Rethinking the Spiritual Path in Sikhi: From Being to Becoming

By Gurnam Singh | Opinion |

Walk into any bookstore today and you are likely to find shelves filled with books promising to help you “find yourself.” Whether drawing on ancient Indic traditions or contemporary secular mindfulness, the message is often the same: beneath the layers of social conditioning lies an authentic self waiting to be uncovered. Spirituality, according to this view, is an inward excavation. Dig deeply enough and you will eventually discover who you truly are.

But this raises an important question: is the purpose of life to find oneself or to develop oneself? And what if the assumption underlying much of this spiritual discourse, namely that there exists a fixed and fully formed self hidden within us, is itself mistaken?

Viewed through the lens of Sikhi, the answer leans decisively towards development rather than discovery. The Sikh path is not primarily an archaeological search for a buried essence. It is a lifelong process of learning, transformation, and becoming.

Guru Nanak presents human life not as a static state but as an ongoing journey of growth:

ਘਾਲਿ ਖਾਇ ਕਿਛੁ ਹਥਹੁ ਦੇਇ ॥ 
ਨਾਨਕ ਰਾਹੁ ਪਛਾਣਹਿ ਸੇਇ ॥
Those who earn through honest effort and share with others, O Nanak, are the ones who find the path. 
(Sri Guru Granth Sahib, 1245)

The emphasis here is not on uncovering an inner reality that is already complete or whole. Rather, the path reveals itself through action, discipline, ethical living, and active participation in the world.

Human beings possess the capacity for choice. As we move from childhood to adulthood, our decisions increasingly shape the people we become. Although our genetic code remains largely fixed, our bodies are constantly changing. Physical health is influenced by countless factors, including nutrition, exercise, discipline, environment, and care.

The same principle applies to consciousness. Character, perception, habits, and moral instincts are not fixed possessions; they are cultivated over time. Gurbani repeatedly presents human life as an opportunity for conscious refinement and growth.
Guru Amar Das writes:

ਮਨ ਤੂੰ ਜੋਤਿ ਸਰੂਪੁ ਹੈ ਆਪਣਾ ਮੂਲੁ ਪਛਾਣੁ ॥
O mind, you are the embodiment of Divine Light; recognise your true origin. 
(SGGS, 441)

This verse is often interpreted as support for the idea of discovering one’s “true self.” Yet the broader context suggests something more profound. The Guru is not describing a hidden treasure buried within the individual ego. Rather, he is calling for a transformation in awareness.

The Divine Light referred to here is not a possession of the self. It is a reality that must be realised through spiritual maturation and self-reflection. Recognition, in this sense, is not simply a matter of finding something that has been lost. It is the development of a consciousness capable of perceiving what was always present. There is an important difference between possessing potential and realising it. One may be born with eyes and yet fail to see.

This developmental orientation is embedded in the very word Sikh. Derived from roots meaning “learner,” “student,” or “disciple,” the term implies an ongoing process rather than a final destination. A Sikh is not someone who has arrived but someone committed to continual learning.
Guru Nanak captures this beautifully:

ਵਿਦਿਆ ਵੀਚਾਰੀ ਤਾਂ ਪਰਉਪਕਾਰੀ ॥
When knowledge is reflected upon and internalised, it becomes beneficial to others. 
(SGGS, 356)

Knowledge is not presented as information to possess but wisdom to cultivate. Learning that does not transform character remains incomplete. Indeed, enlightenment in the Sikh tradition is never portrayed as a final state of arrival. The Gurus consistently emphasise humility, remembrance, and perpetual learning. Spiritual progress is measured less by what one has discovered about oneself than by what one is becoming.

One of the greatest obstacles to this process of development is haumai – ego or “I-ness.”

In many contemporary spiritual traditions, particularly those influenced by certain interpretations of Indic thought, the ego is portrayed as something to be annihilated. The ideal becomes self-erasure: the complete elimination of individuality and selfhood.

