Some of the readers that have studied religious texts or philosophies, especially Eastern religions and philosophies, may have heard of the term 'Dharma'. To practice Dharma.
Dharma has many understandings, depending on the doctrine, but in general, it would refer to conducting our lives in a virtuous way or fulfilling a sense of duty towards humanity or God. Living in such a way, which is harmonious to our Universe. This is a general understanding we can use for the sake of this article.
Now, for some of us, we may have this idea that in order to practice Dharma, we need to go to Asia, study a new religion or philosophy, or go and live or work in an Ashram. We may also think that we need to serve some lamas, do something that society views as virtuous, such as volunteering for the sake of children or sick people, and so forth. This may sound a bit silly, but this is the idea that the author had some years ago, and on his path, he met a lot of people that had the same mindset. A misunderstanding of how we can practice Dharma.
When we have a clear understanding, we know that the practice of Dharma has absolutely nothing to do with a specific religion, continent, or philosophy. We can let go of the ideas that we have, these ideas that we need to serve a lama in a monastery, that we need to renounce our 'normal' lives and become merely a new product of a new society. No, this just comes from an ego, and if we truly want to practice Dharma, we want to renounce the ego.
Why do we say that we need to renounce the ego?
When we perform tasks purely for the sake of the ego, we can be sure that our intentions are not coming from the heart, but from the ego-mind. Our intentions may hold some compassion, but they lack wisdom and they will only result in suffering for ourselves and others. Further, when we perform actions from the ego, even when it appears to be virtuous actions on the surface, we know that we still have some expectations. Even if they are on a very very subtle level, they are still there, these expectations. As we know, expectations lead to unhappiness and disappointment, and therefore we know that any actions that come from an ego, are not going to bring us real fulfillment.
It is not uncommon that we arrive at a point where we feel we want or need to change the world, while in fact, the only thing we need to change is our mindset. Our 'world' completely depends on the way we perceive it, which means that it all depends on the mindset we have. In order to transform our mindsets, this is where the practice of Dharma comes in.
We do not have to be a saint or wear robes in order to practice Dharma. For those of us who are struggling to find peace at heart and peace at mind, the precious jewel of Dharma is there for us, to study and to practice. We do not have to belong to any religion, any caste, or culture in order to do so, and we can do it absolutely anywhere, everywhere! We can bring it into our classroom, our office, our house, to the supermarket, without anyone even knowing that we are doing it, but still we can experience the effects of it.
With pure intentions, we come to realize that our whole reality consists of endless amounts of opportunities to practice Dharma! The way we walk, the way we talk, the way we eat, the way we think. All our actions of mind, body, and speech can be transformed into actions of virtue. This may sound inspiring, but also a bit cheesy. Let's be honest, how do we do this? It is easy to say this, but not so easy to do, is it? Well, maybe it is easier than we imagine.
We may have this idea that we need to sit and meditate for hours or learn and recite prayers in a different language, counting mala beads or walk around with a creepy smile, hugging people! This is a false idea, and it is much easier than we think. For example, when we cook, we cook with the intention of bringing happiness to those eating the food. During cooking, we can express gratitude towards all the farmers, workers, and insects that contributed to the food we are cooking. Before eating, we can mentally offer the food to those that are hungry, to those that are ill, and eating the food with the intention of using the energy to fuel our bodies, in order to be kind and loving towards those around us.
The same goes for cleaning our bodies. When we wash ourselves, we set the intention of cleansing our bodies in order to bring pleasure to those around us, so that they do not have to endure the unpleasantness of being next to a body that stinks and that is dirty.
When we work in the office, we dedicate the work to the kindness of our employers for employing us and considering all of the unemployed people wishing to have a job. Wishing them freedom from their unhappiness, and expressing gratitude in our hearts.
We can apply the same virtuous mindset to absolutely everything we do. Not merely 'worldly' activities, but also when we perform any form of yoga, when we pray and when we meditate. Dedicating the act to God, doing it for the benefit of our Gurus, of God, or Humanity. All actions deriving from a compassionate heart, while maintaining the wisdom of the nature of reality. A combination of wisdom and method. Even when we meditate on experiencing our True Nature, we can do it with the intention of doing so, in order to benefit our reality, in order to bring peace to our whole Universe.
