What is Dharma?

[IsmailaGodHasHeard]

What is Dharma?

 

[Valjean]

It's Your life-plan, the individual role you were born with. It includes all aspects of behavior, habits, and lifestyle. It's the blueprint that will create optimum spiritual growth in a particular life.
Like characters in a play, everyone's dharma is different. What's proper/productive for one person may be entirely wrong/unproductive for his neighbor.

 

[Bob Dixon]

You know, Wikipedia is a nice site. You should check it out sometime.

I'll even do your legwork for you: Dharma

You guys realise that you could do this with 90% of the threads here, right? Just tell people to wiki/google it and sod off.

People want answers and discussion, though. Maybe this person went to wikipedia and still doesn't get it. This is why discussion is useful. Maybe someone will disagree on a definition. Discussion.

 

[SageTree]

yea.... I agree with Bob to an extent.... because I don't think anyone is inferring that one ought to 'sod off'...

All that said...

I do think that coming into a conversation with questions and having done a little reading doesn't hurt either, because it's probably not best to put all your eggs in the opinion/discussion basket either.

 

[Riverwolf]

Dharma is a word that has no full equivalent in English. It's literal translation is "duty", but the connotations are much grander than that.

In a sense, Dharma is that which you have no choice but to do. It's the Dharma of web-spinning spiders to spin webs, while it's the Dharma of hunting spiders to hunt. It's the Dharma of tigers to hunt other animals, while it's the Dharma of deer to eat plants.

With regards to humans, we have the option to go against our Dharma (at the cost of happiness, fulfillment, etc.), of which there are many. I'd argue that every individual has his or her own Dharma to fulfill, in addition to any societal Dharmas.

 

[Breathe]

Ismaila,

Dharma has a multitude of terms. It means "religion, law, duty, teachings" and "that which is upheld", and loosely "the way things should be".

For example, Hinduism is called Sanātana Dharma, and Buddhism Buddha Dharma, and so on.

Kṛṣṇa talks about in the Bhagavad Gītā. I thought I would link this for you. Hope this helps.

 

[kaisersose]

Dharma does not have a clearcut meaning - just like several other words like Sankhya, Yoga, Purana, etc.

These words have been used to mean different things by different people to the point where no one knows what they original meant.

Wikipedia may list some of the common uses of the term.

 

[indian_buddhist]

According to Buddhism Dhamma is the universal cosmic law which is responsible for birth/rebirth of every sentient being. It includes the Law of Kamma(or Karma) .

Hinduism too has a Dharma and Karma like Buddhism but apart from that they also follow Caste System and I think they have certain Rituals and rites that a Hindu is supposed to follow.

 

[Riverwolf]

Hinduism too has a Dharma and Karma like Buddhism but apart from that they also follow Caste System and I think they have certain Rituals and rites that a Hindu is supposed to follow.

Caste isn't Hinduism so much as a persistent cultural thing, and not all Hindus perform rituals.

 

[indian_buddhist]

Caste isn't Hinduism so much as a persistent cultural thing, and not all Hindus perform rituals.

Wow, Caste System is the very basis of Hinduism. Varnashrama dharma is enshrined in the Vedas and if you are a Hindu you have to believe in every word of the Vedas.

Are you sure you are a hindu

 

[Vinayaka]

Wow, Caste System is the very basis of Hinduism.

Are you sure you are a hindu

I know this is addressed to someone else, but I'll jump in. Just where have you been getting your information? Please supply a reference to any Hindu scripture that says caste is the basis of Hinduism.

FTR, Yes I too am a Hindu, and I don't believe in caste.

 

[Breathe]

Wow, Caste System is the very basis of Hinduism.

Jāti ≠ varṇa. There is a world of difference.

Additionally, it may be worth looking into the Bhakti movement.

A lot of Hindus don't go for any caste system any more.

 

[Breathe]

From Wikipedia:

There are groups in India that are actively engaged in getting women and those from socially disadvantaged jātis to become priests of Vedic ritual.
............ The new movements look up to Swami Vivekananda; Rabindranath Tagore; Ramana Maharshi; Shri Aurobindo (for his Integral Yoga); A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (founder of the modern Hare Krishna movement); Swami Sivananda, Swami Rama Tirtha; Narayana Guru, Jagadguru Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi, Paramhansa Yogananda; Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. More recently, the work of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Sathya Sai Baba, Shirdi Sai Baba, Swami Muktananda, Swami Chinmayananda, Maharishi Dayananda Saraswati, Shriram Sharma Acharya, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and Mata Amritanandamayi has inspired millions to create new centers of spiritual development. In the intellectual field, the writings of Ananda Coomaraswamy, Ram Swarup, Sita Ram Goel, Subhash Kak, Frank Morales and David Frawley have been influential.

In social work, Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave, Baba Amte and Shrii Shrii Anandamurti have been most important. Sunderlal Bahuguna created the chipko movement for the preservation of forestlands according to the Hindu ecological ideas.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS was founded by Keshav Baliram Hegdewar in 1925. The goal was to unite Hindus, make them rise over their caste differences and work to achieve a Hindu Rashtra; the ideology of the Sangh, closely associated with political Hinduism, came to be known as Hindutva.

