The truth of Dharma!
Hello all,
Namaste! Hope all of you had a great week where you were able to uncover another little piece of your personal truth. Last week we discussed how our own personal truth can set us free. Personal truth also can be called our Dharma. Let us discuss more the truth laden in our personal Dharma, this week.
What is Reality? As in this blog, we discuss the concepts from a platform of Hinduism, I am taking the concept as per Vedic Philosophy. According to Wikipedia, "In Hinduism, dharma signifies behaviors that are considered to be in accord with Ṛta, the order that makes life and universe possible, and includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and "right way of living". So, according to that Dharma becomes the right way of living.
What is the right way of living? Who decides what is the right way? Are there any premises on which Dharma stands? Does Dharma change according to the country and region one is born? How can we be sure we are practicing the right kind of Dharma? Who decides whether we are practicing our own Dharma or not?
These all are questions that come up when we decide to walk the path of Dharma. Before that let us talk about another concept-Maya. We have already discussed this before. This is the illusion we wear when we take birth in this physical realm. As we all know, every one of us has a mind. We usually wear filters or layers of perception according to the family we were born in, the circumstances we grew up in, the conditioning we got, the education we pursued and all the other criteria that helped us to develop our personality. All these factors have a say in how we think and perceive.
When we perceive an experience one way we are shutting down all the other perceptions we could have realized. Let us consider this concept with an example. Think we are going to an Ice-cream shop. There are fifty different flavors of Ice-cream kept for us to choose from. We decide on coffee-creme (Of course, my favorite, ;-))). We are savoring this particular flavor. The minute we chose the coffee-creme flavor, we have eliminated or said 'No' to all the other flavors. We have not realized it, but we said No to the other forty-nine flavors, isn't it?
This is the same concept that happens in our life as well. When we chose to think or perceive in one way we are eliminating all the other ways we could have thought about a circumstance. So, by choosing we are eliminating many of our choices. So, here by actively perceiving or choosing our reality, we many times only see a percentage of the whole picture. So, through our perception, we are only seeing a part of the reality and we think that is the whole truth. This partial realization of the whole truth can also be called 'Maya' or the illusion.
We as human beings are many times bogged down by this perception of half-truths. When we stand in this half-truths and decide for our lives we are not fully utilizing the 'true potential' we are born with. We are only seeing so much of the reality and are deciding on our choices. The reality is the Ice-cream shop with fifty flavors. But by choosing that one flavor we eliminated the other forty-nine options we could have had.
Here there is also another concept. Think about the filter we are wearing. This is only half the reality. So, again the Ice-cream shop. What if we are only seeing half of the shop with some twenty flavors showcased. Now, also we are not seeing the whole truth, isn't it? So, many times we as a human being live from this mind perspective where we only see half the reality. The other half we can never comprehend from the mind's perspective. But is there a way to 'see' the total reality?
Intuition: This is where intuition comes. Intuition is the sixth sense. It doesn't come under the five senses and the mind. It comes from another place, our subconscious or more our heart. Here we cannot 'see' with our eyes. But we can feel it and that feelings help us to know it. In Hinduism, if we see the pictures of the Gods and Goddesses, we can see many of them having a closed eye on their forehead. This is called the third eye or more aptly the mental eye or intuition.
There is even a sacred energy center listed on the forehead called the 'Ajna chakra'. Ajna in Sanskrit is called order or command. This even gives a hint that opening or being aware by virtue of the Ajna chakra, we even can find order or command of our own life. Why? Because using our mind together with intuition gives us a more fuller picture of our reality and that gives us more knowledge to take charge of our own life- command.
But due to our rational thought analysis, which is fully mind based, we throw our intuition under the bus. So, this keeps us tied up in our own half-truths or Maya. See, how we are not allowing ourselves to perceive our own total true reality or personal truths. So, from this space, we may not be able to realize our total personal truth or Dharma.
Only once we go into our heart space, use our intuition, feelings and then the mind as well as thoughts, our own total personal reality come into full force. From this space, we have to start analyzing what is our Dharma or the truth that we have brought into this life. Here when we stand our words, actions, behavior as well as attitude glows with our personal truth- Sathya. Remember the verse Mahatma Gandhi always used to say, 'Sathyameva Jayathe'- Always the truth comes out victorious. This is in the case of Universal truths as well as personal truths.
