The True Meaning of Dharma

 

 

Dharma is an extremely intricate subject that is much greater and impersonal than human conduct.  Dharma means to uphold or to sustain. It is the principle that makes all beings or things the way they are. For example, it is the dharma of the sun to produce heat. It is the dharma of the rain to make things wet. It is the dharma of the trees to provide oxygen. Dharma is therefore: The innate function of all things that allows them to be the way they are and to function the way they do. 

Dharma is the principle that drives all of creation to be in complete harmony and balance. If we look at the universe, we can see that there are infinite parts which make up the entire whole. It is dharma that allows all parts to function and run in a specific way so that the entire whole can be in complete balance. For example, it is impossible for the sun to be cold, since it is essential to provide heat and energy to all humans, animals and other life forms. It is also impossible for water to be dry as it is necessary to sustain life and nourish all beings.  If dharma is not upheld, all of creation would fall apart. Dharma is therefore universal and absolute. You could say that it is built into the very structure and fabric of life as the written code of creation.
 

If we take a look inside a human body for example, we can see that dharma operates not only at a macroscopic level, but also at a microscopic level.  There are trillions of cells that play their own unique and individual role. Some fight off infections while others convert nutrients into energy. Every cell has its own function. If cells were absent or didn’t perform their roles correctly, our bodies would collapse. Therefore it is dharma that is responsible for how things run even down to the subatomic realm that govern matter. Dharma sustains not only our bodies but the entire material world. 

 

Dharma is what drives all of creation. It is intrinsic to the functioning of society and the fate of the world. And with reference to human endeavor, dharma is taken to mean ‘right action’ (that which should be done), as opposed to adharma which is ‘wrong action’ (that which should not be done). 

Unlike all other beings and life forms that lack an intellect to discriminate, calculate and evaluate, humans have *apparent* free will that grants us the illusory power to exercise our dharma the right way so that we uphold creation to a higher standard. If creation wasn’t in harmony, life would not be fun or even worth the experience. Therefore dharma allows us to take action the right way so we can do our part to maintain morality and balance in the cosmos. 

In this case, dharma refers to behavior, action and conduct that is in arrangement with the natural order of life.  Without exercising our dharma, no meaningful action would take place and life would be stagnant. We live in a lawful universe, which Vedanta calls the ‘dharma field’. A human being, however, is often at odds with his or her own nature. Endowed with the capacity for self-reflection and self-determination, human beings are capable of contravening dharma.

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A lot of times, the human mind is too often a battleground, the stage of conflict between dharma and adharma.  In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna (an Avatar of God) descends to the physical realm to uphold dharma for mankind.  He serves as Arjuna's advisor and explains to Arjuna why he should uphold his dharma and fight the war even if it means killing people he loves.  Though Arjuna is flooded with emotion, he must control them by using his intellect to fight and conquer evil.  Failure to do so will cause evil to flourish and will do more harm than good for society. Krishna further explains to Arjuna that the soul is eternal, so he should not weap as the human body is just a costume one wears temporarily to operate in the physical realm. There is no such thing as death for those who are killed.

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A wise person knows the importance of doing the right thing regardless of their emotions or personal desires. They know that the ends do not justify the means and are aware of the cost of violating dharma. That’s why the wise are able to discriminate between what should and should NOT be done. If dharma is violated, things will only end up being chaotic for our well-being. For example, if the sun were to freeze, all of life would end abruptly. Similarly, if we violate our own dharma, our well-being will be at stake and will only end up being detrimental to ourselves due to the law of karma that may affect you in this life as well as future lives. 

The law of karma and dharma are finely intertwined. While dharma is the written code of creation that allows all things to function the way they do, it is the law of karma that allows them to operate and run. The law of karma is simply the law of cause and effect. According to this law, committing bad actions produces bad results and committing good actions produces good results. Since the entire universe runs on cause and effects, it will naturally give back what you give since it is programmed to do so. And if you do your dharma correctly, not only will you be in better alignment with the universe, you will also play your part in keeping the entire universe in balance for all, just like one cell is able to do its part to help sustain the entire system of the human body.

So what exactly does Dharma mean for us? It means that we should always try our best to do what is right, no matter what the situation is or what circumstance is presented to us. It can be as simple as holding the door for an elderly person, or helping someone in need. It means playing your role the right way and doing your duty. If you are a doctor and see someone injured with no one there to help, it is your duty to help them. Dharma also means leveraging the skills you have been endowed with and using it to help contribute to the world by any means necessary. Everyone has their own unique role in society. Every role is crucial in keeping all of society running and operating properly. So dharma means doing whatever you need to do for the greater good. While an action from you may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things (since you only see the small impact you make from your own vision), there are many unseen results that are happening in the background that you are unaware of. 

For example, a construction worker may be tasked to build the roof of a house. While he performs his job, he may be unconscious of the fact that his efforts in building this roof will help shelter an entire family. That family is also playing their role in helping society in their own way. One of the kids in that family may grow up to be a doctor and end up saving the lives of many in the future. He may also inspire others to become doctors. It is an infinite chain of cause and effects that couldn't have unraveled without the smaller causes that helped contributed to the entire chain.  In this case, the construction worker did his part to build a house that allowed the family to be safe and sheltered. Additionally, there were also many unseen results that happened in the background that caused the construction worker to build the roof itself.

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While it may seem to be a mundane task for the construction worker, it produced many results necessary to keep the community in good balance. You can clearly see how some of the insignificant things we do as parts, significantly help the entire whole in a profound way. This is why we must all do our duty in this world, not just for wealth or security but consciously knowing that we are doing something for the greater good.  This is what is meant by “doing your dharma”. 

 

One of the most common ways to perform dharmic actions is by not committing harm to others. Ahimsa meaning non-harm is a universal law that is built into dharma. For example, you don’t need to teach someone not to harm others, because there is not one single living breathing being who wants to be hurt.  It is innate function in us to survive and strive to be happy.   Anything not in this alignment will go against dharma.  Therefore, you should always try your best to not hurt others in your words and actions. You can also be dharmic in the way you eat by not contributing to animal cruelty. This means being conscious of what foods you buy and what clothes you wear. All actions will directly or indirectly impact others, so by being mindful, we can act in such a way that we remain connected and in balance with all. By doing so, we will all eventually lose a sense of separation with others and no longer see ourselves as parts of the whole, but rather the entire thing.

Dharma is your way to love, compassion, empathy and peace. With dharmic actions comes a harmony and a connection with the entire whole that sheds away individuality. You begin to feel connected with all and see yourself in all. Actions are no longer selfish but rather selfless for the greater good. The more dharmic your actions, the less sense of agency and doer-ship one has. He or she will no longer feel like they are running in the universe but will rather feel as if the universe in running through them. It is this sense of connection that allows one to self-surrender which is a crucial for self-realizing your true identity.  

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When you begin to perform more dharmic actions, you will begin to feel an innate connection within that will no longer cause you to act on desires that goes against this fundamental principle.  So if you want to feel this connection, you must put in conscious effort and become mindful of actions. Begin to work not just for yourself, but for the greater good of all.  Only then will you reap the glorious gifts the universe has to offer.