The power of Dharma!
Hello all,
Namaste! I want to let my blog readers know about my new website-swaroopa.net.Very simple id, not the complicated blog id address. Now to the post.
Last week, we discussed how a global mindset affects the energy of the globe itself. This was in the macroscopic scale. Today, let us discuss the microscopic scale, as pertaining to Dharma. In these times, where Dharma is being trampled underneath the foot due to lies, deception, grandstanding, fakeness and immorality, I felt it is a good topic to discuss.
Dharma: What is Dharma? 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". In Buddhism, dharma means "cosmic law and order", and is also applied to the teachings of Buddha. In Buddhist philosophy, dhamma/ dharma is also the term for "phenomena" ".
Now, give attention to the phrase,"right way of living". What is the right way of living? Is there a correct way and a wrong way? Yes, there is. The right way of our living, the right actions we are supposed to take and the right intentions that lead to those actions. But how do we know whether it is the correct or the wrong way?
Many times our rational mind can interfere in our thought process. We can rationalize everything and move very far away from our own internal compass. Let us delve into it more. Each of us have come to this physical realm, with a deep truth of our heart. This heart can be called our core or even our Soul. The true you and me. Each of us has very different truths.
Some have come here to enjoy this particular lifetime, that they may have good Karma, they need to use up. Some have come here to undertake deep purpose. For example, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr., had huge purposes. They were the leaders who had to have a vision for their countries or their group of people. Humongous purpose. Some others come to have a gentle life and go back to where they came from. Some come here to learn about the darker energies of life. Some come to do atrocious acts of evil like terror.
Each of us come with our Dharma, the true purpose we need to work on. This purpose is deeply hidden within our core. Now, this core or Soul has no voice. Last week, we discussed this. Even the emotional mind deeply connected with the core has no voice. Only the logical mind and the associated limbs and sense organs has the voice or the faculties that provide action. But the emotional mind has a subtle tool. It can use this faculty.
This tool is the emotions. It can make us 'feel'. Remember anything that we felt was not right and acted upon it. We felt horrible or had this feeling of a 'deep wrong'. Same way if we did something right we feel a sense of power. This feeling that we get is the guidance that comes from our core or Soul to make us realize whether we are doing right or wrong'. The built-in conscience that keeps us on track. But many times people shut this down, ignore or throw it into the dumpster.
Let me give an example. Why are many times people who do 'big crimes' once are in the prison, hang themselves? Especially, if they are kept alone for a long time? Many times we would have noticed, people who do bad things, don't want to ever be with themselves. Why? Because, the minute they are alone, their mind is filled with thoughts, or they start to feel bad. Their conscience starts to poke them.
People consider, the death penalty is the greatest punishment. One is given death and taken out of their life. I feel the 'life imprisonment' that too solitary confinement, is the greatest punishment anyone can have. They are asked to live with their companion- the rational above that the emotional mind. People due to this 'hammering thought process' of guilt and shame, go literally crazy. They cut themselves, injure themselves and even hang themselves.
The greatest punishment anyone can get. Many times Christianity propounds of the judgement day. According to that religion, St. Peter, weighs a person's heart, against a feather. The heart that is peaceful, it seems would be very light. Even in the energy dynamics this rings true. The vices such as greed, anger, hate have very low energy. This is a huge burden, like a big boulder on the heart. But a heart or core that is true and act upon its purpose is very light. Light as a feather.
Sat-Chit-Ananda: I even think, this judgement doesn't happen outside, but within our heart, within our mind. We also have heard about the 'Kingdom of heaven'. Where is this kingdom of heaven? Is it somewhere in some realm of the Universe? What if it is within us, in our heart? Now, let me discuss, a very similar concept that comes in Hinduism. I used to think that this was three phrases. Sat-goodness, Chit-heart, Ananda-bliss. Until four days back, I totally used to think, this was three separate words according to the way I was taught or I read Hinduism.
Three separate words. Four days back I was cooking dinner and listening to a Malayalam movie song by Yesudas, 'Tripurasundari Darsana Lahari'. I like that song a lot. This Sat-Chit-Ananda, phrase comes at the last part of the song. When that part came, suddenly that insight struck me as a flash. So, simple, but so very hidden. Sat-Chit and Ananda. The Ananda (bliss) of the Sat-Chit (good heart). The bliss of the good heart! The joyfulness one feels when they truly embrace their good heart. In other words, the 'Kingdom of heaven' Christianity extols.
