Dear Ratikala,
Thank you for your post. it is very illuminating. I am surprised that we have similar understanding.It is a tremendous joy to have dialogue with you.
please excuse my wishing to clarify a little , ....to hold in the sence of 'Support ' this is a very important difference
Dharman : to 'Support' .
yes, the sense of support is very important.
in Hinduism and Buddhism the analogy of a wheel is often used to signify Dharma , eternaly in motion without begining and without end .
Buddha set in motion the wheel of law (Dharma), the rim of the wheel is 'supported' evenly by the spokes which in buddhist icinography relate to the principles encompased in the eight fold path , ...
- Right thought ,
- right speach ,
- Right action ,
- Right livelihood ,
- Right endeavor ,
- Right mindfulness , and
- Right meditation .
in the same way there are pillars of sanatana dharma , which 'support' ,which 'uphold' religion .
1. Austerity ; Tapas ,
2. Purity ; Saucham ,
3. Compassion ; Daya ,
4. Truthfulness ; Satyam .
we need to distinguish between Eternal Dharma, which is God, who supports the creation and dharma, moral principles. The eight fold path of Buddhism and the four pillars of Hinduism are means through which a person can be free from adharma and come back to dharma, the original nature of human beings, which is to be at the service of Eternal Dharma. Moral principles are only means and they are not end in themselves.
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Dharma is equivalent to God, because God holds the whole of creation as a hub holds the spokes. God is also called sanathana dharma, eternal principle that holds the creation,in the past,in the present and in the future.
Dharma is on one hand the divine law , there for it is Satyam , Truth , , the cosmic law , creation is it self a part of the eternal cycle that is the cosmic law ,
but the Dharma that holds is 'Duty ' the Dharma that supports , ..this is our Dharma .
The word ( Satyam) Sat means 'that which stands by itself. Its existence does not depend on anything else' So God is sat. God does not have duty- God acts according to its nature. Duty has a sense of an obligation, some how imposed from outside. The sun does not have a duty to holds its rays. It is its nature to radiate. Human beings as the manifestation of divine have their own nature, dharma. just it is the nature of sun to radiate it is also the nature of a ray to be connected to the sun and give light. A ray is Sat as much as it is coming from the sun and it is also asat as much as it dependent on the son. That is its dharma or nature. It is not an imposed duty.
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Creation has its own dharma. It is to be dependent on God and unfold its nature. Earth has its dharma, Sun has its dharma, moon has its dharma, plants have their dharma;animals have their and human beings have their dharma. The dharma of creatures is to unfold life. The dharma of human beings is to be 'fruitful and multiply'.
excuse me , but this is begining to sound a little to abrahamic in its understanding.
yes, it is little bit abrahamic in its understanding. The dharma of creation is inherent. It does not change.
Creation is the divine order it dosent have Dharma in the sence that we have Dharma as in duty , ...Creation is Dharma , as in unalterable 'Law'
Since creation does not have self consciousness like human beings it does not have dharma or duty as human beings have.
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The dharma of human beings is to be 'fruitful and multiply'. It means to unfold life( as opposite to become). It is to manifest divine attributes of love and compassion in human relationships.
the Dharma of the human being is to act in accordance with the divine order , to facilitate God consciousness and Liberation .living in a just manner is merely a requirement of this temporary state of being .
Yes, the dharma of human beings is to act according to the divine order. What is the divine order? It is to manifest from FULLNESS. It is to unfold life. Purnamadah purnamidam. God is FULLNESS;God acts from FULLNESS. we are also fullness. Acting according to the divine order is to live from our relative fullness. We need to distinguish from the means that facilitate divine consciousness and liberation and living after realizing divine consciousness. Living from the fullness comes only after realizing our divine consciousness and liberation, not before.
rather than manifesting love and compassion ones dharma dictates 'Rightiousness' love and compassion may be a part of that rightiousness but adove all Rightiousness is supreme .
I do not know what you mean by 'Rigteousness'? Jesus Christ said, first of all seek the kingdom of God and its righteousness and all things will be given unto you'. The kingdom of God discovering the Eternal Reality or God that supports the creation as the ground of our human consciousness and its righteousness means its dharma, its nature. What is the dharma of God for Christians: it is love. In that sense we can say that love and compassion are expressions of Divine Righteousness. The specificity of biblical tradition is that it gives specific purpose to human beings: it is to be 'fruitful and multiply'. it is to manifest divine attributes of love and compassion in human relationships. Human relationships are meant to experience God in one another. The purpose of life not just liberation or freedom from birth and death, samsara, but it is living in loving relationships. Our birth in this world is not an act of previous karma. This is something we need to dialogue with.
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What makes human beings different from the other creatures is that they have the possibility to forget their dharma and also to remember.
'Discrimination' , we posess the ability to discriminate there fore our dharma is to use this quality for god realisation , for liberation , an animal does not posses human discrimination , therefore their actions are merely to eat , mate and protect .
Yes, I agree with you.
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When they forget their dharma then they take up the path of becoming, adharma, the path of ego. When this happens then there is imbalance within oneself; in one's relationship with God and with one another. When they remember their dharma , the harmony is reestablished. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit they took the path of adharma. All the prophets, all sages, all avatars,all scriptures invite people to renounce adharma and come back to their original dharma. They invite people to remember their dharma and shun adharma.
when a man fogets or is un aware of his Dharma he is no more than a human animal ,
''Ego'' is false identification with the self , a state in which man frequently commits 'Adharma' due to his lack of understanding and animlalistic self centered behavior .
yes, we are one in mind and heart
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When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit they took the path of adharma.
jai jai , this is true , .. Adam and Eve were suffering 'Ahamkara' false identification , and were forgettfull of God .
Thank you so much.
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All the prophets, all sages, all avatars,all scriptures invite people to renounce adharma and come back to their original dharma. They invite people to remember their dharma and shun adharma.
true , they re awaken god consciousness and iliminate' Ahamkara' , they remove the ignorance of not knowing and teach the knowledge and wisdom that brings mankind to the realization.
Thank you again. We are one in our understanding.