So, when we stand in a space of mind and intellect we are not living our truth or Dharma laden with Sathya. A mind should always be anchored in the truth of the heart. Otherwise, we have worn a mask over our mind and is only living the half-truths- the half the Icecream parlor with some twenty flavors, not the fifty flavors with the whole parlor. This, in other words, can be also called Maya-illusion, half-truths. This kind of living keeps us tied as prisoner to our mind.
This living makes the mind go behind anything that 'feels' like truth. We already are ignoring our own full truth. We are confused deep from our mind. How can any other thing make sense to us? This is what is happening all over the world nowadays- intellectualization and looking at life from a mind and mental perspective. The heart or the deep truth is not in the picture. So, is there any wonder people are totally in a confused state?
The truth of Dharma: Here is where the truth of the heart or Dharma comes into the picture. In this type of living, the heart or in other words the 'higher self' is front and center. The mind is just a servant that listens and takes actions according to the will of the Master-the heart. The personal truth of the person comes to the forefront-Dharma. That has the truth of the heart and Soul- Sathya. No more masks, layers, or personas. Only the truly brilliant and shining effulgence of the Self.
There is another experience I have seen. Any time I stand in this space and speak my truth, I feel anchored, powerful, and authentic. People also listen more, as they can sense that truth written all over the words and actions. This is not just true for me. It is true for every being. Any time we speak from our core or heart, our words become authentic and genuine. The truth of that heart rings loud and clear.
This is what is said in 'The truth shall set you free' or 'Sathyameva Jayathe', the truth as it is, not more or not less. That was what propelled Mahatma Gandhi towards victory. The truth of the freedom struggle. The truth that a faraway western foreign country that was oceans apart was ruling over a country of people who could very well rule themselves. The truth that the East India Company was ruling with an iron fist over people who were treated as slaves. The truth that there were two sets of rules, one for the British and another for Indians. The disparity of treatments was the truth staring at the world in it's face.
The same with the Emancipation proclamation by Abraham Lincoln. The truth that a major portion of the population was not having basic rights and treated like slaves while the country itself stood for 'Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness' in the Declaration of Independence. This is the same truth that is tearing apart the country nowadays in the name of racism. In the name of racism, if a huge population is set aside to the sidelines, it totally stands against the truth of the 'Declaration of Independence'. These are communal truths. Like this, there are truths for the country, community as well as a person.
The truth of a person from the heart becomes their personal Dharma. When a person stands and operates from this space of truth, the higher spiritual laws and the Universe (Brahman) itself stands solidly behind them. Now, remember Mahabharatha. The Pandavas had Dharma or truth on their side. So, Brahman or Universe in the form of Krishna stood on the side of the Pandavas or Dharma.
Many times we crib and cry that the Gods or the Universe is not helping us or our life is not going as we want. Before cribbing, we need to look at ourselves and see whether we are living our truths. My life itself is an example of it. I lived my half-truth as a Scientist/Biotechnologist for 46 years of my life. The truth or Dharma of my spiritual and philosophical gifts was ignored. I was only seeing 1/4th of my own Ice-cream parlor. The remaining 30-40 flavors of Ice-cream were neglected. In such a case, what is the point of my cribbing and crying for a 'lost career'?
Same way everyone needs to go deep into their own hearts and have to find their personal truths. That would bring out their Dharma and purpose to the forefront. Now, standing in that truth through one's own thoughts, attitudes, and actions one should capture one's true Dharma. This space gives immense joy, fulfillment, satisfaction, and abundance of an exalted existence. Nobody is denied that.
But as a person one should be ready and totally dedicated to put in the inner work to find that personal truth deep hidden within the heart. That brings forward one's true purpose or Dharma. Now, whether to do the inner work or not, that is always one's free will and choice!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday!😉
Next week: Dharma and Karma!
Credits: Images and links from Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay.com
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to Jayasree Padmanabhan and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I just use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds to use their service for a subscription list. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions and perspectives shared here are that of the author/owner only. Even though the author/owner will try to research well before posting the information, the author/owner of this blog does not make any portrayal of the accuracy or correctness of the content on this blog or the links provided. The author/owner will not be liable for any omissions or inaccuracies occurred. The author/owner will not be liable for any damages or losses due to the use or display of this blog. These terms and conditions can change at any time.