Only a good heart can find that joyfulness. The pure joy of living and being alive. Heart so straightforward, direct and deeply positioned in one's own truth, it feels very light and bright. As light as a feather. The kingdom of heaven. Where do we find utmost happiness? In the joy of the heaven. That joy if we can find within our heart-the metaphorical heaven. SatChit-Ananda. The bliss of the good heart.
Now, how does this can be captured? Let us go back to the previous concept. Each of us come with our own deep truths, a purpose or Dharma we are supposed to do. Our every talent, passion, notion and perspective are wired towards this. This is the truth of our heart. Even 'who we are' is deeply connected with this. Any time we start to move away from this truth, we are nudged or poked back by a bad feeling or a sense of 'not correct'.
But humans are humans. Not easy to change the innate thought and mindset. So, we ignore or shut down that nudge and go behind what we 'think' is correct. This is called rationalization or intellectualization. This has nothing to do with the 'truth of the heart'. It is purely our mind leading. Soon, due to the repeated actions we take away from our own Dharma or truth of our heart, we find our life joyless.
Coming back to the bliss of the good heart, the 'Sat' (सत्त ) can also be interpreted as 'true or truth' -Satya. The bliss of the true heart- The real meaning of Sat-Chit-Ananda. Now, this shows without being true to ourselves, we can't be happy and joyful, the state of Ananda- Bliss. So, to become happy, it becomes a criterion, to follow, the truth of the heart- Dharma. It is due to this fact, corrupt, lying, fake and deceiving individuals are never truly happy.
Take any person's cases you have seen. If they are not 'embracing the truth of their own heart', not another's heart, but their own heart, they are not happy or joyful. Now, because they are not able to access their own happiness, by virtue of their own truth, all the other issues come up. Being jealous of another's happiness, trying to show that one is superior to others, putting down others, anger, hating another's success, fear of another taking over, the whole gamut of issues, poke their head.
Look at the society nowadays. We can see the truth being a prisoner to lies, deception, fakeness, hate, rage, anger and more. The Divine has been so intelligent in this concept. Look at the way the source has deeply wired this concept within us. Brilliant! The one and only way a person can be genuinely joyful in the bliss state, is to embrace their own inner truth. Only this joy would later bring the peace. The calm peace, every human being is craving for.
But instead of realizing this fact, each human goes and tries to fix the outer circumstances. When we have no peace within our mind, where else would we get peace. Even if we are staying in the most luxurious palace, we won't be happy. This can be elaborated with the example of Duryodhana from Mahabharatha. He had the whole kingdom when the Pandavas went to the forest.
When they returned, first they asked for five regions. Duryodhana said No. Then they asked for five villages. No. At least give us five houses. No. He had so much of jealousy and anger towards Pandavas, he truly hated them. As the Pandavas, valued Dharma, the truth of their own heart, they were always happy. Duryodhana was not ready to accept the Dharma he knew, should be obeyed.
The truth that Yudhishira, the first Pandava was the person who was supposed to be the next king. This truth, that Duryodhana was the younger sibling and cannot become the ruler, he just could not digest. He tried to ignore it, negate it, put it out using ulterior methods and other tactics. He could have had the whole kingdom except the five regions or the houses. Due to his jealousy, he was not ready to even forego that. The fight for Dharma later led to the Kurukshetra war.
The power of Dharma: Many times we talk a lot about Dharma. But Dharma, doesn't come alone. It comes bringing other virtues. Dharma, the truth of a true heart. This is a very powerful place. The strength of the truth-our inner truth. In this space within our heart, we become focused, powerful, authentic. We find our place in our life.
The space where we can be ourselves, authentic. We stop trying to chase, pursue or achieve. Instead, we stand in the space of be-ing and start to bring our purpose towards us. See the difference. As long as we don't embrace our truth, we would be chasing something. The thing we chase runs more faster infront of us. We chase even faster. Finally life becomes a rat race of chase and pursuit.
Here is where humanity finds ourselves nowadays. People have lost meaning in their life. Why am I doing, what I am doing? What is the purpose for my life? Who am I? Where am I going? Questions, questions. But no answers. This is because the rational mind has no idea about the purpose. It is the servant. It is supposed to serve us. Instead we have made it our Master and eventually we get lost in our own life.
The true purpose for our life is deeply wired in our heart-our Dharma. It is very different for each one of us. For me blogging, writing Quora answers, my entrepreneurship, guiding, mentoring-all are part of my Dharma. Now, once we find our Dharma, suddenly we are functioning from our truth. The other virtues starts showing up. We feel joyful and at peace. This joy is not the up and down swing of happiness. But the simple joys of life/ living.
