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Thread: What is Dharma? Seven Steps to Dharma.

  1. #1

    What is Dharma? Seven Steps to Dharma.

    http://iksvakave.wordpress.com/2012/...eps-to-dharma/

    Is Dharma telling someone what “their” Dharma is? Example what he or she should be donating/doing and not doing?

    Does “Dharma” only apply to rich people? or people of class?

    What exactly is Dharma for poor people?

    Is Dharma what I decide is righteous? How I spend my time towards that cause?

    What exactly is the Dharmic principal? Is it doing what is right? Following the “right conduct” Doing what is just? or Is it doing your duty?

    I am little wary about speaking about Dharma. However, this is what word Dharma means to me.

    Dharma is:

    1. It is doing what is right/just. It is the code of right conduct.

    2. It is doing your duty to your family.

    3. It is doing your duty for the society.

    4. It is doing your duty with purpose, understanding karma.

    5. It is following the principles of right conduct (Dharma) — a way of life or the “norms.”

    6. It is upholding Dharma — The principles of justice and fairness.

    7. One also cannot be selfish in their motives.





    1. Doing what is right and just and following the right code of conduct.

    What does that look like? It is following the right conduct by doing what is right. One cannot mistreat a person based on caste, creed and status. That is not “right” in terms of Dharma. One cannot mistreat a person for their obstacles in life. That is is not Dharma. One cannot be involved in scandalous behavior and participate in activities that are not right for the mind and body. All of these behaviors promote adharma. All these Adhering to the right behaviors, character and thinking, that is Dharma.

    2. It is doing your duty to your family.

    How do you uphold your duty to your family. How do you do that? By taking responsiblity. Do you uphold the duty for your immediate family (wife and kids) or do you uphold the dharma to your parents? If you are man in my culture you have to do both. Your duty/responsiblity might be to your immediate family, but you do your dharma for the family you came from. What is the difference? Dharma for family lies in upholding ones family.

    3. It is doing your duty for the society.

    Helping the poor, volunteering, and donating food is ones Dharma. It is done for the common good of the society. It is done because it is the right action to do. Does one’s place in society define their duty for society? In some instances yes but it does not always have to be that way. One can do their duty through volunteer work and anyone can contribute by simply giving back. It is dharma of an educated person in society. It is also your underlining purpose for the good of yourself, that will shape your buddhi, bhakti and siddhi and “perhaps” karma.

    4. It is doing your duty with purpose and understanding karma.

    Dharma is not a spiritual progression like karma, Jna, Bhakti, siddhi and buddhi. Dharma is purpose driven. Each individual has a purpose, should see their life with purpose. A life that does uphold or take responsiblity for themselves and their body and their behaviors will eventually face that karma. For a person to be in the spiritual progression they need to do their duty.

    Too often I see people with Bhagavad Gita for spirituality when their lives are stagnant. They are ready to discuss it. However, they are not doing the dharma they are meant to do or they are avoiding their “real” responsibilities. In my opinion, Gita takes you through the spiritual progression, the people who truly understand the depth of it are the ones who have gone the spiritual progression of Bhakti (adhering to god), buddhi (using the “right” side of your mind), siddhi (finding perfection in what to you do, a skill or a duty) and sadhana (rigorous practice of a skill). One cannot avoid dharma. Dharma is essentially action. One has to make those purpose driven choices. One must work hard to understand Dharma. Does it shape their karma? It could “perhaps” shape karma but it is Jna (the supreme most spiritual progression) that is the aim of Dharma, and it is what eventually also decides one evolution of consciousness and destiny.

    5. It is following the principles of right conduct (Dharma) — a way of life or the “norms.”

    Dharma is upholding the religious, cultural values and a way of life. When you don’t follow the norms of a culture a Hindu way of life, or Dharmic way of life, you cannot uphold those values. Is education only good for buying luxuries and living a comfortable life? What good is education that we value so much when people cannot uphold the religious principles and it’s Dharma. Dharma comes from walking on the ground. Even in Ramayan, the princes had plough the ground, and went begging for food. I am not saying, that is what is what needs to happens, but it is important to see and honor the surface, the ground that you walk on to understand Dharma. An educated way of life is not necessarily “THE” way of life with necessities and luxuries. For a Hindu, that education lost it’s purpose. If knowledge is Jna the ultimate spiritual progression, where does that Jna come from? It comes from understanding the norms of people way of life and people’s places in society. It is the understanding of places of people in society and why those norms are there and why people adhere to that religion or norms — essentially to see the surface you walk on.

    6. It is upholding Dharma — The principles of fairness and justice.

    Dharma is Just. It is right. It is not necessarily what is “correct” according to law or rules. It is just because it follows the right rules of conduct or behavior. How can one follow the right rules of conduct or behavior? You hold the principal of fairness and justice by speaking the truth and thinking truth (using your consciousness). What ones does with their consciousness is very different from what one does with their mind. In Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna had to uphold dharma, for himself, for his family and for the country. What is done wrongfully in other’s part, Dharma has to stand up for it. Dharma is not a coward. Dharma does not happen behind the scenes. One goes beyond duty to uphold the Dharma — principles of justice. It happens in action. It is seen in action, done in action. It is more than a duty/responsibility, it is UPHOLDING it. How else can one uphold the principles of a country if not for standing up for that country’s Dharma and principles of justice? When I think of the words “upholding the dharma” I think of the verse yada yada hi dharmasya (4.7). God says, where there is adharma (injustice), mistreatment (a.k.a), I shall come again and again to rise for justice. One verse, the verse, I love.

