quoted passages below are taken from the Guru Granth Sahib.

Unity of spirit and matter and the interconnectedness of all creation

The Sikh view is that spirit and matter are not antagonistic. Guru Nanak declared that the spirit is the only reality and matter is only a form of spirit.

Spirit takes on many forms and names under various conditions:

“When I saw truly, I knew that all was primeval.

Nanak, the subtle [spirit] and the gross [material] are, in fact, identical. (281)

That which is inside a person, the same is outside; nothing else exists.

By divine prompting look upon all existence as one and undifferentiated; the same light penetrates all existence. (599)

The chasm between the material and the spiritual is in the minds of humans only. It is a limitation of the human condition that spirit and matter appear as duality, and their unity is not self-evident.

The material universe is God’s creation. Its origin was in God and its end is in God, and it operates within God’s hukam. Guru Nanak declares that God alone knows the reasons for and the moment of earth’s creation. The origin of the universe is unknowable. The act of creation itself, the creation of the primeval atom, was instantaneous, caused by the Will of God.

Further descriptions of the universe and its creation in Sikh scripture are remarkably similar to recent scientific speculation about the universe and its origin. One of the basic hymns in the Sikh scripture, which may be called the Hymn of the Genesis, describes the indeterminate void before the existence of this universe.

Limitless Galaxies

Guru Nanak speaks of innumerable galaxies, of a limitless universe, the boundaries of which are beyond human ability to comprehend. God alone knows the extent of creation.

God created the universe and the world, for reasons best known to Him. And being the results of God’s actions all parts of the universe are holy. God is an all-pervasive being manifest through various elements of creation.

Having created this universe and the world, God directs them. All actions take place within God’s hukam. God alone knows how and why. God, however, not only directs this vast and massive theater, but also watches over with care and kindness—the benign, supportive parent!

”Men, trees, pilgrimage places, banks of sacred streams, clouds, fields. Islands, spheres, universes, continents, solar systems. The sources of creation, egg-born, womb-born, earth-born, sweat-born, oceans, mountains and sentient beings. He, the Lord, knows their condition, O Nanak. Nanak, having created beings, the lord takes care of them all. The Creator who created the world, He takes thought of it as well”. (466)

[missraagni]

Vaaheguroo Jee Kaa Khaalsaa Vaaheguroo Jee kee Fateh!

Hey :lol:

As far as i know the creation story for sikhi is that Maharaj was meditating before the beginning of time and then in an instant he created the world - in the form of the big bang. He added maya to the world and allowed evolution of humankind over the years and we are where we are today. I also do not believe in the story of genesis however, God gave christians that story to believe in and we have ours :T:

Hope this helps,

Khalsa 123

Thank you for replying! But I don't understand, what was Maharaj meditating on? As humans we meditate on God so would Maharaj be meditating on himself?

[The_Perfect_Student]

We are all part of One God. He was in Smadhi (deep meditation on Himself- just Pure Energy). (From within His Light, He caused the first vibration by thinking “I am God, I am Truth ‘Sat’”. (Science says that was 15 billions years ago) this caused the Big Bang, from His Light and Word (I am Truth) emerged physical matter – the Universe). The Big Bang split (Him - the Supreme Energy) into thousands of pieces. He started the life of micro-organisms and the top of the pyramid of life is Man. In this life is our destiny (to realise the Truth of our existance). But, listening to the worldy mind and looking at the illusion of Maya don't get trapped. baba ji....

dust of your feet

[Khalsa4ever]

Waheguroo jee ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo jee kee Fateh!

Effectively, its the theory that fits with the current science on the subject.

SGGS jee explains that the big bang occurred, except where in science we would call it "energy" (as in all the energy concentrated up, exploded, began to form matter over time), we call it "God".

(ps: note that sikhi says that God is energy? coincidence? )

Waheguroo jee ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo jee kee Fateh!

[SikherOfTheNaam]

Dear Sangat jee,

I am sorry for causing such commotion with my post on how the unvierse began, i didn't intend to post my views and to cause some sort of creative discussion, i stated my views on what i had heard and researched after all im learning to join the path one day. Clearly my points are wrong and i apologise for this. I would like to stress i haven't made those points up myself and i feel im being attacked because of it.

I'm sorry if i have offended anyone, as this wasn't my purpose.

Thanks, Khalsa 123

[Ik-Oun-Kaar]

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru Ji Ke Fateh

sorry i didn't read any of the replies

but the big bang theory isn't correct

only Vaheguru Ji knows how everything was created because Vaheguru Ji created it

Vaheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Vaheguru Ji Ke Fateh