# Sikhism And Organ Donation



## Admin (Dec 3, 2009)

_ *Sikhism and Organ Donation*
_
_Eye, blood                  and other organ donation of the body is generally opposed by the                  self styled religious guides of different faiths on the pretext                  of desecration of the dead body. We present here the Sikh point                  of view. The Sikh scriptures show how to sanctify the human                  body, as against preserving it in its total form, and reject the                  undue importance given by the society to the putrefying the dead                  body. The Diaspora Sikhs in the  US                  had recently underlined this spirit by organizing a massive                 Sikh                  Nation Blood Donation Drive._


As              per 1995 data, there were 40 million blind people in the world, out              of which 15 million were in India. Of these, 2.5 million are blind              due to damage to the cornea. The cornea is a clear circular              transparent portion at the front surface of the eyeball, which is              the main focusing element. Damage to the cornea can be hereditary,              or due to infection, chemical burns, accidents or trauma, resulting              in loss of vision. The sight can be restored with cornea              transplantation, by a surgery known as “Penetrating Kerato Plasty”              and its only source is from a human dead body. 
Religion has a              very powerful influence on the people; some religious beliefs are an              obstacle in eye donation or in getting people to donate other              organs. The voluntary organisations and social activists have made              several appeals to the leaders and intellectuals to come forward to              end this religious dilemma and form an educated, informed opinion on              the subject. The aim is to educate and inspire the general public,              particularly the Sikh masses, to come forward to donate eyes and              project the Sikh religious point of view of being a religion that              has Sarbat Da Bhala as its motto. 
We expect and              appeal to the religious leaders of other faiths to come forward and              give a lead to the peoples of their faith, too, in this most humane              crusade. 
Sikhism teaches              us the art of living and inculcates desire for purposeful dying.              Sikhism is a spiritual form of staunch humanism, which is evident              from the teachings of the scriptures and lives of the Sikh Gurus.              The tenth Guru, Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666-1708) transformed              the Sikhs into the present form of Khalsa and declared that they are             _Wahguru Ji Ka Khalsa _(People of the God) in the year 1699. 

Sikhism              is misunderstood, misinterpreted and wrongly projected by some              sections of the people who do not have thorough knowledge of the              scriptures which ought to be the main source of information,              knowledge and wisdom. It preaches, practices and stands for oneness              of God and oneness of mankind, and condones no discrimination              between gender, religion, caste or creed. The founder of Sikhism,              Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, has said, “_He _(God) is the life              within all the lives, and is pervading in all the hearts “. (Shri              Guru Granth Sahib pp 1273). The fifth Guru, Shri Guru Arjan Dev Ji              (1563-1606) declared, “We are neither Hindu nor Muslim, but the body              and soul of _Allah _and _Ram (_Shri Guru Granth Sahib              p1136). Both words denote the One Absolute and all pervading God and              Ram does not refer to the son of King Dasratha. It believes in only              One Creator, who lives in His own creation, and there is nobody              without _Him, _said the ninth Guru Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji              (1621-1675) (ref Shri Guru Granth Sahib p.1426).  
Eye, blood and              other organ donation of the body is the subject matter of this              paper, which is generally opposed by the self styled religious              guides of different faiths on the pretext of desecration of the dead              body. I would like to present the Sikh point of view. The Sikh              scriptures show how to sanctify the human body, as against              preserving it in its total form, and reject the undue importance              given by the society to the putrefying the dead body. 
It is up to the              readers to decide, which is the better way, either utilising their              eyes and other body organs to be transplanted for giving life and              vision to fellow beings, or of disposing it of as a perishable              commodity. It is said that service to man is service to God.
Shri Guru Granth              Sahib is the matchless treasure of wisdom, knowledge and experience.              It is the outcome of the personal experiments of great social              scientists conducted in the human laboratories. It is a digest of              the teachings of the Sufis, Bhagats and _Gurus, _who faced all              ups and downs of life. They practised and preached the practical              life, under the most unfavorable circumstances for over a  period of              500 years, from Hazrat Sheikh  Farid Ji (1175-1265) to the ninth              Guru, Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (1621-1675). 
They were from a              variety of background of different class, castes and creed from all              corners of the Indian sub-continent. In the year 1708, the tenth              Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Sinch Ji bestowed Guruship to this              Scripture. This is the present and eternal Guru in succession to              Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and the living Guru of the Sikhs. 

