Waheguru, the Self and Liberation

Overview

Recall questions on the oneness of Waheguru, sat, shabad and the Mool Mantar, nam, hukam and nadar, union with Waheguru, maya, rebirth and karma, mukti and the Guru, and the purpose of life and death.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   When Sikhs say Waheguru is one, what are they ruling out?

   Model answer

   They affirm a single reality with no partner, rival or division, not one deity among many and not a being who takes birth in successive forms. Sikhs hold that the same one made everything and is present within it, so no caste, nation or religion owns exclusive access.

2. 2

   Why do Sikhs use the name Waheguru rather than a term borrowed from another tradition?

   Model answer

   Waheguru is the Panth's own name for the divine and carries its own theology, expressing wonder at the Guru who enlightens. Sikhs use many names alongside it, such as Satnam, Akal Purakh and Kartar, on the understanding that no name exhausts what it names.

3. 3

   Explain what Sikhs mean by calling Waheguru sat.

   Model answer

   Sat means real and true: Sikhs hold that Waheguru alone is eternally real and unchanging while everything else is dependent and passing. An ethical consequence follows, since the Gurus rated truthful living above merely knowing what is true.

4. 4

   Explain the idea of shabad in Sikh teaching.

   Model answer

   Shabad is the divine Word or sound through which Waheguru is expressed and known. Sikhs hold that the Gurus' hymns are shabad, which is why the Guru Granth Sahib is Guru as Word rather than an object of devotion, and why singing and meditating on the shabad is the ordinary means of knowing the divine.

5. 5

   Outline what the Mool Mantar establishes and the part it plays.

   Model answer

   Composed by Guru Nanak and standing at the head of the Guru Granth Sahib, it functions as the foundational statement of what Waheguru is: one, true by name, creator, without fear, without hatred, beyond time, never incarnated, self-existent, and realised through the Guru's grace. Sikhs recite it constantly and it prefaces sections throughout the scripture, so it works as both summary and touchstone.

6. 6

   Why is nam more than a label in Sikh thought?

   Model answer

   Nam is the divine reality made available to human beings rather than a word attached to a distant being. Sikhs speak of nam as dwelling within a person, so remembering the Name is understood as being filled by what is remembered.

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