Dharma, a path to understanding and vital meaning

Few words have such a broad and complex semantic field behind them as the word Dharma.. However, all its meanings come together on the same path, one where we are guided towards what is true, towards what gives us meaning and, in turn, is correct. That which in some way should always push us to do what is appropriate according to the law of nature and our destiny.

If there is something that we cannot deny, it is that for a few years now we have been experiencing a new awakening in spirituality. However, this dawn arrives with other brightnesses tinged perhaps by the breath of that new age that has blurred and distorted some other concept. In our eagerness to adapt all that vast philosophical world contained in dharmic religions, we have lost some ideas along the way.

An example of this is thinking that Dharma is the positive vision of Karma. As if both concepts were opposite or complementary. Thus, another incorrect idea is to assume that this concept refers to a set of religious edicts that must be followed to transcend, to take our spirituality to another level. However, the Dharma actually describes the natural and innate behavior of things, and of each of the aspects that make up the universe, including us.

What is Dharma?

When you do what you like them and you are happy for themwhen you do any task with passion without receiving anything in return, you are not aware of time and also what you do reverts to others, that is Dharma. We could say that this very basic definition reminds us in a certain way of the term flow coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in the 90s. It reminds us because it essentially shares the same idea: that of building a life with meaning.

So, One aspect that this doctrine seeks above all is to transmit to us those principles on which the authentic harmony of life is built, those that we should work on in our daily lives. They are the following:

Artha ⇔ find our cause, our purpose in life, what motivates us and is passionate about us.Dharma ⇔ lead our existence in morality, knowing what is right.Kama ⇔ experience pleasure with what we do.Moksha ⇔ achieve liberation.

When the British colonized India and tried to understand the traditions of the natives, they encountered serious problems in understanding exactly what the Dharma was. His biggest mistake was coming to believe that it was a religion. They forgot that religion is only applicable to human beings, Dharma, on the other hand, designates the truth, what already is and already exists. It is the essence of each plant, the function of each star, of each beam of light, of each electron, of each fragment that makes up the sand on the beach… We all have our inner truth, our path, our nature.

A life with meaning, an existence with purpose

In dharmic traditions, the person who does not act righteously, who harms others or who, far from accepting himself, tries to pretend to be something he is not, generates in his own person what is known as a-dharma. It is a kind of non-harmony, an attack against nature, a break with the laws of destiny. This is what the Rigveda (or Ṛgveda) is the oldest text in India written in Sanskrit, which includes a series of hymns where you can understand in greater depth what the Dharma is.

For their part, those who act in balance with themselves, who obey, understand and practice their Dharma, the cosmic order benefits them. It brings them happiness, a kind of mystical ecstasy where they feel full, fulfilled.

Likewise, something that is explained to us in these ancient veda texts is that Buddha, in order for each of us to achieve that order, that internal balance turned a beautiful golden wheel to spread the teachings of the Dharma. Connecting with them and assuming them allows us to free the mind to achieve that illumination, that truth that each of us carries within us.

The wheel of dharma or dharmachakra It is without a doubt the oldest symbol used by a large part of Eastern philosophies such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. Its movement, its course, is in line with our personal conditions, with our needs and karmic characteristics. Knowing how to listen to the voice of the Dharma is not exactly easy for many of us. Finding our truth and knowing our real purpose in this world can take us a lifetime…

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