The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2268 page)

), God who can be found within and does not require the rituals and doctrinal controversies of existing religions. God does not become present in the world (in contrast to Hindu understandings of
avat
ra
), but makes his will and his way known. In discerning this,
meditation
(
n
m
simaran) on
abda
(‘sound’) is of paramount importance, especially through repetition of the Name, or on the hymns of the Gur
Granth S
hib.
Karma
and sa
s
ra are accepted: the way to release or liberation is to move one's life against one's own wilful and disordered inclination (
haumai
) into alignment with the will (hukam) of God. This is only possible because of the help of God, the equivalent of
grace
, described in many words, e.g.
kirp
,
nadar
, pra
d. Those who do so pass through stages (
kha
): dharam kha