By Gurnam Singh | Opinion |
Many religious traditions teach that death is not the end of human existence but the beginning of another life in what is often referred to as “Heaven”, “Hell”, or some intermediate realm. They describe reunions with deceased loved ones, encounters with God, angels, Satan, devils, demons, etc, and worlds populated with celestial beings, rivers, gardens and fires. Such imagery has provided comfort and hope for countless people throughout history, especially during the last stages of their life. Indeed, the fact that such ideas are so universal perhaps points to a basic human need/capacity to believe that life doesn’t end in physical death.
Yet these descriptions raise profound philosophical questions. One of which is that, if such a realm is truly spiritual (i.e., without matter, atoms, space, or time), in what meaningful sense can it be called a ‘place? Places, as we understand them, have location, dimension, and form. They are features of the physical universe. To describe a non-material realm using physical imagery, such as dead relatives, people dressed in various guises, gates, palaces, rivers
What does science reveal about an afterlife?
Scientific research on this issue begins in the late 19th century with London’s Society for Psychical Research, where early scientists used empirical methods to investigate mediums and apparitions. Through the 20th century, this evolved from psychical research into laboratory parapsychology and, by the 1970s, to the medical study of Near-Death Experiences (NDEs). Today, modern researchers largely focus on the neuroscience of the dying brain rather than what happens after death. There is also a related and expanding field of research that brings together neuroscientists, computer scientists and philosophers in exploring the issue of consciousness and artificial intelligence. In addition to the mainstream, there is also a whole plethora of pseudoscientific research that seeks to offer all kinds of proofs about an afterlife
Of the available reliable studies, while some have identified recurring patterns, such as sensations of leaving the body, moving through a tunnel, seeing a bright light, or experiencing an overwhelming sense of peace, there is no consensus that these experiences constitute evidence of an afterlife. Various explanations have been proposed, including the effects of oxygen deprivation, altered brain activity, and the release of neurochemicals during periods of extreme stress. At the same time, some researchers argue that current scientific models do not fully account for every reported experience. Nevertheless, the evidence remains inconclusive.
My Personal Perspective
There is no truly neutral standpoint when addressing profound questions such as what happens after we die; ultimately, each one of us must arrive at our own conclusions. Throughout history, people from many cultures and religious traditions have claimed to recall previous lives, while others have reported near-death experiences in which they believe they encountered heaven, hell, or some other transcendent reality. It would be disrespectful to belittle these experiences since such accounts are often deeply meaningful to those who experience them and have shaped religious and philosophical thought for centuries.Indeed, it could be argued that such beliefs and explanations are precisely the function of faith, namely, to provide answers, such as the death of a loved one, where reason and logic simple has nothing to offer.
My own perspective is rooted instead in a rational, non-dualistic reading of Sikh philosophy that also appreciates that Sikhi means different things to different people. My understanding is grounded in Gurbani and, most importantly, in an interpretation of the central concept of Ik Onkar that Harinder Singh of the Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI) describes as “1 Force.” This understanding presents all existence as a single, interconnected reality rather than a universe divided between the sacred and the secular, physical and no physical. From this perspective, God, or the Divine, is not a separate being residing in a distant heaven above the clouds, but is woven into the very fabric of existence itself.
There is broad agreement among both secular and religious thinkers that when we die, our physical bodies decompose and break down into their constituent atoms, elements, and compounds. The question is what happens to our conscious selves? This is not easy to answer, and disagreements largely stem from differing understandings of consciousness itself. However, if we accept that consciousness arises from the complex interaction of the physical elements of our body, it is reasonable to assume that it simply disaggregates back into the basic elements of matter on the death of the body. The same scientific logic can be applied to the concept of the soul. As the following lines from Guru Arjan Dev Ji (GGS P 278) Gurbani state, “ਜਿਉ ਜਲ ਮਹਿ ਜਲੁ ਆਇ ਖਟਾ
While the idea of going to some heavenly paradise after death is undoubtedly a tempting proposition, I have no problem with the thought that, at the end of my physical life, there is nothing else for me as a subjective entity. Knowing that I am a temporary, unique expression of an eternal universe is sufficient. I find the self-knowledge that I have been born as a human being and that one day I will cease to exist in my current form deeply liberating and empowering. As Gurbani says, human life is a gift precisely because it offers a wonderful opportunity to realise the significance of my life within and beyond my temporary, minuscule moment in the vastness of the universe.