Gurbani takes a more nuanced approach. Certainly, haumai is identified as the fundamental spiritual illness:

ਹਉਮੈ ਦੀਰਘ ਰੋਗੁ ਹੈ ਦਾਰੂ ਭੀ ਇਸੁ ਮਾਹਿ ॥
Ego is a chronic disease, yet its remedy also lies within it. 
(SGGS, 466)

This is one of the most psychologically profound statements in Sikh scripture. The problem is not self-awareness, individuality, or agency itself. Rather, it is the distorted form these can assume when disconnected from wisdom and Hukam.

A useful analogy is that of a wild horse. The solution is not to kill the horse. Without it, there can be no journey. The task is to train it.

Human ambition, initiative, creativity, and self-confidence are not inherently obstacles to spirituality. They become destructive only when untethered from humility and ethical responsibility. A disciplined ego becomes a vehicle for virtue. The Sikh goal is therefore not the annihilation of personhood but its refinement.

Because Sikhi understands character as something to be cultivated, human life acquires immense significance.

Guru Arjan writes:

ਭਈ ਪਰਾਪਤਿ ਮਾਨੁਖ ਦੇਹੁਰੀਆ ॥ 
ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਮਿਲਣ ਕੀ ਇਹ ਤੇਰੀ ਬਰੀਆ ॥
This human body has been obtained; this is your opportunity to realise the Divine. 
(SGGS, 12)

Human birth is precious precisely because it provides the conditions for growth. It offers the capacity for reflection, ethical responsibility, self-transformation, and conscious participation in reality.

This stands in contrast to some Indic perspectives that treat the world primarily as an illusion from which one must escape. The Sikh Gurus consistently affirm life in the world. Family, work, community, and social responsibility are not distractions from spirituality. They are the very arena in which spirituality is lived and tested.

The idea of spiritual growth as the movement from being to becoming is beautifully captured by Guru Nanak:

ਮਨੁ ਹਾਲੀ ਕਿਰਸਾਣੀ ਕਰਣੀ ਸਰਮੁ ਪਾਣੀ ਤਨੁ ਖੇਤੁ ॥ 
ਨਾਮੁ ਬੀਜੁ ਸੰਤੋਖੁ ਸੁਹਾਗਾ ਰਖੁ ਗਰੀਬੀ ਵੇਸੁ ॥
Make your mind the farmer, good deeds the farming, hard work the water, and your body the field. Let the Lord’s Name be the seed, contentment the leveller, and humility your fence. (SGGS, 595):

Here, Guru Nanak presents human life as a process of cultivation. The field already exists, but the harvest is not guaranteed. The seed of Naam must be planted, nurtured, and allowed to grow. Becoming emerges from being, just as the plant emerges from the seed.

This metaphor makes it clear that Sikh spirituality is not centred on withdrawal from life or the passive emptying of the mind. Instead, it emphasises active cultivation of wisdom while remaining fully engaged in the world.

Guru Nanak’s ideal is the gurmukh – the person whose orientation has been shaped by divine wisdom. Such a person works, serves, loves, learns, creates, struggles, and contributes. Transformation occurs not through retreat from reality but through participation in it. In this sense, we are not merely beings; we are always becoming. We are active participants in our own formation. This does not mean that there is no divine spark within us. Gurbani repeatedly affirms the presence of Divine Light. Yet the presence of potential should not be confused with its fulfilment. The seed is not the plant.

Ultimately, self-reflection remains essential to spiritual growth, but Sikhi is not primarily about “finding yourself” in the way that phrase is often understood today. It is first and foremost about becoming the fullest expression of one’s humanity through alignment with Divine wisdom and Hukam.
The Sikh is, by definition, a learner. The work of learning is never complete.

ਸਿਖੀ ਸਿਖਿਆ ਗੁਰ ਵੀਚਾਰਿ ॥
Sikhi is the discipline of learning through reflection upon the Guru’s wisdom. 
(SGGS, 465)

Gurnam Singh is an academic activist dedicated to human rights, liberty, equality, social and environmental justice. He is a Professor of Sociology at University of Warwick, UK. He can be contacted at Gurnam.singh.1@warwick.ac.uk

* This is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.

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