Hari OM!
Class Summary for Oct 5, 12, and 26
We have been learning Gita Dhyāna Śloka in each class.
Dharma is often referred to as part of the four Purusharthas — Dharma, Artha, Kāma, and Moksha. We seek wealth, education, and prosperity in life (artha) and pursue pleasures and desires (kama). All our actions should be guided by Dharma. Moksha is seeking of self knowledge that gets us eternal happiness.
Dharma has many definitions: (1) intrinsic nature of everything, (2) code of conduct (ethics), (3) values (morals), and (4) our duties.
(1) Dharma as intrinsic nature
The class explored how every element of nature has its own Dharma.
Fire gives light, warmth, and energy, but can destroy if uncontrolled.
Ice heals and preserves, but can cause harm if misused.
Sugar gives sweetness, yet too much brings disease.
A magnet attracts metals and powers technology, but imbalance can disrupt.
Humanity's Dharma is to live in harmony and do good; when driven by ego or greed, that Dharma is lost.
Each team added a sixth element such as Air, Technology, Water, or Empathy.
Air gives life and carries fragrances, but can also carry pollution.
Technology can uplift or destroy depending on how it's used.
Water nourishes and purifies, yet floods and erodes when boundaries are ignored.
Empathy connects hearts but can be misused when it becomes enabling rather than healing.
The lesson from all these is simple: when we follow what we are meant to do — when we act according to our Dharma — we live in harmony within ourselves and with the world around us.
Where does Dharma begin? It begins within.
We must first live by the principles of Dharma in our own thoughts and actions. Like a river, we must keep flowing despite obstacles. Like air, we can absorb impressions around us but must learn to pause and discern before reacting. Give yourself space and time to reflect before making decisions, and act only when it aligns with your Dharma.
When faced with challenging situations, think what words, actions will stay on the path of Dharma. Will it give peace to your inner core or will it distract or disturb you. Put you first!
(2) Dharma as code of conduct (ethics)
We discussed the difference between dharma that applies to everyone vs. specific people or positions. For example, a policeman can impose a fine for traffic violation but others don't have such powers. In fact, Arjuna was confused whether he should kill in the battlefield (ahimsa), which everyone should follow, but in this situation, his duty as a king to uphold dharma takes precedence. In life, when we are faced with such conflicting values, we should remember that the context matters.
(3) Dharma as values (moral)
Manusmriti states ten values that everyone should have. These are courage, forgiveness, sense control, non-stealing, cleanliness, control of the mind, discrimination – knowing right vs. wrong, desire for knowledge, truthfulness, and mastery over anger.
(4) Dharma as one's duty.
Dharma as duty comes from one's societal role (varna) or stage in life (ashrama).
In any organization, there are four groups of people: thinkers/strategists, leaders/administrators, managers/financiers, and workers. In India, a societal system was in place in which roles and responsibilities were divided into these four groups called varnas. The four varnas or job groups are Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra. It should be noted that varna is different from caste, which came into being during British rule.
We all have a combination of three gunas, sattva, rajas, and tamas. People who have predominantly sattva guna are suitable for thinking/teaching roles. People who have predominantly rajas and some sattva are suitable to lead, and people with more rajas and some tamas are suitable for creating wealth and managing resources. People who have predominantly tamas are suitable to work, make things, grow, follow instructions, and support others.
To understand the varna concept, the class identified the roles of different people who are in a school. Students learn (thinking) and also follow rules (execution). Teachers teach students and lead classes. The principal and administrators set policies and enforce them. The school board and staff manage the school budget and work with different government agencies to get funds. The school nurse, security, janitor, and landscapers work according to their job description.
The class observed that some people played different roles at different times. For example, a sports coach teaches the students but he/she also has to organize training and lead teams. Also, if a nurse were to become a teacher or an administrator, he/she could join a degree program and train to become one. The key takeaway is for someone to be productive and successful in a role, the innate abilities and skills of that person should align with the activities required for that role.
The stages of life also dictate dharma. A student's main responsibility is to learn. One who is in married life should earn money to support their family and contribute to society. People who are late in their careers should use their experience to guide others and also undertake spiritual sadhana. People who have fewer materialistic desires can lead a contemplating life. It should be noted that this dharma based on one's life stage is a guideline, not a strict rule. For example, a retired person could learn a new hobby and a student could pursue study of Vedanta.
To understand Dharma, we can use the "Right Thing, Right Place, Right Time" (RTRPRT) framework. For an action to be dharmic, the act, the place, and the time should be right. Even if one of these three is not right, the action will become wrong. The class did a group activity and came up with examples to illustrate this point. E.g. Going to temple (right place) during weekend (right time) but sleeping there (wrong thing) or eating a sandwich (right thing) at 1 pm (right time) but in class (wrong place).
We discussed the question of why we should follow Dharma. Dharma will lead to good results and not following it will produce bad results. The results of a dharmic action may or may not occur immediately but will definitely happen. For example, one may speed on a road without any immediate consequence but a traffic camera could have recorded it, resulting in a traffic ticket in the mail! So we should have faith in Sastras and follow our Dharma to lead a happy and successful life.