    Why? —– How many remember that I wrote, yada yada hi adharmasya? That is why.

    7. In Dharma one cannot be selfish in their motives.

    To uphold a religious principle like Dharma one cannot be selfish or self-centered. Dharma does not work that way. There is no I, and Dharma is not self centeredness or selfish behavior. Motives for your own good/benefit is not Dharma. Dharma is dependent on I to perform action but it is not to show independence. Dharma is done for the good of oneself, for people and society. There is a difference between Dharma done in good for oneself and Dharma that is done for your own good, motive, benefit. Dharma that is not selfish in its motive is the duty we do for ourselves, our committment in marriage, and too often a Hindu way of life. Dharma, also lies in the sacrifices we make.

    In essence, however you look at Dharma, it stands for doing what is right.

    Iksvakave

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    Re: What is Dharma? Seven Steps to Dharma.

    Namaste Veena

    Nice to see a posting from you after a period of time. Thanks for sharing these definitions od Dharma.

    Do you have an authorized definition of Sanatana Dharma?

    Om Namah Sivaya

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    Re: What is Dharma? Seven Steps to Dharma.

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~

    namasté

    If one is looking for an in-depth discussion regarding dharma, then the mahābhārata can be one's support.

    If you look to the śanti parvan, section 60, you will find that bhīṣma-ji offers the ordanances ( or vidhi¹) for the 4 orders (varṇa) of men. He also talks of the 9 vidhi that are common to all.

    Now this śāsana (teaching) of bhīṣma-ji goes on for many chapters and is a delight to read. Yet for me there are a few instructions that become the essense of the teaching (śāsana). Let me offer one of them.


    This is found in the , aṇusāsana² parvan (section CXIII or 113). Yudhiṣṭhira now asks questions to bṛ́haspáti (some also write vrihaspati)
    ' absence of injury, the observance of yajña, meditation,etc. - which one of these are filled with the greatest merit for the the individial? '


    Bṛ́haspáti talks of the merits of these virtues, yet says the following:
    One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one's own self. He continues and says , this in brief is the rule of dharma.


    praṇām

    words
    1. vidhi - ordinances, a rule , formula , injunction , ordinance , statute , precept , law .
    2. aṇusāsana - The brilliance of this word aṇusāsana parvan shows the great command of the language by vyāsa-ji ( also known as kṛṣṇa dvaipāyana ) This word can be seen in a few ways:
    • aṇu+sā+sana : aṇu = finer +sā =knowledge + sana = presenting, gain, acquisition. Hence the section (parva) presenting finer knowledge.
    • anu + śasana : anu = after or afterwords + śasana = killing. Hence the section (prava) after the war.
    यतसà¥à¤¤à¥à¤µà¤‚ शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṠśivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

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    Re: What is Dharma? Seven Steps to Dharma.

    Namaste Yajvan

    I am thinking about my own sense of identity, and your authorized explanation of Dharma.

    Quote Yajvan: "One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one's own self. He continues and says , this in brief is the rule of dharma."

    When I see the Great Histories of Deva and Devi and Saints and Savants and Yogis, I see Dharma as not a word or a philosophy but as Action.

    With Dharma as Action, and as a method towards ensuring Actionable Dharma as "never doing injury to another which one regards as injurous to one's own self", then can this be achieved if we see others as family of your Own Self, and expand our Own Identity of Self to This Family and All Things?

    Then can we progress our Spirit and measure this Progress by how far we have expanded the light of true Self to embrace this Family?

    And if we start with our First Family of all Hindus be Saiva, Shakta, Vaishnav, that just this achievement alone in our short life can be the sure sign that this expanding Self is progressing spiritually to Dharma, and eventually to Sanatana Dharma?

    Thank you for sharing an understanding of Dharma which belongs to Saiva, Shakta and Vaishnav.

    Om Namah Sivaya

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    Re: What is Dharma? Seven Steps to Dharma.

    Although my knowledge is little I understand dharma to be a state of being and not something you do. I can do things to follow my dharma or restore it but I can not dharma something or do dharma.

    You asked about an authorized definition of dharma, considering we don't have a Pope or anyone of that nature who should provide that "authorized" definition?

    The following is from Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's "Master Course."



    WhatIs Dharma? What Are Its Forms?

    Dharma is the law of being, theorderly fulfillment of an inherent nature and destiny. Dharma is of four maindivisions, which are God's law at work on four levels of our existence:universal, human, social and personal. Aum.

    Bhashya

    When God created the universe, Heendowed it with order, with the laws to govern creation. Dharma is God's divinelaw prevailing on every level of existence, from the sustaining cosmic order toreligious and moral laws which bind us in harmony with that order. We aremaintained by dharma, held in our most perfect relationship within a complexuniverse. Every form of life, every group of men, has its dharma, the law ofits being. When we follow dharma, we are in conformity with the Truth thatinheres and instructs the universe, and we naturally abide in closeness to God.Adharma is opposition to divine law. Dharma prevails in the laws of nature andis expressed in our culture and heritage. It is piety and ethical practice,duty and obligation. It is the path which leads us to liberation. Universaldharma is known as rita. Social dharma is varna dharma. Human dharma is knownas ashrama dharma. Our personal dharma is svadharma. Hinduism, the purestexpression of these four timeless dharmas, is called Sanatana Dharma. The Vedasproclaim, "There is nothing higher than dharma. Verily, that which isdharma is Truth." Aum Namah Sivaya.
    All is Siva there is nothing without Siva.

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