Information AboutDharma |
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The in Nature and life (human or other) considered to be in accord with that order. The word Dharma literally means 'that which upholds or supports' (from the root 'Dhr' - to hold), here referring to the order which makes the Cosmos and the harmonious complexity of the natural world possible. Dharma is a central concept in Indian civilisation where it governs ideas about the proper conduct of human life. So central is it, indeed, that the symbol of the dharma - The Wheel - takes central place in the national flag of India . In its most frequent usage (in the sphere of morality and ethics) dharma means 'right way of living', 'proper conduct', 'duty' or 'righteousness'. With respect to , Moksha or Nirvana (personal Liberation ). Dharma also refers to the teachings and doctrines of the founders of these traditions, such as those of Gautama Buddha and Mahavira . In traditional Hindu society with its Caste Structure , Dharma constituted the religious and moral doctrine of the rights and duties of each individual. (''see'' '' Dharmasastra ''). Dharma in its universal meaning shares much in common with the way of Tao or Taoism . The antonym of dharma is '' Adharma '' meaning unnatural or immoral. ETYMOLOGY In the Rigveda , the word appears as an ''n''-stem, '''', with a range of meanings encompassing "something established or firm" (in the literal sense of prods or poles), figuratively "sustainer, supporter" (of deities), and in the abstract, similar to the semantics of Greek Ethos , "fixed decree, statute, law".
From the , it takes the form ''dhamma''. It is also often rendered ''dharam'' in Contemporary Indo-Aryan . Monier-Williams attempts to gesture at the Semantic Field of the spiritual and religious meanings of the term with "virtue, morality, religion, religious merit". It being used in most or all philosophies and religions Of Indian Origin , sometimes summarized under the umbrella term of "dharmic faiths", including Hinduism , Buddhism , Jainism and Sikhism , it is difficult to provide a single concise definition for Dharma. The word has a long and varied history and straddles a complex set of meanings and interpretations. In modern Indian languages, such as Hindi , ''dharma'' can also mean simply "religion." Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam are called ''Hindu Dharma'', ''Buddha-Dharma'', ''Jain-Dharma'' and ''Islām dharma'', respectively. In scripture translations ''dharma'' is often best left untranslated, as it has acquired a lively life of its own in English that is more expressive than any simplistic translation. Common translations and glosses include "right way of living," Divine Law, Path of Righteousness, order, faith, "natural harmony," rule, fundamental teachings, and duty. ''Dharma'' may be used to refer to rules of the operation of the mind or universe in a Metaphysical system, or to rules of comportment in an ethical system. IN HINDUISM Rene Guenon , father of the 20th century school of Perennial Philosophy , said:
Development To assess a concept whose explication is bewildering in range, it is useful to trace its nascence and subsequent development in Vedic culture. In the Rigveda , the first concept that is strikingly ''dharmic'' is that of Rta . The conception of this all-transcending, supramental force that is, practically, the same concept as later understandings of dharma, is captured in this early Vedic prayer, preempting the liturgical strains of classical Hindu Mantra s involving ''dharma'': :"''O Indra, lead us on the path of Rta, on the right path over all evils''." ( RV 10 .133.6) Thus we see the logical progression of an early 'course of things' into an all-encompassing moral order, a path and way of righteousness, a universal harmony, in the Vedic idea of Rta. ( 1 ) An early and insightful demonstration of the continuity of thought from rta to dharma is a brief but "pregnant definition" (( 3 ) of dharma given in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad , a part of the Veda . Founded upon the Hindu ideas of, as R. H. Hume put it, "intelligent Monism ," with Brahman as the Monad , the Upanishads saw dharma as the universal principle of law, order, harmony, all in all truth, that sprang first from Brahman. It acts as the regulatory moral principle of the universe. It