Shri is a prefix              for respect, Guru means spiritual teacher, Granth means book and              Sahib is a suffix for respect again. This scripture of 1430 pages              has most spiritual relevance for the entire mankind. It is wrongly              perceived as an object of worship. The Sikhs worship only the              Formless God. This scripture was compiled by the fifth Guru, Shri              Guru Arjan  Dev Ji between the years 1599 and 1604 under his              personal supervision, and installed in the Golden Temple. Without              the fear of any contradiction, it can be said that this is the only              scripture of any religion or faith, which is written during the              lifetime and under the supervision of their founders. 
To quote from              Gurbani, “If you want to play the game of love, come to me with your              head placed in the palm of your hand. Once you have stepped in this              path, be ready to lay your head without any hesitation (p.1412)”.             
Guru Nanak Dev              Ji has said, “After the death, the limbs or body will not accompany              you as it is made up of air, water and fire, and will disintegrate              here itself (pp. 1257).”
Regarding the              disposal of dead bodies, his mandate is above any confusion: “Some              bodies are thrown into water and some cast into tower of silence,              this much is not known as to where do they go and disappear?”              (pp648).
The fifth Guru,              Shri Guru Arjan Dev Ji, in the widely read verses of Sukhmani Sahib,              says that, “False is the body which does not do any good to others              (p.269)”. The verse continues, “Who is delighted in doing good to              others is a God’s realizer in true sense (p.273)”. He declared, “The              person and his tongue which sings the praises of _Har _(God)              and ever does good to others is invaluable. _Prabhu _(God)              lives in his mind and body”. “If you put sandal wood paste to the              dead body, then what is the gain it makes? It the dead body is              rolled in human dung, and then what does it lose? (p.1160)”  
Bhagat Kabir Ji              (1398-1495), a Muslim weaver of Banaras of Uttar Pradesh, says,              “When a man dies, he is of no use to any man, but when an animal              dies, it serves ten purposes (p.870).” 
“He alone is              known to be truly brave who fights for the cause of “deen”              (oppressed) and does not leave the battle field, but dies even              though he is cut out into pieces (p.1105)”. 
Bhagat Parma              Nanda Ji, a Brahmin of Sholapur district of Maharashtra, says on              page No.1253, “O man, what is that you have learned by mere              listening to the holy books? Devotion has not welled up nor have you              given alms to the hungry? You have not helped any needy person. Your              hardhearted mind has not cherished mercy for living creatures”.             
_The Code of              Sikh Conduct and Conventions (Sikh Rehat Maryada) _ is a product of              collective Panthic (community) wisdom for ensuring uniformity of              observances of religion’s code of ethics and avoiding unintended              heresy. 

