"Earth teaches us patience and love. Air teaches us mobility. Fire teaches us warmth and courage. Sky teaches us equality and broad mindedness. Water teaches us purity and cleanliness." panna 1018, Guru Granth Sahib
A sacred love of nature, the earth and all its totality, is central to the sikh spiritual vision.
Throughout the Guru Granth Sahib, the central written expression of sikh ethical belief and philosophy, the language of nature is widely and abundantly used. This is both to directly glorify nature and to metaphorically talk about the conduct of the human species - "be like the duck, whose wings are constantly struck by water but never become wet". Nature is great and beautiful. It is the provider of all the essentials of life - air, water, soil, sunshine and more. Without nature there would be no life.
Nature, the planet, and many more planetary systems have not just come about by accidental or self-propelled 'evolution'. They represent a vast jigsaw, in a perfect equilibirium. Each part connects to the other, creating a greater whole. Day followed by night. Rain followed by dryness. Sunshine followed by cloudiness. High and low temperatures. Many diverse creatires. Many different vegetation and plants. Each functioning in a perfect harmony and coherence, sometimes not understood nor appreciated by the human species whose knowledge is limited and often defined by scientific and techonological-material exploitation.
According to Sikhi, the comprehensive infinitude of nature, planets and multiple solar systems; is beyond the 'dominion' of human society. There are vastly more things about life, which the human mind doesn't not know nor recognise, much less appreciate. Few amongst the humans have the willingness to accept the unexplained beauty, coherence and uniqueness of nature. Why is the sky blue? Why is the sun yellow? Why is water colourless? Few are prepared to accept nature for what it is, and embrace its benevolence without condition or question.
According to the Sikh vision, the planet with its natural processes and vast network of life, is the product of a great benevolent force. This 'godly' being, has created, nourished and, will ultimately, dissolve the earth. The earth is a sacred being, representing a vast and interconnected 'thread of life'. It works and functions as a living being, according to the natural laws and features affixed to it, by the central creative force - the "womb of creation".
According to the Sikh vision, the planet with its natural processes and vast network of life, is the product of a great benevolent force. This 'godly' being, has created, nourished and, will ultimately, dissolve the earth. The earth is a sacred being, representing a vast and interconnected 'thread of life'. It works and functions as a living being, according to the natural laws and features affixed to it, by the central creative force - the "womb of creation".
"womb of the great mother earth gives birth to all"
Guru Granth Sahib, panna 1020
"Wonderful are the winds, and the waters, and the fires that play wonders. Wonderful is the earth, and the sources of its production."
Asa di Vaar, Guru Nanak, Guru Granth Sahib
Asa di Vaar, Guru Nanak, Guru Granth Sahib
NATURE IN THE Guru Granth Sahib -
The language of the Guru Granth Sahib is very nature and earth centred. The term 'har' is repeatedly used to refer to the great force of life, the one godly source from which all existence arises and to which all things merge. 'Har' means the green one! Many different terms are used in the Guru Granth Sahib to describe the qualities of the one creator of existence. 'Har' is the most numerously used, signifying a deep connection with the nature creating and sustaining qualities of the one being.
The central source of life is equated and described in various forms of nature - tree, ocean, sky, water and more.
"You are the tree; Your branches have blossomed forth.
From the very small and subtle, You have become huge and manifest.
You are the Ocean of Water. You are the foam and the bubbles on its surface."
panna 102
From the very small and subtle, You have become huge and manifest.
You are the Ocean of Water. You are the foam and the bubbles on its surface."
panna 102
GOD LOVES NATURE, THE EARTH AND ALL THE CREATURES GREAT & SMALL
"You are the ocean, and I am Your swan." panna 884
"You are the water. You are the dry land.
You are the stream. You are the ocean.
You are the tree. You are the leaf.
You are the earth. You are the sky.
I recite your name. I adore you.
I mediate on your glorious being."
You are the stream. You are the ocean.
You are the tree. You are the leaf.
You are the earth. You are the sky.
I recite your name. I adore you.
I mediate on your glorious being."
panna 46, Dasam Granth, Guru Gobind Singh
SACRED BEAUTY of the EARTH in the GURU GRANTH SAHIB
"In the bowl of the sky, the sun and moon are the lamps; the stars in the constellations are the pearls. The fragrance of sandalwood is the incense, the wind is the fan, and all the vegetation are flowers in offering to You...." panna 663, Keertan Sohila, Guru Granth Sahib
"The One source created the sun and the moon; night and day, they move according to One's wishes." panna 580, Guru Granth Sahib
"Air, water, earth and sky; the One source has made these a home and shrine." Panna 723, Guru Granth Sahib
"The One infused light into the dust, and created the universe. The sky, the earth, the trees, and the water - all are the Creation of the One." panna 723, Guru Granth Sahib
"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." panna 1016, Guru Granth Sahib
The earth as an equal, as a supreme provider, as a living, breathing life force; has no rights and dignity of its own. It is simply a inert mass, upon which the human can intrude and grab at pleasure - killing, poisoning, bulldozing.