We become happy seeing a tiny flower, a puffy cloud, a smiling child, a singing bird. The most simplest of pleasures. The power of Dharma comes in the peace that springs forth. We are 'at peace'. Even if the whole world is turning upside down with chaos, we have the small place of peace, we can embrace- within our heart. This peace never comes if one is living a life of untruth, deception or lies. We can see the examples of swirling chaos where lies and deception foster.
Because Adharma or immorality doesn't have the power to create peace. It can only bring in chaos. In that chaos, the humans are not able to find a proper footing. It becomes every day struggle to find that grounding. That is why we can see people who practice Dharma as relaxed, joyful and at peace. They are not in the constant struggle of finding the footing or being swept away by the confusing circumstances the lies bring. But Adharma or immorality does that.
There is another very important factor as well. As a whole, nature loves truth. When we say as nature, even the cells in our body comes under nature. We may think, they don't have Dharma. Even they have their Dharma-duty. A heart cell is supposed to beat, a kidney cell is supposed to filter, a fat cell is supposed to store fat, a skin cell is supposed to cover our body, a bone cell supposed to give support. See, even a tiny cell in our body has a purpose and an underlying truth.
A kidney cell should not act as a fat cell. A heart cell should not act as a bone cell. The cell's innate Dharma- function or purpose. Even they have their truth. But now what happens? The human using their mind starts to create a fake or deceptive environment of thoughts, words or actions. This truth becomes jarring to the truth of the body. The mind starts to affect the body. The body starts to have a changing environment. Many times diseases ensue.
We can see a very high increase in 'auto-immune' diseases, nowadays. What is auto-immunity? Cells are acting on the body itself. In another words cells eating their own body. Many times we would have been in a chaotic environment that brought stress and high toxicity to our body. The disease shows up much later, when the body cannot fix the situation anymore. I have learnt stress hormones have a very deep effect on turning on cancer genes.
So, let us not consider Dharma, very lightly. Our purpose or meaning for our life has consequences in our life, mind, body and even the outside environment. So, we should not take our own Dharma lightly. It brings deep power and authentic internal strength. The power of a being practicing their own Dharma. Peaceful, authentic, genuine, joyful and strong. The power of peace. SatChit-Ananda!
The bliss of a true heart!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday! 😉
Next week: Satchitananda!
Credits: Pixabay.com
Namaste! I want to let my blog readers know about my new website-swaroopa.net.Very simple id, not the complicated blog id address. Now to the post.
Last week, we discussed how a global mindset affects the energy of the globe itself. This was in the macroscopic scale. Today, let us discuss the microscopic scale, as pertaining to Dharma. In these times, where Dharma is being trampled underneath the foot due to lies, deception, grandstanding, fakeness and immorality, I felt it is a good topic to discuss.
Dharma: What is Dharma? 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". In Buddhism, dharma means "cosmic law and order", and is also applied to the teachings of Buddha. In Buddhist philosophy, dhamma/ dharma is also the term for "phenomena" ".
Now, give attention to the phrase,"right way of living". What is the right way of living? Is there a correct way and a wrong way? Yes, there is. The right way of our living, the right actions we are supposed to take and the right intentions that lead to those actions. But how do we know whether it is the correct or the wrong way?
 |
| The various religious symbols of Dharma! Image credits - Pixabay.com |
Some have come here to enjoy this particular lifetime, that they may have good Karma, they need to use up. Some have come here to undertake deep purpose. For example, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr., had huge purposes. They were the leaders who had to have a vision for their countries or their group of people. Humongous purpose. Some others come to have a gentle life and go back to where they came from. Some come here to learn about the darker energies of life. Some come to do atrocious acts of evil like terror.
Each of us come with our Dharma, the true purpose we need to work on. This purpose is deeply hidden within our core. Now, this core or Soul has no voice. Last week, we discussed this. Even the emotional mind deeply connected with the core has no voice. Only the logical mind and the associated limbs and sense organs has the voice or the faculties that provide action. But the emotional mind has a subtle tool. It can use this faculty.
This tool is the emotions. It can make us 'feel'. Remember anything that we felt was not right and acted upon it. We felt horrible or had this feeling of a 'deep wrong'. Same way if we did something right we feel a sense of power. This feeling that we get is the guidance that comes from our core or Soul to make us realize whether we are doing right or wrong'. The built-in conscience that keeps us on track. But many times people shut this down, ignore or throw it into the dumpster.