We may get to a point that we realize that we can transform this whole life into one beautiful, virtuous event! While this is definitely possible, we may ask ourselves why? Why would we want to do this? For what reason?
The truth is that we do not have to, but we can make the decision internally. See, it has many benefits to it, and it is anything but an empty act, living an empty life, performing dull, pointless deeds. We can see it as beneficial because we can do something meaningful for those around us. Think of how many times we have felt that we just needed someone to think of us, to care for us, to be there for us. Now, consider being that someone that others need, the one that keeps others in their prayers, the one that wishes well, the one that brings peace and kindness. This, we can do, for sure! Consider the following; When someone dies, we may briefly remember their fancy car and house, the money they had, and the fancy clothes they wore, but this is soon forgotten. However, what we do not forget, is the kindness of others, and how it made us feel. We remember the kindness, the love, and the joy that people share with us. This is the important stuff!
Secondly, when we put the idea of ourselves in the back and make cherishing others our main priority, then it brings about a change in our perception. We start to live less and less for the ego, the illusions of a separate self, and we start to feel more and more connected to those around us. Over time, with compassion and love, we start to shatter the illusions of a separate self, and we can awaken to our True Nature. When we realize this, we realize that peace and happiness are nothing separate from us, and we bring it wherever we go. What can be more fulfilling than this?
In addition to this, when we are less aware of the ego, our awareness becomes broad, and we start to become aware of other levels of suffering. Through compassion, our awareness goes beyond what we experience in general, and we get to experience different levels of reality, and we can share compassion with even more beings on more levels of existence. Our heart opens wider and wider, and we grow more and more compassionate towards the whole Universe. Through this, our Dharma practice can be even more extensive, more profound!
We can clearly see that when we cherish others, we live without expectations. As we have mentioned in previous articles, little expectations equal little disappointments. Big expectations equal big disappointments. Without expectations, we experience a lot more happiness, a lot more peace, and it has a direct impact on the way we experience reality.
To conclude, we can see how having and practicing virtuous actions of mind, body, and speech, can create peace and happiness for ourselves and others, whilst maintaining the combination of wisdom and method. Living from the heart and not from the ego. When we consider this kind of reality, what else is there for us to do, other than surrendering to the love of God, and to devote our lives towards God in all Her forms?
Dharma has many understandings, depending on the doctrine, but in general, it would refer to conducting our lives in a virtuous way or fulfilling a sense of duty towards humanity or God. Living in such a way, which is harmonious to our Universe. This is a general understanding we can use for the sake of this article.
Now, for some of us, we may have this idea that in order to practice Dharma, we need to go to Asia, study a new religion or philosophy, or go and live or work in an Ashram. We may also think that we need to serve some lamas, do something that society views as virtuous, such as volunteering for the sake of children or sick people, and so forth. This may sound a bit silly, but this is the idea that the author had some years ago, and on his path, he met a lot of people that had the same mindset. A misunderstanding of how we can practice Dharma.
Renounce the ego
When we have a clear understanding, we know that the practice of Dharma has absolutely nothing to do with a specific religion, continent, or philosophy. We can let go of the ideas that we have, these ideas that we need to serve a lama in a monastery, that we need to renounce our 'normal' lives and become merely a new product of a new society. No, this just comes from an ego, and if we truly want to practice Dharma, we want to renounce the ego.
Why do we say that we need to renounce the ego?
When we perform tasks purely for the sake of the ego, we can be sure that our intentions are not coming from the heart, but from the ego-mind. Our intentions may hold some compassion, but they lack wisdom and they will only result in suffering for ourselves and others. Further, when we perform actions from the ego, even when it appears to be virtuous actions on the surface, we know that we still have some expectations. Even if they are on a very very subtle level, they are still there, these expectations. As we know, expectations lead to unhappiness and disappointment, and therefore we know that any actions that come from an ego, are not going to bring us real fulfillment.
It is not uncommon that we arrive at a point where we feel we want or need to change the world, while in fact, the only thing we need to change is our mindset. Our 'world' completely depends on the way we perceive it, which means that it all depends on the mindset we have. In order to transform our mindsets, this is where the practice of Dharma comes in.
