Dharma within Hinduism, Buddhism and beyond

[Satyamavejayanti]

adrian009

Namaste,

But what is Dharma and is it applicable to Faiths that haven't emerged out of India?

I cannot give a definition of Dharma in English as there exists none, so i would translate Dharma as "Responsibility/Responsible Karm", this is my own understanding of the word/practice.

The example that i like is that a Tiger has its natural Dharm and so does a Deer (Jati Dharma). Also there are things like Matra (Mother) Dharm, Pitru (Father) Dharm, there is Sva (MY) Dharmah, Samanya (General) Dharm, ect.

All our Karma should be thought out beforehand, and it always needs to be discussed/debated/agreed/disagree if one Karma is classified as Dharm or Adharm.

For me, i found this general standard within Hinduism, that any Karma that is not based on Ahimsa and Satya cannot be termed as Dharm.

Any Karm that causes unnecessary harm, violence or Dukha, and is not Honest and True is Adharma.

Does the concept have any use outside Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism?

To me Dharma is contextual for a person, which depends on family, community, geography, to a particular time, for Humans or Animals, but all of existence has its Dharm. Dharm has nothing to do with a persons beliefs or religion, race or species.

Therefore it is applicable to all of existence.

Ill give you a test and we will see if your initial response to this question is Dharmic or Adharmic. This question does not depend on you faith in any higher deity or God.

Would you Rape a 13 year old child?

If yes, then you are Adharmic, If no then you are Dharmic.

Dharm does not need a GOD.

Dhanyavad

 

[sealchan]

However you look at it, the concept of Dharma with its varied meanings is central to Hinduism and Buddhism. But what is Dharma and is it applicable to Faiths that haven't emerged out of India?

Dharma is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. It has multiple meanings in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It is difficult to provide a single concise definition for dharma, as the word has a long and varied history and straddles a complex set of meanings and interpretations. There is no equivalent single-word synonym for dharma in western languages.

There have been numerous, conflicting attempts to translate ancient Sanskrit literature with the word dharma into German, English and French.

Dharma - Wikipedia

So what does Dharma mean to you and within your Faith or worldview. Does the concept have any use outside Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism?

Thank you for helping me better understand religious traditions within the East and West.

I think any religion which holds that the individual is a vital piece in the puzzle of the whole of God's plan has a place for the idea of Dharma. I say this based on my own understanding of Dharma as...

...the path the individual may take in holding true to the subjective experience of that individual as well as their experience of the reality as a whole...acting simultaneously out of one's subjectivity and objectivity...playing out one's story in the context of the systemic whole with only the knowledge one has access to, but also in our best effort to be moral and intelligent...

Dharma is like one's sincere path when one is open to all the possibilities inherent in one's nature and free to make a rational, moral and willing choice as to one's path.

 

[Marcion]

By chance this morning in the train I read another interesting talk by Shrii Shrii Anandamurtiji on the ten characteristics of dharma. I could copy it a bit later.
The beginning is a bit too complicated for me (over my head).
I attended a series of these talks in Madras in December of 1978 during the time of Dharma Mahachakra (DMC), it was the first time that I saw Baba in person.

Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part VI [Discourse 120]

TEN WONTS OF DHARMA

In the realms of both manifestation and of non-manifestation, there are certain characteristics borne by each and every object. In the realm of non-manifestation, those characteristics remain coverted within the object itself and are not known to any other entity. But in the stratum of manifestation, objects are known to others by their wonts or characteristics. These wonts may be in the form of prognosis or diagnosis or premonition or after-effects. But they must be present, because their presence denotes the existence of that entity. Such entities may be physical entities, may be physical objectivities, may be psychic pabula. Dharma is also an entity. Dharma is the highest and greatest and sweetest psychic pabulum. So dharma should also have certain characteristics of its own.
What are these wonts? Are they prognosis or diagnosis or premonition or after-effects? The reply is that dharma's manifestations, dharma's wonts, exist in each and every stratum. A dha'rmika may be treated as a prognosis of something coming, a diagnosis of something already come, a premonition of something evil, or an after-effect of something good. Regarding the laks'ana, the wonts of dharma, it has been said:

'Dhrti ks'ama' damo'steyam shaoca indriyanigraha;
Dhiirvidya' satyamakrodhah dashaka dharmalaksan'am'

