When the hands and the feet and the body are dirty,
water can wash away the dirt.

When the clothes are soiled and stained by urine,
soap can wash them clean.

But when the intellect is stained and polluted by sin,
it can only be cleansed by the Love of the Name.

Siri Guru Granth - Ang 4, Stanza 20
(translated by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsav)
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In reference to this last line, I found a commentary that points to the Sikh principle of meditating on God’s “Naam.” Upon further research I found “Naam” described as the great controlling force of God. Apparently it has no beginning and no end; it is unchanging, ancient, and eternal; and it is the life current that pervades all of creation.

(Sounds a lot like the description of Tao in Chinese culture.)

Our mind is in a constant state of motion, mostly flowing outward into the world. By turning our attention inward we can allow the mind to still and reach a place of rest. The message of this stanza is that if we hope to wash off the sins of our lives (or previous lives, as Sikhism believes in reincarnation), meditating on this “Naam” is the path to doing so.

(Sounds a lot like the goal of meditation in Buddhism.)

This concept inevitably brings me to the float tank, where I’ve been doing my best meditation lately. I don’t know about past lives (though I don’t disbelieve in reincarnation either), but I do know that meditating on any behaviors in my own life that felt immoral, unethical, or just plain bad, helped me shed the guilt around them by asking for forgiveness.

I often feel cleansed after emerging from the waters of the tank (like a baptism of sorts, I suppose you could say). And here it seems like what I’ve been doing is tuning into the Love of God described above, clearing a conscience polluted by intellectual stains.

If nothing else, putting aside some aim for Nirvana or Heaven or a better reincarnation, accepting what I’ve done and letting go of remorse makes me feel better in the here and now. From there all we can do is aim to live a more virtuous life moving forth. Just remember to use soap when your clothes are stained by urine.