This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
©Jayasree Padmanabhan and Swaroopa LLC, 2017- Eternity
Namaste! Hope all of you had a great week where you were able to uncover another little piece of your personal truth. Last week we discussed how our own personal truth can set us free. Personal truth also can be called our Dharma. Let us discuss more the truth laden in our personal Dharma, this week.
What is Reality? As in this blog, we discuss the concepts from a platform of Hinduism, I am taking the concept as per Vedic Philosophy. According to Wikipedia, "In Hinduism, dharma signifies behaviors that are considered to be in accord with Ṛta, the order that makes life and universe possible, and includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and "right way of living". So, according to that Dharma becomes the right way of living.
What is the right way of living? Who decides what is the right way? Are there any premises on which Dharma stands? Does Dharma change according to the country and region one is born? How can we be sure we are practicing the right kind of Dharma? Who decides whether we are practicing our own Dharma or not?
 |
| Are we seeing the full reality of our life? Image credits-Pixabay.com |
These all are questions that come up when we decide to walk the path of Dharma. Before that let us talk about another concept-Maya. We have already discussed this before. This is the illusion we wear when we take birth in this physical realm. As we all know, every one of us has a mind. We usually wear filters or layers of perception according to the family we were born in, the circumstances we grew up in, the conditioning we got, the education we pursued and all the other criteria that helped us to develop our personality. All these factors have a say in how we think and perceive.
When we perceive an experience one way we are shutting down all the other perceptions we could have realized. Let us consider this concept with an example. Think we are going to an Ice-cream shop. There are fifty different flavors of Ice-cream kept for us to choose from. We decide on coffee-creme (Of course, my favorite, ;-))). We are savoring this particular flavor. The minute we chose the coffee-creme flavor, we have eliminated or said 'No' to all the other flavors. We have not realized it, but we said No to the other forty-nine flavors, isn't it?
This is the same concept that happens in our life as well. When we chose to think or perceive in one way we are eliminating all the other ways we could have thought about a circumstance. So, by choosing we are eliminating many of our choices. So, here by actively perceiving or choosing our reality, we many times only see a percentage of the whole picture. So, through our perception, we are only seeing a part of the reality and we think that is the whole truth. This partial realization of the whole truth can also be called 'Maya' or the illusion.
 |
| The numerous flavors of life! Image credits-Pixabay.com |
We as human beings are many times bogged down by this perception of half-truths. When we stand in this half-truths and decide for our lives we are not fully utilizing the 'true potential' we are born with. We are only seeing so much of the reality and are deciding on our choices. The reality is the Ice-cream shop with fifty flavors. But by choosing that one flavor we eliminated the other forty-nine options we could have had.
Here there is also another concept. Think about the filter we are wearing. This is only half the reality. So, again the Ice-cream shop. What if we are only seeing half of the shop with some twenty flavors showcased. Now, also we are not seeing the whole truth, isn't it? So, many times we as a human being live from this mind perspective where we only see half the reality. The other half we can never comprehend from the mind's perspective. But is there a way to 'see' the total reality?
Intuition: This is where intuition comes. Intuition is the sixth sense. It doesn't come under the five senses and the mind. It comes from another place, our subconscious or more our heart. Here we cannot 'see' with our eyes. But we can feel it and that feelings help us to know it. In Hinduism, if we see the pictures of the Gods and Goddesses, we can see many of them having a closed eye on their forehead. This is called the third eye or more aptly the mental eye or intuition.
There is even a sacred energy center listed on the forehead called the 'Ajna chakra'. Ajna in Sanskrit is called order or command. This even gives a hint that opening or being aware by virtue of the Ajna chakra, we even can find order or command of our own life. Why? Because using our mind together with intuition gives us a more fuller picture of our reality and that gives us more knowledge to take charge of our own life- command.
 |
| The intuition brings in the fuller picture of reality! Image credits-Pixabay.com |
Only once we go into our heart space, use our intuition, feelings and then the mind as well as thoughts, our own total personal reality come into full force. From this space, we have to start analyzing what is our Dharma or the truth that we have brought into this life. Here when we stand our words, actions, behavior as well as attitude glows with our personal truth- Sathya. Remember the verse Mahatma Gandhi always used to say, 'Sathyameva Jayathe'- Always the truth comes out victorious. This is in the case of Universal truths as well as personal truths.