is ''sat'', truth, a major tenet of Hinduism. This hearkens back to the conception of the Rig Veda that "Ekam Sat," (Truth Is One), of the idea that Brahman is "''Sacchidananda''" (Truth-Consciousness-Bliss). Dharma has imbibed the highest principles of Truth, and as such is the central guiding principle in the Hindu conception of existence. Dharma is not just law, or harmony, it is pure Reality. In the Brihadaranyaka's own words: :::::" ''Verily, that which is Dharma is truth''. :::::''Therefore they say of a man who speaks truth, 'He speaks the Dharma,' '' :::::''or of a man who speaks the Dharma, 'He speaks the Truth.' '' :::::''Verily, both these things are the same''." ::::: (Brh. Upanishad, 1.4.14) ( 2 ) Sage Kanada, founder of the Vaiseshika system of philosophy, has given this definition of Dharma, in his Vaiseshika Sutras: "Yato-bhyudayanihsreyasa-siddhih sa dharmah", that which leads to the attainment of prosperity (in this life) and eternal bliss (beyond life) is Dharma. In Mahabharata, Krishna defines Dharma as: "Dhaaranaad dharma ity aahur dharmena vidhrtaah prajaah, Yat syaad dhaarana sanyuktam sa dharma iti nishchayah", Dharma upholds both this-worldly and the other-worldly affairs (Mbh 12.110.11). Dharma as a Purushartha In moving through the Four Stages Of Life , viz. Brahmacharya , Grihastha , Vaanprastha , Sanyaasa , a person also seeks to fulfill the four essentials (purushaartha) of Dharma, Artha (worldly gain}, Kama (sensual pleasures), and Moksha (liberation from Reincarnation or rebirth). Moksha, although the ultimate goal, is emphasized more in the last two stages of life, while Artha and Kama are primary only during Grihasthaashram. Dharma, however is essential in all four stages. Dharma is also very important factor in the life of the Indian people. Kane's view According to Dr.Pandurang Vaman Kane , the word "Dharma" acquired a sense of "the privileges, duties and obligations of a man, his standard of conduct as a member of the Aryan community, as a member of the caste and as a person in a particular state of life." The God Dharma Dharma is also the name of a Deva in charge of Dharma. He is born from the right breast of Brahma, is married to ten daughters of Daksha and fathers Shama, Kama and Harahsa. He is also the father of the celebrated Rishis Hari, Krishna, Nara-Narayana . In the Epic and she begets her eldest son Yudhisthira from him. As such Yudhisthira is known as Dharmaputra. There is also an assimilation of God Dharma and Yama, the God of the Dead in the Mahabharata.The Mahābhārata: Book 11: The Book of the Women Book 12: The Book of Peace, Part 1 By Johannes Adrianus Bernardus Buitenen, James L. Fitzgerald pg.124 In Sanskrit grammar As a technical term in Sanskrit Grammar ''dharma'' also means "property" and ''dharmin'' means "property-bearer".In a Sanskrit sentence like ' , "sound is impermanent", "sound" is the bearer of the property "impermanence". Likewise, in the sentence ', "here, there is a pot", "here" is the bearer of the property "pot-existence" - this just goes to show that the categories property and property-bearer are closer to those of a logical predicate and its subject-term, and not to a grammatical predicate and subject. IN BUDDHISM See Also: Dharma (Buddhism) For many Buddhists, the Dharma most often means the body of teachings expounded by the Buddha . The word is also used in Buddhist Phenomenology as a term roughly equivalent to Phenomenon , a basic unit of existence and/or experience. In East Asia, the character for Dharma is , pronounced ''fǎ'' in Mandarin and ''hō'' in Japanese. Buddha's teachings For practicing Buddhists, references to "dharma" or ''dhamma'' in the singular, particularly as "the" Dharma, is used to mean the teachings of the Buddha, commonly known throughout the east as Buddha-Dharma. This latter signification has nothing to do with the personality of the spiritual teacher Siddhartha Gautama but rather signifies the importance of the attitude of mind that enables an adept or practitioner to re-harmonise his personal nature with the underlying principle (Dharma) behind natural phenomena leading towards the undoing of all egoistic falsehood and ultimately release in Nirvana - generically referred to in Indian religions as liberation ( Moksha ). The status of the Dharma is regarded variably by different traditions. Some regard