Dharma, The Inner Nature
So what exactly is “Dharma?” An easy way of understanding it from the human perspective would be “morality specific to the individual.” No two people are going to approach the same moral dilemma in the exact same fashion. Dharma could be considered as “the virtues collected” by an individual reincarnating entity.
Let’s imagine an armored car is abandoned and the back doors are wide open, and there sits an abundance of money for the taking. Three different personalities walk past this spectacle. We have a homeless teenager, a new struggling lawyer, and a devout Catholic priest. Let us further assume that there will be no repercussion for taking ‘just a little bit’ of the money. It will go unpunished by the laws of men…but NOT by the law of Karma.
Despite the outer labels & attributes, it is impossible to tell who would, or would not take the money. Lets examine each individual personality’s circumstances though.
Let us start with the priest. Since he is trained in religious practice, and he is devout in his worship, he indeed knows that stealing is wrong and a sinful act. His personal dharma is to walk away. His religious training alone is enough to guide him. To take the money for him would be considered ‘adharma,’ or against dharma. He leaves the scene without taking the money and thus incurs no sin, or negative karma.
The lawyer, as I said, is new to his profession, and thus he is still struggling to establish himself. This person most likely faces the greatest dilemma of all three. Having been trained in the law, he also knows that taking the money is still considered theft. He really could use some of that money to pay down some of his school debt. He takes the money. His decision is ‘adharma,’ because he KNOWS that it is a crime.
Last, we have the poor homeless teenager who has not been schooled by legal or religious institutions. As a homeless person, she has little comfort or security in life, and is probably operating on ‘survival instincts’ alone. She takes the money without thought or hesitation. Was her act in accordance with dharma, or was it adharma? She acted in accordance to her dharma, her act was not adharma. You see foreknowledge and experience is necessary in the application of dharma. In her case, this experience was a necessary step towards building her moral compass. An inner conflict is a must when considering dharma.
Let’s say later on her situation changes for the better and she gains a little bit more experience in the world. She comes to regret that she took the money. Her conscious is thus developing. Another like situation arises, and she acts in the same way…now she has acted ‘adharma.’ She too now knows by the very expression of remorse & regret.
“It is better to do one’s own dharma, even though imperfectly, than to do another’s dharma, even though perfectly. By doing one’s innate duties, a person does not incur sin.”
Removing from the equation, social morality, conditioned morality, the question then arises “what happens when no one is watching?” The inner compass or dharma then comes into play.
This little narration doesn’t even begin to unravel the complex nature of personal dharma. I hardly do it justice. Annie Bessant does a much better job explaining it in one of her lectures:
“Dharma”
by Annie Besant
You can find a link to it on the book shelf
Are you aiming to know more about yourself? Find some insight from the questionnaires found at the links below. You don’t know until you know…and hey man or woman, remember this:
We’re All fucked up. Only a select few admit it.
What are my primary gunas?
Knowing more about your gunas can help to achieve equilibrium in your life. My results were 66% Sattva & 34% Rajas. You might say, “Whoa, that’s great!” In reality, I need to increase my tamas. Tamas adds stability in our lives, so I need to perform actions that increase that particular guna. Equilibrium is the key to properly utilizing the three gunas.
What is My Ennegram Type?
This is a fairly long set of questions, but incredibly insightful! The enneagram test will give you insight into your biggest fears. Fear is pivotal to our decision making processes. The results of this test will give some insight into your fears, how you react to them, and what may trigger your fear into action. This particular one has been very helpful in my personal growth. My enneagram is “Type 8.” This basically means that I am independent to the core, and I will always be troubled by ‘struggles over power.’ Type 8’s are afraid to love and be loved as this poses a threat to their independence.
What is My Personality Type?
This test will give you a Jungian Personality Type. This is a fairly quick version. I took it and, it specified my given type: INTJ (Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging.) Basically, I am a huge nerd…a book worm. I am a person who rates high on logic & rationality, and rates low on sensitivity and emotionality. Knowing what you are can help you with finding like people to associate with as well as improve relationships with others around you. Emotions scare me!
“A problem discovered, Is a problem Half Solved.”