So, when we stand in a space of mind and intellect we are not living our truth or Dharma laden with Sathya. A mind should always be anchored in the truth of the heart. Otherwise, we have worn a mask over our mind and is only living the half-truths- the half the Icecream parlor with some twenty flavors, not the fifty flavors with the whole parlor. This, in other words, can be also called Maya-illusion, half-truths. This kind of living keeps us tied as prisoner to our mind.
This living makes the mind go behind anything that 'feels' like truth. We already are ignoring our own full truth. We are confused deep from our mind. How can any other thing make sense to us? This is what is happening all over the world nowadays- intellectualization and looking at life from a mind and mental perspective. The heart or the deep truth is not in the picture. So, is there any wonder people are totally in a confused state?
The truth of Dharma: Here is where the truth of the heart or Dharma comes into the picture. In this type of living, the heart or in other words the 'higher self' is front and center. The mind is just a servant that listens and takes actions according to the will of the Master-the heart. The personal truth of the person comes to the forefront-Dharma. That has the truth of the heart and Soul- Sathya. No more masks, layers, or personas. Only the truly brilliant and shining effulgence of the Self.
There is another experience I have seen. Any time I stand in this space and speak my truth, I feel anchored, powerful, and authentic. People also listen more, as they can sense that truth written all over the words and actions. This is not just true for me. It is true for every being. Any time we speak from our core or heart, our words become authentic and genuine. The truth of that heart rings loud and clear.
This is what is said in 'The truth shall set you free' or 'Sathyameva Jayathe', the truth as it is, not more or not less. That was what propelled Mahatma Gandhi towards victory. The truth of the freedom struggle. The truth that a faraway western foreign country that was oceans apart was ruling over a country of people who could very well rule themselves. The truth that the East India Company was ruling with an iron fist over people who were treated as slaves. The truth that there were two sets of rules, one for the British and another for Indians. The disparity of treatments was the truth staring at the world in it's face.
 |
| The truth laden path of Dharma! Image credits-Pixabay.com |
The same with the Emancipation proclamation by Abraham Lincoln. The truth that a major portion of the population was not having basic rights and treated like slaves while the country itself stood for 'Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness' in the Declaration of Independence. This is the same truth that is tearing apart the country nowadays in the name of racism. In the name of racism, if a huge population is set aside to the sidelines, it totally stands against the truth of the 'Declaration of Independence'. These are communal truths. Like this, there are truths for the country, community as well as a person.
The truth of a person from the heart becomes their personal Dharma. When a person stands and operates from this space of truth, the higher spiritual laws and the Universe (Brahman) itself stands solidly behind them. Now, remember Mahabharatha. The Pandavas had Dharma or truth on their side. So, Brahman or Universe in the form of Krishna stood on the side of the Pandavas or Dharma.
Many times we crib and cry that the Gods or the Universe is not helping us or our life is not going as we want. Before cribbing, we need to look at ourselves and see whether we are living our truths. My life itself is an example of it. I lived my half-truth as a Scientist/Biotechnologist for 46 years of my life. The truth or Dharma of my spiritual and philosophical gifts was ignored. I was only seeing 1/4th of my own Ice-cream parlor. The remaining 30-40 flavors of Ice-cream were neglected. In such a case, what is the point of my cribbing and crying for a 'lost career'?
Same way everyone needs to go deep into their own hearts and have to find their personal truths. That would bring out their Dharma and purpose to the forefront. Now, standing in that truth through one's own thoughts, attitudes, and actions one should capture one's true Dharma. This space gives immense joy, fulfillment, satisfaction, and abundance of an exalted existence. Nobody is denied that.
But as a person one should be ready and totally dedicated to put in the inner work to find that personal truth deep hidden within the heart. That brings forward one's true purpose or Dharma. Now, whether to do the inner work or not, that is always one's free will and choice!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday!😉
Next week: Dharma and Karma!
Credits: Images and links from Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay.com
Ralph Waldo Emerson writes, "There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance ; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better for worse as his portion that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. The power which resides in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried".
All rights reserved to Jayasree Padmanabhan and SwaroopaBlog.
To my Blog readers: As all of you know, the European Union has passed laws regarding the collection of the user data. This is just to inform all my EU blog readers, I just use Google Analytics, which Google provides, to look at from where readers are reading my blogs. I also use Specific feeds to use their service for a subscription list. I don't collect or intend to collect user data to sell or provide to third-party applications. Regards,
SwaroopaBlog.
This blog is purely for informational purposes only.
©Jayasree Padmanabhan and Swaroopa LLC, 2017- Eternity
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