"You tear off the leaves, O gardener, but in each and every leaf, there is life. That stone idol, for which you tear off those leaves - that stone idol is lifeless. In this, you are mistaken, O gardener. The True Guru is the Living Lord. Brahma is in the leaves, Vishnu is in the branches, and Shiva is in the flowers. When you break these three gods, whose service are you performing?"
Panna 479, Guru Granth Sahib
Panna 479, Guru Granth Sahib
* SIKH ENVIRONMENT NETWORK - 'Sarbat da Bhalla!'
Welcome to the SIKH ENVIRONMENT NETWORK - 'Sarbat da bhalla!' - a network of Sikh environmental activists, in England.
The SIKH ENVIRONMENT NETWORK :
a) promotes a Sikh ethical perspective about protecting and supporting the earth as the 'paramount mother';
b) raises awareness amongst Sikh communities about nature, earth and the whole 'thread of life'; and,
c) supports campaigns for earth-protection and earth-justice, by encouraging humans to act ethically, sensitively and kindly to the earth and its animate and inanimate species.
Sikh ideals (defined in the GURU GRANTH SAHIB, a unique body of radical, profound wisdom written by the Ten Gurus) give upmost importance to the planet earth, as a sacred creation. It describes earth as a sacred living force, providing and sustaining multiple species of life - human, animals, plants, trees and much more. Sikh ideals ('sikhi' or 'gurmat') say that, the earth was created as a wonderfully vast and complex union of forces of life - sky, soil, water, air, sun, moon, rain, night, day, changing seasons and more; in a coherent, self-managing, self-equipped, equilibrium. That, "from the womb of the earth, all life has been created." That, earth is a living, breathing force. It is the 'mata dharth mahat' - the paramount mother.
The SIKH ENVIRONMENT NETWORK :
a) promotes a Sikh ethical perspective about protecting and supporting the earth as the 'paramount mother';
b) raises awareness amongst Sikh communities about nature, earth and the whole 'thread of life'; and,
c) supports campaigns for earth-protection and earth-justice, by encouraging humans to act ethically, sensitively and kindly to the earth and its animate and inanimate species.
Sikh ideals (defined in the GURU GRANTH SAHIB, a unique body of radical, profound wisdom written by the Ten Gurus) give upmost importance to the planet earth, as a sacred creation. It describes earth as a sacred living force, providing and sustaining multiple species of life - human, animals, plants, trees and much more. Sikh ideals ('sikhi' or 'gurmat') say that, the earth was created as a wonderfully vast and complex union of forces of life - sky, soil, water, air, sun, moon, rain, night, day, changing seasons and more; in a coherent, self-managing, self-equipped, equilibrium. That, "from the womb of the earth, all life has been created." That, earth is a living, breathing force. It is the 'mata dharth mahat' - the paramount mother.
GOD inside and outside NATURE At the centre of all this existence, lies the powerful, benevolent hand of one creator, sustainer, destroyer. That, 'wonderous guru' - 'wah-guru', has created human life and fellow species, and gifted it with the abundant sustenance of the earth. The human species is a microcosm amongst millions of species of life, all springing fr
om one source and reliant upon the earth's natural systems for life, food and habitat. All life and species are interdependent and interconnected, sharing a core DNA, biology and dependance on the earth.
om one source and reliant upon the earth's natural systems for life, food and habitat. All life and species are interdependent and interconnected, sharing a core DNA, biology and dependance on the earth. * HUMAN - the most deadly species! Admist this wonderful panorama of life, powerful sections of human society (mostly western societies) and their systems of control and power (e.g. governments, financial corporations, mass religion, fashion and pop industry) have proven themselves to be the most and directly destructive species on the earth. No other species has inflicted pollution, destruction, slaughter and devastation like the gluttonous human. There is no remotely equal species. In its self-righteous and self-serving 'dominion' of the earth, the ruling domineering elities amongst humans (not the poor, the voiceless, the suppressed) has caused massive devastation. This powerful elite has induced a popular culture of consumption, fashion, meat-eating and so many other habits amongst the general mass population. This powerless, unthinking mass has adopted the practises encouraged upon it by the mighty forces of marketing, fashion, pop-star duplication, films and gigantic financial corporations (Mdonalds, Coca Cola, KFC, etc). This human society seeks to continue this unearthly, unnatural lifestyle; protecting its self-created right to its urban, car-centred, fashioned obsessed, consumption, throw-away, meat-eating lifestyle. Indeed, the human species is the most deadly species on the planet! Human societies have broken all the protective and sustaining rules of nature.
"You have made this Earth like a great dish of yours which the living beings get only once in their life. It is the great source of all the resources and materials needed by mortals. But the mortal becomes unsatisfied, and begs for more. His fickle mind brings him disgrace." panna 1190, Guru Granth Sahib
"The wreckless-mind continually does fruitless deeds, all puffed up with pride. When bringing home what he has acquired, through falsehood, such a person thinks that he has conquered the world." panna 723, Guru Granth Sahib
"Binding together water and air, the Almighty infused the breath of life into the body, and made lamps like the sun and the moon. The almighty has given us Earth to live and die on, but we have forgotten these blessings." panna 877, Guru Granth Sahib
* CLIMATE CHANGE ! The sudden great panic!
