Author: Muhajer Azizi
Sikhism; Its Origins and Fundamental Beliefs (Part 19)
Types of Tanasokh (Reincarnation)
According to some followers of this theory, reincarnation is divided into four stages, which include the following:
1. Naskh: The transfer of the soul from one human body to another. This stage is known as birth among humans and is called “Naskh” because the soul is transferred from one person to another.
2. Maskh: This stage is specific to humans whose souls are transferred to animal bodies due to wrongdoing. In this case, the exchange of souls is carried out within the scope of one genus (animals).
3. Raskh: This stage involves the transfer of the soul to creatures such as plants and is more difficult than Naskh; because firstly, the soul is transferred from one genus to another (for example, a human to a plant) and secondly, in this case, the soul remains stable for a long time, like a rock, which is stable.
4. Faskh: This stage is the opposite of the previous stages and is specific to cut plants or slaughtered animals that are destroyed and nothing remains of them. In this case, the lowest level of spirits ends. [1]
The Origin and Development of Reincarnation
There are different views on the origin and time of the idea of reincarnation. Some believe that this idea was first formed in Egyptian civilization and the ancient Egyptians were among the pioneers of the philosophical project of reincarnation of souls. Another group believes that this belief developed after the arrival of the Aryans in India and spread in that land. On the other hand, some believe that the idea of reincarnation was first proposed in philosophical form in Greece and then made its way to India and other eastern regions.
Next, we will examine in detail the emergence and development of the belief in reincarnation: Primitive man noticed the obvious difference between the body of a living being and a dead body, and concluded that there was something in the body of a living being that was not found in a dead body. He understood that the life and movement of the body depended on a hidden force and if this force left the body, life and movement would also disappear. Gradually, primitive man realized the existence of “body and soul” and realized that the two were different and that the soul was more powerful than the body.[2]
The key to this secret lay in the dreams and images that he saw in his dreams. In his dreams, he saw people who lived with him or those who had passed away and joined the underworld. Sometimes he had sweet dreams and sometimes terrifying nightmares, but when he woke up, nothing remained of them. Over time, he understood the concept of sleep, but he was surprised by a phenomenon called “death”. It was here that he understood the difference between the body and its driving force. Since this force could be separated from the body, he concluded that the two were different. He also realized that death was a mysterious phenomenon. [3]
Primitive man’s belief in the soul was formed in this way. He realized that the soul was the cause of his life and survival, and it had certain characteristics: the soul was more subtle than the body, because it was able to travel long distances in a short time in dreams. He also realized that the soul could pass through obstacles and fences and did not disappear with the death of the body but was transferred to the underworld. This was confirmed by the appearance of the souls of the deceased in his dreams. [4]
Then the thought occurred to him that natural forces and phenomena also had souls. If he had a soul, then why should these forces and phenomena not have souls? Even very powerful and enormous souls.[5] In this way, he began to worship these forces and phenomena; because he believed that they had great souls and extraordinary powers.
Primitive man did not stop there; he also came to believe that there was a connection between the spirits of the dead and the spirits of the living, and the spirits of the dead had a direct influence on the behavior of the living. In his opinion, the spirits of nature helped humans in natural tasks, while evil spirits caused illness and suffering. Based on this belief, primitive man held ceremonies with religious characteristics in which he performed special rituals to attract the help of good spirits and ward off the anger of evil spirits. [6]
Primitive man believed that life is always accompanied by movement and growth, so he concluded that animals and plants, like humans, also have life and signs of movement and growth; then the idea was formed in him that the soul of an animal could incarnate in a human body and vice versa, the soul of a human could also be placed in the body of an animal. [7]
This idea was able to create a long bridge in time and appeared in many ancient civilizations. Historians believe that the first civilization to present this theory in a philosophical form that was different from the original understanding was the ancient Egyptian civilization. Some believe that the ancient Egyptians were the pioneers of the objective study of the soul, which was due to their belief in life after death and their unique religious philosophy. [8]
On the other hand, others believe that the theory of reincarnation of souls developed in India after the invasion of the Aryans. But Shahrestani has a different opinion and says: “The advanced philosophical theory of reincarnation of souls originated from Greek philosophy and was then transferred to India.” He points out that one of Pythagoras’ students, named “Barkhani”, managed to transfer his master’s philosophy to India on the subject of reincarnation of souls and purification of the soul to escape from this world. [9]
Accordingly, the belief in reincarnation was formed among the Hindus, and they gradually gained a deep adherence to this belief; As sects that branched off from Hinduism, including Sikhism, were also influenced by this idea and made it part of their beliefs. Today, followers of Sikhism consider reincarnation to be one of the fundamental beliefs and important pillars of their religion.
Continues…
References:
Previous Part
1. Muhammad Amin, The Sacrifice of Islam, Vol. 1, p. 250; Dr. Irfan Abdul Hamid, Islamic Philosophy, p. 134; quoted from the book: Reincarnation: Its Origins and Islamic Ruling, p. 201.
2. Reincarnation: Its Origins, Effects and Islamic Ruling, p. 202.
3. Ahmad Abdul Ghafoor Attar, Religions and Beliefs in Different Ages, Vol. 1, pp. 70, 71.
4. Mustafa Al-Kik, Reincarnation, p. 11.
5. Ahmad Abdul Ghafoor Attar, Religions and Beliefs in Different Ages, Vol. 1, pp. 70, 71.
6. Mustafa Al-Kik, Reincarnation, p. 11.
7. Ibid, p. 12.
8. Ibid, p. 45.
9. Al-Shahrestani, Al-Milal wal-Nihal, vol. 2, p. 242.