Regards
Sankar and Jody
Class Summary for Oct 5, 12, and 26
We have been learning Gita Dhyāna Śloka in each class.
Dharma is often referred to as part of the four Purusharthas — Dharma, Artha, Kāma, and Moksha. We seek wealth, education, and prosperity in life (artha) and pursue pleasures and desires (kama). All our actions should be guided by Dharma. Moksha is seeking of self knowledge that gets us eternal happiness.
Dharma has many definitions: (1) intrinsic nature of everything, (2) code of conduct (ethics), (3) values (morals), and (4) our duties.
(1) Dharma as intrinsic nature
The class explored how every element of nature has its own Dharma.
Fire gives light, warmth, and energy, but can destroy if uncontrolled.
Ice heals and preserves, but can cause harm if misused.
Sugar gives sweetness, yet too much brings disease.
A magnet attracts metals and powers technology, but imbalance can disrupt.
Humanity's Dharma is to live in harmony and do good; when driven by ego or greed, that Dharma is lost.
Each team added a sixth element such as Air, Technology, Water, or Empathy.
Air gives life and carries fragrances, but can also carry pollution.
Technology can uplift or destroy depending on how it's used.
Water nourishes and purifies, yet floods and erodes when boundaries are ignored.
Empathy connects hearts but can be misused when it becomes enabling rather than healing.
The lesson from all these is simple: when we follow what we are meant to do — when we act according to our Dharma — we live in harmony within ourselves and with the world around us.
Where does Dharma begin? It begins within.
We must first live by the principles of Dharma in our own thoughts and actions. Like a river, we must keep flowing despite obstacles. Like air, we can absorb impressions around us but must learn to pause and discern before reacting. Give yourself space and time to reflect before making decisions, and act only when it aligns with your Dharma.
When faced with challenging situations, think what words, actions will stay on the path of Dharma. Will it give peace to your inner core or will it distract or disturb you. Put you first!
(2) Dharma as code of conduct (ethics)
We discussed the difference between dharma that applies to everyone vs. specific people or positions. For example, a policeman can impose a fine for traffic violation but others don't have such powers. In fact, Arjuna was confused whether he should kill in the battlefield (ahimsa), which everyone should follow, but in this situation, his duty as a king to uphold dharma takes precedence. In life, when we are faced with such conflicting values, we should remember that the context matters.
(3) Dharma as values (moral)
Manusmriti states ten values that everyone should have. These are courage, forgiveness, sense control, non-stealing, cleanliness, control of the mind, discrimination – knowing right vs. wrong, desire for knowledge, truthfulness, and mastery over anger.
(4) Dharma as one's duty.
Dharma as duty comes from one's societal role (varna) or stage in life (ashrama).
In any organization, there are four groups of people: thinkers/strategists, leaders/administrators, managers/financiers, and workers. In India, a societal system was in place in which roles and responsibilities were divided into these four groups called varnas. The four varnas or job groups are Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra. It should be noted that varna is different from caste, which came into being during British rule.
We all have a combination of three gunas, sattva, rajas, and tamas. People who have predominantly sattva guna are suitable for thinking/teaching roles. People who have predominantly rajas and some sattva are suitable to lead, and people with more rajas and some tamas are suitable for creating wealth and managing resources. People who have predominantly tamas are suitable to work, make things, grow, follow instructions, and support others.
To understand the varna concept, the class identified the roles of different people who are in a school. Students learn (thinking) and also follow rules (execution). Teachers teach students and lead classes. The principal and administrators set policies and enforce them. The school board and staff manage the school budget and work with different government agencies to get funds. The school nurse, security, janitor, and landscapers work according to their job description.
The class observed that some people played different roles at different times. For example, a sports coach teaches the students but he/she also has to organize training and lead teams. Also, if a nurse were to become a teacher or an administrator, he/she could join a degree program and train to become one. The key takeaway is for someone to be productive and successful in a role, the innate abilities and skills of that person should align with the activities required for that role.
The stages of life also dictate dharma. A student's main responsibility is to learn. One who is in married life should earn money to support their family and contribute to society. People who are late in their careers should use their experience to guide others and also undertake spiritual sadhana. People who have fewer materialistic desires can lead a contemplating life. It should be noted that this dharma based on one's life stage is a guideline, not a strict rule. For example, a retired person could learn a new hobby and a student could pursue study of Vedanta.
To understand Dharma, we can use the "Right Thing, Right Place, Right Time" (RTRPRT) framework. For an action to be dharmic, the act, the place, and the time should be right. Even if one of these three is not right, the action will become wrong. The class did a group activity and came up with examples to illustrate this point. E.g. Going to temple (right place) during weekend (right time) but sleeping there (wrong thing) or eating a sandwich (right thing) at 1 pm (right time) but in class (wrong place).
We discussed the question of why we should follow Dharma. Dharma will lead to good results and not following it will produce bad results. The results of a dharmic action may or may not occur immediately but will definitely happen. For example, one may speed on a road without any immediate consequence but a traffic camera could have recorded it, resulting in a traffic ticket in the mail! So we should have faith in Sastras and follow our Dharma to lead a happy and successful life.
Regards
Sankar and Jody