Climate Change is upon us, despite the denials. The earth is now responding back to the riotous pollution and damage it has suffered from these powerful humans. Are these powerful humans ready for the even more powerful response of the earth? The majority are in a casual apathy, continuing their robotic lifestyles as usual. A section of officialdom - government advisors, policy-makers, environmental 'experts' - are displaying an axiety about 'sustainability', 'carbon-emissions'. They too, however, are only concerned with continuing mainstream life as usual so long as some tweaks and modifications can be made to ensure that the earth works for humans - 'SUSTAINABILITY'. They want to save the planet for their 'children', so that they too can continue to enjoy the planet's gigantic warehouse of resources like them before.
"Such is the drama of the world...In an instant, all this false play shall perish..." panna 723, Guru Granth Sahib
"Why should the created beings feel pride in their minds? The Gift is in the Hands of the Great Giver.
As it pleases the One, He may give, or not give.
What can be done by the order of the created beings?" panna 25
As it pleases the One, He may give, or not give.
What can be done by the order of the created beings?" panna 25
UNITY WITH NATURE! Sikhi stresses that, human life should work according to the naturally configured and ordained ('hukam') systems of life. These are complete and comprehensive. The human should feel a sense of sacredness and profound connec
tion with the universality and infinity of life. Respect for nature, animals, the planet, alongside fellow humans, is integral to Sikh awareness and ethics.
tion with the universality and infinity of life. Respect for nature, animals, the planet, alongside fellow humans, is integral to Sikh awareness and ethics. Siki rejects entirely the current human culture of dominion and manipulation of the earth. The killing of animals wholescale for food, fur and cosmetics; the destruction of rainforests, the bulldozing of natural spaces for urban construction and other 'development' for human wants and goods; is a fundamental affront to Sikh ethics.
"O human being, whatever you can see with your eyes, shall perish. The world eats dead carcasses, living by neglect and greed. Like a goblin, or a beast, they kill and eat the forbidden carcasses of meat." panna 723, Guru Granth Sahib
Indeed, it is a moot point that, many 'modernised' Sikhs, disconnected from Sikh ethics, are happily and joyfully participating in this mass devastation. Sikh gurdwaras, Sikh businesses and Sikh homes have all the plentiful features of the modern consumer, wasteful, hair-style, polluting lifestyle. 'SARBAT DA BHALLA' is as much missing from modern Sikhs, as it is from the general mass of modern human society.
* DISSOLUTION OF HUMAN EXISTENCE
"Neither the kings, nor their subjects, nor the leaders will remain. The shops, the cities and the streets will eventually disintegrate, by the Hukam of the One's Command. Those solid and beautiful mansions, human fools think that they belong to them. The treasure-houses, filled with wealth, will be emptied out in an instant. The horses, chariots, camels and elephants with all their decorations. The gardens, lands, houses, where are all those things; which they believed to be their own, including tents, soft beds and satin pavilions? O Nanak, the True One is the Giver of all, revealed through all-powerful Creative Nature. " panna 141
"The mountains, the trees, the earth, the sky and the stars;
the sun, the moon, the wind, water and fire;
day and night, fasting days and their determination;
the Shaastras, the Simritees and the Vedas shall all pass away.
The sacred shrines of pilgrimage, gods, temples and holy books;
rosaries, ceremonial tilak marks on the forehead, meditative people, the pure, and the performers of burnt offerings;
wearing loin cloths, bowing in reverence and the enjoyment of sacred foods -
all these, and all people, shall pass away. Social classes, races, Muslims and Hindus; beasts, birds and the many varieties of beings and creatures;
the entire world and the visible universe - all forms of existence shall pass away." panna 237
the sun, the moon, the wind, water and fire;
day and night, fasting days and their determination;
the Shaastras, the Simritees and the Vedas shall all pass away.
The sacred shrines of pilgrimage, gods, temples and holy books;
rosaries, ceremonial tilak marks on the forehead, meditative people, the pure, and the performers of burnt offerings;
wearing loin cloths, bowing in reverence and the enjoyment of sacred foods -
all these, and all people, shall pass away. Social classes, races, Muslims and Hindus; beasts, birds and the many varieties of beings and creatures;
the entire world and the visible universe - all forms of existence shall pass away." panna 237
The Sikh Environment Network is a growing network of environmentally minded Sikhs. Our aim is to help to inform, inspire and motivate through information, discussion, events and projects. Our motto and sub-tite is 'SARBAT DA BHALLA': Caring for all existence! Our vision and message is grounded in this central Sikh message of goodness and kindness to all life and beings. Our ideal is living harmoniously with the earth, respecting it, protecting it and
nurturing it as a sacred being with its own independent rights of existence and living.
nurturing it as a sacred being with its own independent rights of existence and living. CONTACT: Jagdeesh Singh, SIKH ENVIRONMENT NETWORK, Slough, England | animalspirit2002@yahoo.co.uk
07827-321036
PEACE :
People...Earth...Animals...Collective...Existence
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