It was approved              and updated in the year 1945 and says the “concept of service is not              confined to fanning the congregations or performing service in the              free common kitchen-cum-eating house. A Sikh’s life is for selfless              service to others. The most fruitful service is that which secures              the maximum good with minimum efforts.”
For dead body,              it is mentioned to be cremated. However, where arrangements for              cremation cannot be made, there should be no qualms about the body              being immersed in flowing water or disposed off in any other manner.             
It contains a              supplicatory prayer called _“Ardas” _which is recited on all              occasions, for initiating or concluding any congregation, function              or prayer. In this, martyrs are remembered by recalling the              achievements of the male, female and child members of the Khalsa who              laid down their lives in the cause of Dharma and some who even got              their bodies dismembered bit by bit, got their bodies sawn off, got              mounted on spiked wheels, made sacrifices in the service of the              shrines but did not waver from their faith, maintained adherence to              the Sikh faith with sacred unshorn hair to the last breath.
 The Ardas also              says that wherever there is Khalsa Ji Sahib, may there be protection              and leniency.Victory may prevail for Deg and Tegh. By the help of              Sri Sahib, the honour of the weak should be protected and the Panth              become victorious.” 
It concludes              with a desire of well being of entire humanity saying, “Grant us the              association of those dear ones on meeting whom one is reminded of _             Tera Naam_. Says Nanak, may the _Naam _be ever held high! In             _Your _(God’s) will, may the good prevail for all .”
In view of some              of the quotations above mentioned, the body of a Sikh, alive or              dead, should be of some use to others, in the larger interest of              service to mankind. And donation of blood, eyes, and body organs and              dead body are very much in consonance and conformity with the letter              and spirit of the Scriptures of Sikhism.  
 *HOW TO DONATE ? 
*1 India has the largest number of blind people in the              world. Wrong beliefs and superstitions are responsible for              indifference towards eye donation. 
2 Your eye              donation gives sight to two blind persons by Corneal Graft, because              in India country one blind person is given one eye at a time due to              acute shortage. This enables you to continue to be part of this              world even after death. 
3 Every human              being of any age can donate eyes.
4 In case of              death by burns, leprosy, cancer, dog bite, snake bite, jaundice,              HIV/AIDS and drowning, the eyes are not useful for transplantation.             
5 It has to be              removed within 6 hours of death. So, no time should be lost in              informing the nearest Eye Hospital or Eye Bank. 
6 Switch off              fans _(AC _can be kept on) and close the eyelids. Place a wet              cotton or wet cloth over the eyes. It will keep the eyeballs moist.              Raise the head with a pillow. 
7 The body need              not be taken to the Eye Hospital/Bank. On informing the Eye              Hospital/ Bank, a team will come to the spot at their own cost.
8 The cornea is              the clear circular transparent portion at the front of the eyeball.              This is taken out carefully, without leaving any scar _or _             disfiguring the face and keeping the eyeballs intact. It takes only              10-15 minutes for this process. 
9 10 c.c. (a              very little quantity) of blood sample is collected from the donor’s              dead body for testing. 
10 Eye Banks are              non-profit service organisations. The collected cornea is examined,              preserved and used for transplantation within 72 hours according to              the waiting list. So you need not doubt about their integrity and              the rightful use of your donation. 
11 Simply the              act of your pledging may not ensure that your wish will be              fulfilled. Because it would hardly be the first thought to occur to              grief-stricken relatives. It is also not necessary for the donor to              register his/her pledge earlier for eye donation during his life.
12 Do something              now itself to make sure that when the time comes, your eyes will              actually be donated. For this sacred cause, discuss eye donation              with your family members and convince them. They must take the              responsibility to inform the Eye Hospital/Eye Bank immediately after              death. By all means, just your wish is quite immaterial, unless your              family members make up their mind for donation and do accordingly.             
* Blood and Other              Body Parts*
            Blood is the elixir of life. It is not only life, but also saves and              gives life to others. It is needed for those who have lost blood due              to accidents, diseases or surgery. Blood donation is nothing but a              sacred service and symbol of humanity. Any healthy man or woman can              donate regularly after every 12 weeks without any loss of their body              requirement.  Blood donation is a painless process, which is              completed within few minutes. Human body maintains its level of              blood. During blood donation only 350 c.c. of blood is taken, which              the body in a very short time replenishes. The donor does not feel              any loss or weakness even after five minutes. 
Also, try and              convince the family members to donate your organs and tissues for              saving the life of a few individuals who are facing imminent death.              Incisions to remove organs are made at places where clothing covers              the body. It does not cause any disfigurement and in any way does              not interfere with the customary funeral. The hospital where the              donor is under treatment is the proper agency to guide. 
In case of              accident, many a time the victims are virtually brain dead and there              is no possibility of such patients regaining consciousness although              their heart continues to beat and blood circulation is maintained.              For all other purposes they are clinically dead. The moment their              breathing support machine is withdrawn they die. The organs of such              brain dead person, i.e., Cadaveric Donor, can be donated for              transplantation to different needy persons. The organs can be              preserved only for a few hours before they are transplanted to the              recipients free of cost. The sale and purchase of organs is strictly              prohibited in India by the              Transplantation of Human Organs Act 1994. The donors need not pay              anything, only the recipients have to pay the hospital charges.              Presently, only              Cornea, Blood, Skin, Bone, Bone marrow, Liver, Kidneys, Heart,              Lungs, Pancreas, Intestine and Cartilages are being transplanted.              Let us hope and pray that by the time  our turn for donation comes,              science may be further advanced to add some more organs for              transplantation.


Nanak Singh Nishter
http://worldsikhnews.com/25%20November%202009/Sikhism%20and%20Organ%20Donation.htm


----------