As for the question of reincarnation, my take on this is as follows. I accept the scientific consensus that our bodies are composed of matter that has existed for billions of years. The atoms that make us were forged in ancient stars, became part of the Earth, and, through countless cycles of life, eventually some 400,000 years ago conscious humans with the gift for supreme intelligence evolved to represent a truly unique moment in the history of Earth. As living entities, humans have a unique role and opportunity, including realising the divine aspects of being. However, when we die, we are no different to any other living being. Those very same atoms from which we were forged return to nature to be recycled into new forms, both living and mineral. In this sense, we are not removed from the universe at death but reabsorbed into its continuous unfolding. Nature wastes nothing!
The Demystification of Heaven and Hell in Gurbani
From my own perspective, I will now try to articulate the Sikhi viewpoint on the afterlife. For some people the primary reference point is the lived experiences of mahapurkhs or enlightened souls who can reveal to the world what Heaven may look like. I respect those who chose to take this path, but for me, Gurbani and the divine wisdom of the Guru Granth Sahib is myprime source. There is no doubt that the text frequently uses traditional Indic and Semitic terms for heaven (Baikunth, Swarg) and hell (Narak), but does so to entirely redefine what is meant by them. Gurbani shifts these concepts from external destinations in a future life to internal, psychological, and spiritual states experienced in the here and now.
In Sikh philosophy, the ultimate goal of human life is not to secure a ticket to a celestial paradise, but to achieve “Jiwan Mukti”, that is liberation while still alive. This is achieved through the erasure of the ego (Haumai) and tuning one’s consciousness to the Divine wisdom (Naam). One then is left with the question, liberation can/should be achieved in this life, then in what sense would anyone be concerned about what happens after one dies! It is precisely for this reason that Gurbani explicitly dismiss the literalism of popular afterlife imagery. Bhagat Kabeer Ji, GGS (p969) in the following lines offers a devastating critique of Heaven and Hell as represented with the Abrahamic faiths.
ਕਵਨੁ ਨਰਕੁ ਕਿਆ ਸੁਰਗੁ ਬਿਚਾਰਾ ਸੰ
Reflecting on his own treatment by the priestly classes in his life, who were frightening and bribing people with punishments of Hell and promises of Heaven, Kabir pulls no punches. For him, the desire to go to Heaven is born out of greed for reward. The fear of Hell is born out of anxiety. It is only by connecting with the Divine, i.e. living according to divine virtues, you develop a state of consciousness completely untouched by the dualities of heaven and hell.
This view I captured forcefully in the following lines from Bhagat Kabir (GGS p337): ਸੁਰਗ ਬਾਛਨ ਨਾਹੀ ਅਛਉ ॥ ਨਰਕ ਨਿਵਾਸੁ ਨ ਭੀਹਉ ॥ “I do not desire heaven, and I do not fear living in hell.”
And so, instead of physical places, Gurbani inverts the idea of Heaven and Hell by mapping them directly onto human consciousness and community. Heaven therefore is where the Divine is remembered: Wherever a person connects deeply with truth, compassion, and the collective spiritual community As Guru Arjan Dev writes (GGS p749): ਤਹਾਂ ਬੈਕੁੰਠ ਜਹ ਕੀਰਤਨੁ ਤੇ
Heaven can only exist on Earth
If Heaven is established where true faith is being practices, then it makes logical sense, this can only be realised in this life on Earth. Hell is not a fiery pit overseen by demons, but the pain of separation and mental torment of living in complete ego, greed, and spiritual blindness. It is the psychological imprisonment of being disconnected from one’s true divine nature and the broader universe itself.
By stripping Heaven and Hell of their physical geography and temporal delay, Gurbani completely bridges the gap between spiritual pursuit, reason and ethical living. By firmly grounding our spiritual obligations in our immediate reality, it renders speculative debates about the afterlife irrelevant. The ultimate aim of this spiritual quest in life it to reach “sehaj avasta”meaning “t
This is precisely the point in the following lines from Guru Arjan GGS P281.
“ਚਰਨ ਚਲਉ ਮਾਰਗਿ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ॥ ਮਿਟਹਿ
By invoking the idea of a journey, Guru sahib is saying, no matter how heavy our past mistakes feel, we are never trapped. Indeed, to be trapped is to be in Hell. By making a conscious choice in the physical world right now (walking the path) and anchoring our awareness on divine wisdom for even just one genuine moment (Har Bind), we can instantly libera
Heaven, according to my reading of Sikhi, is not a destination beyond the clouds, nor hell a subterranean prison, but a state of awareness. When Gurbani invokes these and related concepts it is to deploy them as metaphors for the consequences of how we live, think and relate to the Divine, to others and to ourselves.
Whether one approaches existence through faith or reason, Sikh philosophy redirects attention away from speculation about another world and towards ethical living in this one. The enduring question is not, “What happens after death?” but “How should we live while we are alive?”
As for Heaven and Hell, both of these can be found on the Earth!
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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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