it as an ultimate and transcendent truth utterly beyond worldly things, somewhat like the Christian Logos . Others, who regard the Buddha as simply an enlightened human being, see the Dharma as the 84,000 different teachings that the Buddha gave to various types of people based on their needs. "Dharma" usually refers not only to the sayings of the Buddha but also to the later traditions of interpretation and addition that the various Schools Of Buddhism have developed to help explain and expand upon the Buddha's teachings. For others still, they see the dharma as referring to the "truth" or ultimate reality or "the way things are" (Tib. Cho). The Dharma is one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism of which practitioners of Buddhism seek refuge in (what one relies on for his/her lasting happiness). The three jewels of Buddhism are the Buddha (mind's perfection of enlightenment), the Dharma (teachings and methods), and the Sangha (awakened beings who provide guidance and support). Qualities of Buddha Dharma The Teaching of the Buddha also has six supreme qualities: :# (Svakkhato) The Dharma is not a speculative philosophy, but is the Universal Law found through enlightenment and is preached precisely. Therefore it is Excellent in the beginning (Sīla — Moral principles), Excellent in the middle (Samadhi — Concentration) and Excellent in the end (Pańña — Wisdom), :# (Samditthiko) The Dharma can be tested by practice and therefore he who follows it will see the result by himself through his own experience. :# (Akāliko) The Dharma is able to bestow timeless and immediate results here and now, for which there is no need to wait until the future or next existence. :# (Ehipassiko) The Dharma welcomes all beings to put it to the test and come see for themselves. :# (Opāneyiko) The Dharma is capable of being entered upon and therefore it is worthy to be followed as a part of one's life. :# (Paccattam veditabbo viññūnhi) The Dharma can be perfectly realized only by the noble disciples (Ariyas) who have matured and enlightened enough in supreme wisdom. Knowing these attributes, Buddhists believe that they will attain the greatest peace and happiness through the practice of the Dharma. Each person is therefore fully responsible for himself to put it in the real practice. Here the Buddha is compared to an experienced and skilful doctor, and the Dharma to proper medicine. However efficient the doctor or wonderful the medicine may be, the patients cannot be cured unless they take the medicine properly. So the practice of the Dharma is the only way to attain the final deliverance of Nibbāna. These teachings ranged from understanding Karma (cause and effect) and developing good impressions in one's mind, to how to reach full enlightenment by recognizing the nature of mind. Dharmas in Buddhist phenomenology Other uses include dharma, normally spelled with a small "d" (to differentiate), which refers to a ''phenomenon'' or ''constituent factor'' of human experience. This was gradually expanded into a classification of constituents of the entire material and mental world. Rejecting the substantial existence of permanent entities which are qualified by possibly changing qualities, Buddhist Abhidharma philosophy, which enumerated Seventy-five Dharmas , came to propound that these "constituent factors" are the only type of entity that truly exists. This notion is of particular importance for the analysis of human experience: Rather than assuming that mental states inhere in a cognizing subject, or a soul-substance, Buddhist philosophers largely propose that mental states alone exist as "momentary elements of consciousness" and that a subjective perceiver is assumed. One of the central tenets of Buddhism, is the denial of a separate permanent "I", and is outlined in the Three Marks Of Existence . The three signs: # Dukkha - Suffering (Pali: Dukkha), # Anitya - Change/Impermanence (Pali: Anicca), # Anatman - No-I (Pali: Annatta). At the heart of Buddhism, is the denial of an "I" (and hence the delusion) as a separate self-existing entity. Later, Buddhist philosophers like Nāgārjuna would question whether the dharmas (momentary elements of consciousness) truly have a separate existence of their own. (ie Do they exist apart from anything else?) Rejecting any inherent reality to the dharmas, he asked (rhetorically): |