That's a significant number of people, old and new, who have opposed the caste system as we know it today.

 

[ratikala]

I know this is addressed to someone else, but I'll jump in. Just where have you been getting your information? Please supply a reference to any Hindu scripture that says caste is the basis of Hinduism.

FTR, Yes I too am a Hindu, and I don't believe in caste.[/quote )


excuse me but I fancy butting in in defence of indian buddhist ,

where did he get his information ?

try reading the bhagavad gita ch ..18 v .. 41 .......
"bramanas , ksatriyas , vaisyas and sudras are distinguished by the qualitys born of their own natures in accordance with the material modes ,......"


please read the 18 th chapter , do you not think this explains both caste and dharma ?



I'll come back to this topic later

 

[Riverwolf]

Wow, Caste System is the very basis of Hinduism. Varnashrama dharma is enshrined in the Vedas and if you are a Hindu you have to believe in every word of the Vedas.

Are you sure you are a hindu

Yes. Varnashrama Dharma is not the caste system (and even if it were, it's NOT the basis of Hinduism). The only direct Vedic reference to it that I'm aware of is the Purusha Suktam, which doesn't give details as to how it's structured; just where it symbolically came from.

Who told you that Hindus HAD to believe every word of the Vedas? I can't even see what they originally were, because I don't speak Sanskrit (either Vedic or Classical), let alone just blindly believe every word.

 

[Riverwolf]

excuse me but I fancy butting in in defence of indian buddhist ,

where did he get his information ?

try reading the bhagavad gita ch ..18 v .. 41 .......
"bramanas , ksatriyas , vaisyas and sudras are distinguished by the qualitys born of their own natures in accordance with the material modes ,......"


please read the 18 th chapter , do you not think this explains both caste and dharma ?



I'll come back to this topic later

First of all, the Bhagavad Gita isn't accepted by all Hindus. The Sage Subramuniyaswami actually discredited it.

Second of all, the Bhagavad Gita is here describing a system that's different from the modern caste system; it's based on modes of thinking, and not on birth. There's plenty of instances of people in one varna becoming another. Visvamitra, for example, was first a Kshatria King but later became a Brahmana.

 

[Vinayaka]

Personally, I would find it difficult to describe the basis of Hinduism. I know there are a few basics, none of which on their own could form a basis.
- belief in God or Gods
- reincarnation
- karma
- moksha as the destiny for all souls
- dharma

In other faiths, especially those that have a founder, it might be argued that the founder is the basis of that faith. Christ is the basis of Christianity, Buddha for Buddhism, etc.

But since many Hindu are no longer casted, or practice caste discrimination, and every Guru I know of spoke against it, I'm fairly convinced any argument for a basis, at least from we Hindus ourselves, and not someone looking in, would not be caste. Not even varna.

 

[indian_buddhist]

Personally, I would find it difficult to describe the basis of Hinduism. I know there are a few basics, none of which on their own could form a basis.
- belief in God or Gods
- reincarnation
- karma
- moksha as the destiny for all souls
- dharma

In other faiths, especially those that have a founder, it might be argued that the founder is the basis of that faith. Christ is the basis of Christianity, Buddha for Buddhism, etc.

But since many Hindu are no longer casted, or practice caste discrimination, and every Guru I know of spoke against it, I'm fairly convinced any argument for a basis, at least from we Hindus ourselves, and not someone looking in, would not be caste. Not even varna.

please dont get me wrong, I was a former Hindu but converted to Buddhism and Caste System was one of the reasons thought not the major reason I converted. Caste System IS FOLLOWED by many Hindus and especially in the rural areas where there are seperate areas for Dalit, having to walk bare footed in upper caste areas, drinking water in seperate vessels etc........as far as marriage is concerned even today majority of Hindus marry within their caste and Inter-caste marriage is still not a general occurence.

Please talk to any Hindu pandit in any temple of your choice and see what he says about the caste System. Caste System BY BIRTH has been there in Hinduism since 3000 years and even during the times of Buddha.

Yes and Bhagavad Gita also approves the Caste system BY BIRTH. Read the Gita, Krishna is saying that each Caste have got their BIRTH according to their karma and so they have to do the work without any ill-will their entire lives.

Also read the Manu-smriti whose many laws are followed by majority of Hindus today.


I think almost all Hindu scriptures agree that Brahmins are Twice born and only Brahmins have the right to attain Moksha in their present lives.

 

[Riverwolf]

please dont get me wrong, I was a former Hindu but converted to Buddhism and Caste System was one of the reasons thought not the major reason I converted. Caste System IS FOLLOWED by many Hindus and especially in the rural areas where there are seperate areas for Dalit, having to walk bare footed in upper caste areas, drinking water in seperate vessels etc........as far as marriage is concerned even today majority of Hindus marry within their caste and Inter-caste marriage is still not a general occurence.

Please talk to any Hindu pandit in any temple of your choice and see what he says about the caste System. Caste System BY BIRTH has been there in Hinduism since 3000 years and even during the times of Buddha.

