The ten Gurus of sikhism taught that death is a natural process and is a transient stage towards the complete unity with God. They also taught that during your life, if you always tell the truth and don't commit any sins, such as greed, murder, stealing etc, then you will be with God forever, however, if you do commit these crimes then you will forever, reincarnate and will never reach enlightenment.
The ceremony is usually split into two parts, the Sanskar and the Antim Ardas. Firstly the body is usually bathed and put into clean clothes by the family members and is taken to the cremation ground. This is where hymns are recited and the body is cremated. This is similar to Hinduism as they also cremate the dead and believe in reincarnation. As the body is being cremated, the night time prayer, or Kirtan Sohila, is sung and Ardas is spread amongst the people. The ashes are then disposed by immersing them into a river.
The second part of the ceremony is the Antim Ardas where the final prayer is sung. A non-continous reading of the entire Guru Granth Sahib is undertaken is is timed carefully to finish on the tenth day. This is done to provide support for the families, which is called Sahaj Path. This then concludes the end of the ceremony. The strengths for having the Antis Ardas is that it provides spiritual support for the families when they need it most, and it generates gratitude for the families. However, a weakness for this ceremony for cremating someone is that it may not be seen as providing material remembrance for the person, unlike a grave stone.
The ceremony is usually split into two parts, the Sanskar and the Antim Ardas. Firstly the body is usually bathed and put into clean clothes by the family members and is taken to the cremation ground. This is where hymns are recited and the body is cremated. This is similar to Hinduism as they also cremate the dead and believe in reincarnation. As the body is being cremated, the night time prayer, or Kirtan Sohila, is sung and Ardas is spread amongst the people. The ashes are then disposed by immersing them into a river.
The second part of the ceremony is the Antim Ardas where the final prayer is sung. A non-continous reading of the entire Guru Granth Sahib is undertaken is is timed carefully to finish on the tenth day. This is done to provide support for the families, which is called Sahaj Path. This then concludes the end of the ceremony. The strengths for having the Antis Ardas is that it provides spiritual support for the families when they need it most, and it generates gratitude for the families. However, a weakness for this ceremony for cremating someone is that it may not be seen as providing material remembrance for the person, unlike a grave stone.