We do not have to be a saint or wear robes in order to practice Dharma. For those of us who are struggling to find peace at heart and peace at mind, the precious jewel of Dharma is there for us, to study and to practice. We do not have to belong to any religion, any caste, or culture in order to do so, and we can do it absolutely anywhere, everywhere! We can bring it into our classroom, our office, our house, to the supermarket, without anyone even knowing that we are doing it, but still we can experience the effects of it.
Endless opportunities to practice Dharma
We may have this idea that we need to sit and meditate for hours or learn and recite prayers in a different language, counting mala beads or walk around with a creepy smile, hugging people! This is a false idea, and it is much easier than we think. For example, when we cook, we cook with the intention of bringing happiness to those eating the food. During cooking, we can express gratitude towards all the farmers, workers, and insects that contributed to the food we are cooking. Before eating, we can mentally offer the food to those that are hungry, to those that are ill, and eating the food with the intention of using the energy to fuel our bodies, in order to be kind and loving towards those around us.
The same goes for cleaning our bodies. When we wash ourselves, we set the intention of cleansing our bodies in order to bring pleasure to those around us, so that they do not have to endure the unpleasantness of being next to a body that stinks and that is dirty.
When we work in the office, we dedicate the work to the kindness of our employers for employing us and considering all of the unemployed people wishing to have a job. Wishing them freedom from their unhappiness, and expressing gratitude in our hearts.
We can apply the same virtuous mindset to absolutely everything we do. Not merely 'worldly' activities, but also when we perform any form of yoga, when we pray and when we meditate. Dedicating the act to God, doing it for the benefit of our Gurus, of God, or Humanity. All actions deriving from a compassionate heart, while maintaining the wisdom of the nature of reality. A combination of wisdom and method. Even when we meditate on experiencing our True Nature, we can do it with the intention of doing so, in order to benefit our reality, in order to bring peace to our whole Universe.
What is in it for us?
We may get to a point that we realize that we can transform this whole life into one beautiful, virtuous event! While this is definitely possible, we may ask ourselves why? Why would we want to do this? For what reason?
The truth is that we do not have to, but we can make the decision internally. See, it has many benefits to it, and it is anything but an empty act, living an empty life, performing dull, pointless deeds. We can see it as beneficial because we can do something meaningful for those around us. Think of how many times we have felt that we just needed someone to think of us, to care for us, to be there for us. Now, consider being that someone that others need, the one that keeps others in their prayers, the one that wishes well, the one that brings peace and kindness. This, we can do, for sure! Consider the following; When someone dies, we may briefly remember their fancy car and house, the money they had, and the fancy clothes they wore, but this is soon forgotten. However, what we do not forget, is the kindness of others, and how it made us feel. We remember the kindness, the love, and the joy that people share with us. This is the important stuff!
Secondly, when we put the idea of ourselves in the back and make cherishing others our main priority, then it brings about a change in our perception. We start to live less and less for the ego, the illusions of a separate self, and we start to feel more and more connected to those around us. Over time, with compassion and love, we start to shatter the illusions of a separate self, and we can awaken to our True Nature. When we realize this, we realize that peace and happiness are nothing separate from us, and we bring it wherever we go. What can be more fulfilling than this?
In addition to this, when we are less aware of the ego, our awareness becomes broad, and we start to become aware of other levels of suffering. Through compassion, our awareness goes beyond what we experience in general, and we get to experience different levels of reality, and we can share compassion with even more beings on more levels of existence. Our heart opens wider and wider, and we grow more and more compassionate towards the whole Universe. Through this, our Dharma practice can be even more extensive, more profound!
We can clearly see that when we cherish others, we live without expectations. As we have mentioned in previous articles, little expectations equal little disappointments. Big expectations equal big disappointments. Without expectations, we experience a lot more happiness, a lot more peace, and it has a direct impact on the way we experience reality.
To conclude, we can see how having and practicing virtuous actions of mind, body, and speech, can create peace and happiness for ourselves and others, whilst maintaining the combination of wisdom and method. Living from the heart and not from the ego. When we consider this kind of reality, what else is there for us to do, other than surrendering to the love of God, and to devote our lives towards God in all Her forms?
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| With a virtuous practice, we can transform our minds and shine rays of love and kindness, wherever we may go. |
Anrich your articles are truly eye opener !!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThank you for deep insights !!
ReplyDeleteGreat !!
ReplyDelete🙏
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