Yes and Bhagavad Gita also approves the Caste system BY BIRTH. Read the Gita, Krishna is saying that each Caste have got their BIRTH according to their karma and so they have to do the work without any ill-will their entire lives.

Also read the Manu-smriti whose many laws are followed by majority of Hindus today.

Uh, a priest at my local temple said he'd be perfectly willing to pray at a mosque, since he believed that all religions taught essentially the same thing: love.

Show me the verse in the Bhagavad-Gita that says Varna is passed from parent to child.

I don't care what Manu-smriti says. I haven't read it, and I have no immediate plans to. Please show me where you got the information that it's followed by the majority of Hindus.

Also, show me the 3000 year old text that talks about it at length; as far as I can tell, the Manu-smriti is only about 2000 years old, the Bhagavad-Gita was composed around the time of the Buddha, and the oldest Dharmasutra I believe was also composed around that time.

The fact that there are a large number of Hindus who don't follow it proves to me that it's not a requirement. Remember that Gandhi rejected the caste system, and he said that he lived by the Bhagavad-Gita.

 

[indian_buddhist]

Uh, a priest at my local temple said he'd be perfectly willing to pray at a mosque, since he believed that all religions taught essentially the same thing: love.

Show me the verse in the Bhagavad-Gita that says Varna is passed from parent to child.

I don't care what Manu-smriti says. I haven't read it, and I have no immediate plans to. Please show me where you got the information that it's followed by the majority of Hindus.

Also, show me the 3000 year old text that talks about it at length; as far as I can tell, the Manu-smriti is only about 2000 years old, the Bhagavad-Gita was composed around the time of the Buddha, and the oldest Dharmasutra I believe was also composed around that time.

The fact that there are a large number of Hindus who don't follow it proves to me that it's not a requirement. Remember that Gandhi rejected the caste system, and he said that he lived by the Bhagavad-Gita.

The Rig veda:
Purusha-Sukta of Rig Veda , Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras originated respectively from the mouth, hands, thighs and feet of the purusha or the creator.

The system of Caste System has also been approved by Ramayana and Mahabharata.
a. In Ramayana, for example, Ram kills Shambuka simply because he was performing tapasya (ascetic exercises) which he was not supposed to do as he was a Shudra by birth.

The much-glorified Bhagvat-Gita, too, favors varna-vyavastha.[ When Arjuna refuses to fight, one of his main worries was that the war would lead to the birth of varna-sankaras or offspring from intermixing of different varnas and the consequent "downfall" of the family. On the other hand, Krishna tries to motivate Arjuna to fight by saying that it was his varna-dharma (caste-duty) to do so because he was a Kshatriya. In fact, Krishna goes to the extent of claiming that the four varnas were created by him only Thus, Arjuna's main problem was being born a Kshatriya. Had he been a Brahmin or a Vaishya or a Shudra by birth, he would have been spared the trouble of fighting a destructive war. Even the much-applauded doctrine of niskama karma is nothing but an exhortation to faithfully perform one's varnashram dharma in a disinterested manner.

The celebrated orthodox Hindu theologian Shankar, too, was a supporter of varna-vyavastha. According to him, Shudras are not entitled to philosophical knowledge.

Shankaracharya made sure that ONLY BRAHMINS by BIRTH are entitled to study philosophical knowledge. IT IS THE TRUTH.

REGARDING GANDHI, GANDHI TOO APPROVED THE CASTE SYSTEM BY BIRTH.
Remember Gandhi and Ambedkar had major disagreements regarding seperate Enfranchisement for Dalits.

To quote Gandhi: "I believe that every man is born in the world with certain natural tendencies. Every person is born with certain definite limitations which he cannot overcome. From a careful observation of those limitations the law of varna was deduced. It establishes certain spheres of action for certain people with certain tendencies. This avoided all unworthy competition. Whilst recognizing limitations, the law of varna admitted of no distinction of high and low; on the one hand it guaranteed to each the fruits of his labors and on the other it prevented him from pressing upon his neighbor. This great law has been degraded and fallen into disrepute. But my conviction is that an ideal social order will only be evolved when the implications of this law are fully understood and given effect to".​

Again, "I regard Varnashrama as a healthy division of work based on birth. The present ideas of caste are a perversion of the original. There is no question with me of superiority or inferiority. It is purely a question of duty. I have indeed stated that varna is based on birth. But I have also said that it is possible for a shudra, for instance, to become a vaishya. But in order to perform the duty of vaishya he does not need the label of a vaishya. He who performs the duty of a brahman will easily become one in the next incarnation."​

So, varna-vyavastha, according to Gandhi, is a "healthy division of work based on birth", which takes into account the "natural tendencies" of human beings and avoids "unworthy competition."​

And please see the reality with your OWN EYES. Caste System IS FOLLOWED everywhere in all phases of life in India. (I dont know about Indians abroad).

Blatent example is : Almost all the Toilet cleaners in Urban areas are Dalits. you will rarely see a Non-Dalit being a Toilet cleaner.

All scavenging(Manually lifting the excretra) which i am still sure is practised in towns of India is exclusively a profession reserved for Dalits only.