Karma
Most Sikhs believe in the cycle of samsara and the idea of reincarnation. Many believe that there are over 8.4 million different life forms a person might have to experience before they are liberated from the cycle of samsara.
The atma and reincarnation
Sikhism teaches that all beings, including animals and humans, have a soul, known as the atma and are part of the cycle of reincarnation.
Sikhs believe that:
The atma is given to a being by Waheguru. It is also recognised as the divine spark, which is a part of Waheguru within them.
At death, the atmas of both humans and animals are reborn into a new body as part of the cycle of rebirth. The body that the atma is born into is determined by the karma gained in its previous life.
The highest possible being on Earth is a human.
The cycle of samsara repeats itself until the atma has been liberated from the pattern and is reunited with Waheguru in mukti.
Those who do not serve the True Guru [God] and who do not contemplate the Word of the Shabad - spiritual wisdom does not enter into their hearts; they are like dead bodies in the world. They go through the cycle of 8.4 million reincarnations, and they are ruined through death and rebirth.
Karma
Karma refers to the consequences of a person’s actions and words. In Sikhism, a person gains good and bad karma throughout their life. Karma determines what happens to that individual’s atma in the next life.
Sikhs believe that:
Positive and moral actions lead to good karma, and negative and immoral actions lead to bad karma.
What happens in a previous life directly impacts the atma in the next life, either positively or negatively.
Atmas within animals can be reborn into the body of a human if they have gained good karma in their life.
Atmas of humans can be reborn into the body of an animal if they have gained bad karma in their life. This means they have moved further away from liberation.
Humans have the opportunity to develop and move closer towards liberation. This can be done by building up good karma in two ways. The first is to accept Waheguru’s grace and love, and the second is to perform good deeds, such as Kirat Karna, Wand Chakna and Nam Japna.