What is the first laks'an'ana of dharma? It is dhrti which has several meanings in sam'skrta, the most important one being 'patience'. A dha'rmika should have patience. Dharma and patience are inseparable. Suppose an evil force says, 'I', the lord of a certain country, will destroy A'nanda Ma'rga from the very root.' A dha'rmika should maintain patience, should be patient. Because the day is soon to come when that evil force is going to be destroyed. It's weapon will serve as a boomerang for its own death. And this happened in the near past, as you all know.
The second laks'an'a is ks'ama, that is, forgiveness or pardon. Ks'ama should be properly explained to spiritual aspirants. In your personal life you have the right to forgive anybody and everybody, but in your collective life you have not got such a right. You have to consult the collective body before you forgive an enemy of the collective body. And in your individual life, although you have the right to excuse somebody, you should remember that pardon should not be extended to persons who have not rectified their conduct or their habits. If you pardon such persons it means you are encouraging their bad habits. You should not do that, it is against the principles of dharma.
The third is dama. 'Dama' means 'control' -- to bring control. In Sam'skrta there are two similar terms, 'shamanam' and 'damanam'. 'Shamanam' means bringing the external enemie under control, and 'damanam' means bringing the internal enemies under control. In the mythological story, Pluto was the God of Death, known as Yamara'ja in Sam'skrta. He is also known as Shamana, because he controls others. And a sa'dhu or dha'rmika to control him or herself is to do damanam. One should have full control over the internal enemies, which are the demons residing in your mind. This is dharma.
In the Vedas there is a story that once upon a time a big luminous body appeared on the horizon. Many people went near that luminous body, but no one could approach it directly. Then to some of the people who came near it, that luminous body uttered the sound 'da' and nothing more. Some people interpreted that sound 'da' as 'da'nam' kuru', and were regarded by society as Asuras or Da'navas. A second batch interpreted the sound 'da' as 'daya'm' kuru', and they were treated as Ma'navas; and a third batch interpreted 'da' as 'damanam' kuru', and they were known as Devata'.
'Damanam' is the highest order. 'Damanam' means killing internal enemies. and one who has controlled the external enemies is known as 'sha'nta'. In Sam'skrta 'sham' + 'ta' = 'sha'nta'. The person who has defeated his or her internal enemies is da'nta ('dam' + 'ta').
'Asteya' means 'non-stealing' -- not stealing physically or mentally; not cheating physically or mentally.
'Shaoca' means keeping both the physical body and the mental body neat and clean. It is easy to keep the physical body neat and clean and it is very difficult to keep the mind neat and clean. For this purpose, the mind must be initiated in Tan'trikii diiks'a' and not in Vaedikii diiks'a'. Vaedikii diiks'a' teaches the mind how to pray for higher life and Tan'trikii diiks'a' teaches one how to move forward.
'Indriyanigaha'. One must have complete control over one's sensory and motor organs. Lord Buddha said,

'Caks'una sam'varo sa'dhu sa'dhu sotena sam'varo
Gha'nena sam'vao sa'dhu sa'dhu jibbha'ya sam'varo
Ka'yena sam'varo sa'dhu sa'dhu va'caya sam'varo
Manasa' sam'vao sa'dhu sa'dhu sabbat't'ha sam'varo.'​

Let there be complete self-restraint. A person who has established him or herself in this kind of self-restraint is known as a 'Sa'dhu'.
'Dhii' --'Dhii' means 'intellect'. You may say, 'What about people who are illiterate attaining dharma? Are they not dha'rmika? Each and every person cannot have an intellect.' Yes, each and every person has an intellect. The dha'rmika interpretation of intellect is intellect free from all baseness, all impurities and all degenerative propensities. This is the intellect a dha'rmika will possess.
'Vidya' means 'true knowledge'. Vidya is divided into two sections: vidya' ad avidya'. Avidya' is mundane knowledge and includes material science. Vidya' means spiritual science. One must know this spiritual science. You may say how can an illiterate person, a less educated person, acquire vidya'? Here vidya' does not mean the self-realization that you get through books, 'vidya' means the movement of the mind towards Parama Purus'a.
'Satyam'. What is satyam? The movement towards Sat is satyam. What is sat? 'Sat' means 'that which undergoes no metamorphosis.' What is the object that undergoes no metamorphosis? The Cosmic Cognitive Principle undergoes no metamorphosis; hence it is the Sat entity. That entity is also known as 'Sat Cit A'nandam' and the mental movement towards that Sat entity is 'satyam'.
'Akrodha' means 'free from anger'. It is an art of fighting. Suppose A and B are two belligerent parties, and A has got control over krodha and B has no control. What will happen? B's body will tremble, and in that fight B will have no control over his or her nerves, and A, who is fully established in a'krodha, will just give a push and B will be defeated. So this is an art of fighting. For a dha'rmika this art of fighting should always be remembered. A dha'rmika should always remember that by following a'krodha he or she will always be victorious.
These ten items are the wonts of dharma. So although each and every entity has its own dharma, dharma has these ten entities as its own dharma.

(Madras, 2nd December 1978)​