The Importance Of Dharma
The importance of Dharma
Harry delves into the various conceptions of dharma and discusses how keeping a balance between them is the art of living.
Dharma is our inherent nature.
Everything in life is guided by its inherent nature. The bird will do what birds do and be a bird. The snake will act like a snake, doing what snakes do. The bird, like the snake and all beings, follows its dharma. Only the human being – this wonderful and confusing creation – gifted with the ability to be self-aware has the ability to defy its own nature, its own dharma. And we do, sometimes vehemently, go against our instincts.
Dharma is our place in the grand scheme of things.
Indigenous people have not lost touch with their role in the larger scheme of things, as another definition of Dharma suggests. They are acutely aware of everything's interconnectedness and interdependence. Modern humans, on the other hand, have almost completely lost touch with the holy totality of life as a result of their highly evolved culture.The results are here for us all to experience. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the stress of our lives brought about by the lie that we have to consume in order to be happy. All have produced a toxic environment from which there is almost no escape. There is no need to elaborate this point, we all know this. The world we are leaving to our children is in need of much mending. And, in a sense, so are we.
"You are the world," J. Krishnamurti asserted emphatically. The state of our planet is merely a reflection of humanity's collective mental state, with the 'developed' countries leading the way. We've lost connection with the natural world, with the sacred, and with ourselves. We must re-establish our relationship with nature and with the divine. And we must re-establish contact with ourselves. This is crucial. And they all point to the same thing: Dharma.
Dharma refers to our natural sense of good and wrong.
The word dharma has another connotation, which is best rendered as conscience. This is how we know what is right and wrong. Every human being is born with it. It is, or should be, our highest value, but it often takes a back seat to our goals for personal wealth these days. This is evident both on an individual and organizational level. The harm we are willing to do to the world and to each other in order to keep the unending cycle of material gain going will be an issue that future generations will have to cope with.
Yet, like a good, unassuming friend, every kid is born with this natural 'knowledge' of right and evil, a feeling of Dharma that lies quietly in the breast of each human being.
In Indian scriptures, there are four different definitions of dharma.
Dharma of Samanya
These universal ideals are built into reality's structure. There is an unspoken agreement not to harm, lie, or slander one another. Because I don't want to be lied to, I don't lie to you.
Svadharma
We've all been socialized to behave in specific ways. For example, business people may regard any scenario as an opportunity, compassionate people may inquire if they can assist, and criminals may look for ways to get quick money without being detected. Some people, on the other hand, have a burning desire to find liberty, to free their minds, and to realize their true essence.
All living things follow their instincts. As previously established, only human beings with introspection and free choice can and do deviate from their natural state. However, wishing to be different from how life has shaped us is neither helpful nor beneficial to success and pleasure. The set of cards we've been given to play in the big tapestry of life is the way life has shaped us. It's better to accept and enjoy it, and then focus on improving the portions that need it.
The set of cards we've been dealt in the big tapestry of life is the way life has shaped us. Accept and love it, then work gently on the areas that could use some improvement.
Dharma Vishesha
Vishesha dharma is the appropriate answer to a certain situation with its own set of circumstances and conditions. Discrimination is necessary here because we must interpret the circumstances we find ourselves in while keeping in mind universal standards and our own natural tendencies.
This allows us to respond appropriately to a situation, but it is not always easy. Life can be complicated, and we must be willing to modify and re-adjust ourselves on a regular basis in order to maintain attuning ourselves to the dharma of each situation as best we can.
Dharma is your genuine self.
With a capital 'D,' I mean Dharma. The silent witness is the Self, or your true "I." "The discovery that serenity, happiness, and love are ever-present and entirely available to us as our own Self at every moment of experience, under all conditions, as our own Self," says spiritual teacher and author Rupert Spira.
To paraphrase Vedanta teacher Christian Leeby, the art of living is defined by these four definitions of dharma: balancing your own ideals with universal values in each unique situation that life offers you with.
To paraphrase Vedanta teacher Christian Leeby, the art of living is defined by these four definitions of dharma: balancing your own ideals with universal values in each unique situation that life offers you with.
Every ecosystem relies on a careful balance between its various components. We preserve that equilibrium as human beings by adhering to universal and personal ideals with a clear conscience. Rather than extracting from the whole, we give to it. We fulfill the roles that have been assigned to us. And, as the Sufis say, we will leave the pleasant aroma of Dharma behind us.