Let me give an example. Why are many times people who do 'big crimes' once are in the prison, hang themselves? Especially, if they are kept alone for a long time? Many times we would have noticed, people who do bad things, don't want to ever be with themselves. Why? Because, the minute they are alone, their mind is filled with thoughts, or they start to feel bad. Their conscience starts to poke them.
People consider, the death penalty is the greatest punishment. One is given death and taken out of their life. I feel the 'life imprisonment' that too solitary confinement, is the greatest punishment anyone can have. They are asked to live with their companion- the rational above that the emotional mind. People due to this 'hammering thought process' of guilt and shame, go literally crazy. They cut themselves, injure themselves and even hang themselves.
 |
| The balance of right and wrong. Dharma! Image credits - Pixabay.com |
Sat-Chit-Ananda: I even think, this judgement doesn't happen outside, but within our heart, within our mind. We also have heard about the 'Kingdom of heaven'. Where is this kingdom of heaven? Is it somewhere in some realm of the Universe? What if it is within us, in our heart? Now, let me discuss, a very similar concept that comes in Hinduism. I used to think that this was three phrases. Sat-goodness, Chit-heart, Ananda-bliss. Until four days back, I totally used to think, this was three separate words according to the way I was taught or I read Hinduism.
Three separate words. Four days back I was cooking dinner and listening to a Malayalam movie song by Yesudas, 'Tripurasundari Darsana Lahari'. I like that song a lot. This Sat-Chit-Ananda, phrase comes at the last part of the song. When that part came, suddenly that insight struck me as a flash. So, simple, but so very hidden. Sat-Chit and Ananda. The Ananda (bliss) of the Sat-Chit (good heart). The bliss of the good heart! The joyfulness one feels when they truly embrace their good heart. In other words, the 'Kingdom of heaven' Christianity extols.
 |
| Joy - Enjoying the simple things in life! Image credits - Pixabay.com |
Only a good heart can find that joyfulness. The pure joy of living and being alive. Heart so straightforward, direct and deeply positioned in one's own truth, it feels very light and bright. As light as a feather. The kingdom of heaven. Where do we find utmost happiness? In the joy of the heaven. That joy if we can find within our heart-the metaphorical heaven. SatChit-Ananda. The bliss of the good heart.
Now, how does this can be captured? Let us go back to the previous concept. Each of us come with our own deep truths, a purpose or Dharma we are supposed to do. Our every talent, passion, notion and perspective are wired towards this. This is the truth of our heart. Even 'who we are' is deeply connected with this. Any time we start to move away from this truth, we are nudged or poked back by a bad feeling or a sense of 'not correct'.
But humans are humans. Not easy to change the innate thought and mindset. So, we ignore or shut down that nudge and go behind what we 'think' is correct. This is called rationalization or intellectualization. This has nothing to do with the 'truth of the heart'. It is purely our mind leading. Soon, due to the repeated actions we take away from our own Dharma or truth of our heart, we find our life joyless.
Coming back to the bliss of the good heart, the 'Sat' (सत्त ) can also be interpreted as 'true or truth' -Satya. The bliss of the true heart- The real meaning of Sat-Chit-Ananda. Now, this shows without being true to ourselves, we can't be happy and joyful, the state of Ananda- Bliss. So, to become happy, it becomes a criterion, to follow, the truth of the heart- Dharma. It is due to this fact, corrupt, lying, fake and deceiving individuals are never truly happy.
Take any person's cases you have seen. If they are not 'embracing the truth of their own heart', not another's heart, but their own heart, they are not happy or joyful. Now, because they are not able to access their own happiness, by virtue of their own truth, all the other issues come up. Being jealous of another's happiness, trying to show that one is superior to others, putting down others, anger, hating another's success, fear of another taking over, the whole gamut of issues, poke their head.
Look at the society nowadays. We can see the truth being a prisoner to lies, deception, fakeness, hate, rage, anger and more. The Divine has been so intelligent in this concept. Look at the way the source has deeply wired this concept within us. Brilliant! The one and only way a person can be genuinely joyful in the bliss state, is to embrace their own inner truth. Only this joy would later bring the peace. The calm peace, every human being is craving for.
But instead of realizing this fact, each human goes and tries to fix the outer circumstances. When we have no peace within our mind, where else would we get peace. Even if we are staying in the most luxurious palace, we won't be happy. This can be elaborated with the example of Duryodhana from Mahabharatha. He had the whole kingdom when the Pandavas went to the forest.
 |
| Krishna as envoy of the Pandavas. Duryodhana in the red dress can be seen! Image credits - Raja Ravi Varma [Public domain] |
The truth that Yudhishira, the first Pandava was the person who was supposed to be the next king. This truth, that Duryodhana was the younger sibling and cannot become the ruler, he just could not digest. He tried to ignore it, negate it, put it out using ulterior methods and other tactics. He could have had the whole kingdom except the five regions or the houses. Due to his jealousy, he was not ready to even forego that. The fight for Dharma later led to the Kurukshetra war.
The power of Dharma: Many times we talk a lot about Dharma. But Dharma, doesn't come alone. It comes bringing other virtues. Dharma, the truth of a true heart. This is a very powerful place. The strength of the truth-our inner truth. In this space within our heart, we become focused, powerful, authentic. We find our place in our life.
The space where we can be ourselves, authentic. We stop trying to chase, pursue or achieve. Instead, we stand in the space of be-ing and start to bring our purpose towards us. See the difference. As long as we don't embrace our truth, we would be chasing something. The thing we chase runs more faster infront of us. We chase even faster. Finally life becomes a rat race of chase and pursuit.
Here is where humanity finds ourselves nowadays. People have lost meaning in their life. Why am I doing, what I am doing? What is the purpose for my life? Who am I? Where am I going? Questions, questions. But no answers. This is because the rational mind has no idea about the purpose. It is the servant. It is supposed to serve us. Instead we have made it our Master and eventually we get lost in our own life.
The true purpose for our life is deeply wired in our heart-our Dharma. It is very different for each one of us. For me blogging, writing Quora answers, my entrepreneurship, guiding, mentoring-all are part of my Dharma. Now, once we find our Dharma, suddenly we are functioning from our truth. The other virtues starts showing up. We feel joyful and at peace. This joy is not the up and down swing of happiness. But the simple joys of life/ living.
We become happy seeing a tiny flower, a puffy cloud, a smiling child, a singing bird. The most simplest of pleasures. The power of Dharma comes in the peace that springs forth. We are 'at peace'. Even if the whole world is turning upside down with chaos, we have the small place of peace, we can embrace- within our heart. This peace never comes if one is living a life of untruth, deception or lies. We can see the examples of swirling chaos where lies and deception foster.
Because Adharma or immorality doesn't have the power to create peace. It can only bring in chaos. In that chaos, the humans are not able to find a proper footing. It becomes every day struggle to find that grounding. That is why we can see people who practice Dharma as relaxed, joyful and at peace. They are not in the constant struggle of finding the footing or being swept away by the confusing circumstances the lies bring. But Adharma or immorality does that.
 |
| The metaphorical heart where a person's Dharma resides! Image credits - Pixabay.com |
There is another very important factor as well. As a whole, nature loves truth. When we say as nature, even the cells in our body comes under nature. We may think, they don't have Dharma. Even they have their Dharma-duty. A heart cell is supposed to beat, a kidney cell is supposed to filter, a fat cell is supposed to store fat, a skin cell is supposed to cover our body, a bone cell supposed to give support. See, even a tiny cell in our body has a purpose and an underlying truth.
A kidney cell should not act as a fat cell. A heart cell should not act as a bone cell. The cell's innate Dharma- function or purpose. Even they have their truth. But now what happens? The human using their mind starts to create a fake or deceptive environment of thoughts, words or actions. This truth becomes jarring to the truth of the body. The mind starts to affect the body. The body starts to have a changing environment. Many times diseases ensue.
We can see a very high increase in 'auto-immune' diseases, nowadays. What is auto-immunity? Cells are acting on the body itself. In another words cells eating their own body. Many times we would have been in a chaotic environment that brought stress and high toxicity to our body. The disease shows up much later, when the body cannot fix the situation anymore. I have learnt stress hormones have a very deep effect on turning on cancer genes.
So, let us not consider Dharma, very lightly. Our purpose or meaning for our life has consequences in our life, mind, body and even the outside environment. So, we should not take our own Dharma lightly. It brings deep power and authentic internal strength. The power of a being practicing their own Dharma. Peaceful, authentic, genuine, joyful and strong. The power of peace. SatChit-Ananda!
The bliss of a true heart!
I wish you a good weekend and I'll see you next Friday! 😉
Next week: Satchitananda!
Credits: Pixabay.com
![Raja Ravi Varma [Public domain]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Krishna_as_Envoy.jpg){kind=link}
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