dharma

 

I first came across the word ‘dharma’ in any meaningful way when I attended my first Buddhist retreat over the New Year of 1999-2000. Since then the word has fascinated me, and I have increasingly come to understand and express myself and my being through it.

 

In one sense ‘dharma’ is a spiritual term meaning one’s righteous duty, or any virtuous path in the common sense of the term.  It is a central concept in eastern philosophy used to explain the “higher truth” or ultimate reality of the universe. The word ‘dharma’ literally translates as ‘that which upholds or supports’ (from the root, Dhr, – to hold), and is generally translated into English as ‘law’.  Throughout the history of eastern philosophy, it has governed ideas about the proper conduct of living – ideas that that are upheld by the laws of the universe.

 

For me dharma has come to refer to the way I choose to live my life, with an emphasis on ’choice’ as much as ‘live’.  Through seeing my life as dharma I am constantly reminded that I am choosing it in every moment.  For me dharma is not therefore a reference to a moral code, but rather to a way of being.  Dharma in this sense is not something I follow (e.g. a set of rules or commandments), it is something that I am.

 

 

I believe we are all informed by our own philosophy about life. We all have ideas about living, about ourselves, about others, about what is right and wrong, what is good and bad, what exists as real and what doesn’t. Most of these ideas remain below the surface of our conscious minds. Nevertheless they inform and determine how and what we think in certain situations, how we act, interact and react. How we judge and understand ourselves and others, and make sense of all that we experience.

 

Over time I have become more aware, more conscious of the theories, concepts, images, associations, signs and beliefs that inform what I say and think and act, and how, and when, and why.  I came to understand that there is nothing ‘natural’, ‘normal’  or ‘inherent’ about what or how I spoke, thought or acted.  

 

My ’self’ is constructed. – through all the things I have and continue to experience: the beliefs of my mum and dad, teachers, friends, strangers, lovers, wives, sons, celebrities, authorities, students, signs and symbols. My perceptions of them, their perceptions of me – all these contribute to my perception of my ’self’. Through being a man, being white, being a second child, being loved, being pakeha, being a New Zealander, being straight, being scared – through all of the vast myriad of  things I had experienced, sensed, translated, understood and been, I have grown within myself an ego. A conglomeration of ideas, perceptions, understandings, feelings and responses that informed my every thought, my every move. I am me, myself, I.

 

This ‘thing’ that is me – this ephemeral cluster of ever-changing vibrations is my dharma. 

 

As you are yours

 

.


Powered by WebRing.

 

practice

 

Practice is the cornerstone of my dharma. It is what I try to do all the time. Practice – until I no longer realise I am practising. Every moment, every walking, sitting, lying, awake and sleeping moment is an opportunity to practice. Of course often I will catch myself not practising – the irony is of course, that in that moment of realisation, I am practising (how’s that for a good buddhist style paradox to begin with).

 

What do I practice? Being loving? Compassionate? Kind? Sincere? Open? Happy? None of that (and all of that). I practice being no thing, nothing.  And in being nothing we are kind, compassionate, loving, sincere, open and happy. Through being nothing we are what the Shambhala buddhists describe as ‘basic goodness’.

 

Because ‘we’ are our dharma, there is nothing  to practice. No rules to follow, no code of conduct. All we need to practice being is ‘us’. Simply, gloriously, wonderfully ‘us’.  And how do we do that? How do we practice being ‘us’?

 

Unfortunately the answer is another one of those buddhist type ones -  we practice being ’us’ by letting go of ‘us’. All that we are is a construction, an illusion – an ego made up of all these past and present influences/discourses.  Discourses that form into opinions, judgements, likes, dislikes, wants, perceptions – that form into us – so complex, so multiple that we seem so brilliantly unique.

 

And we are. Unique. And once we know this, once we are this, then the point of practice is to touch that which makes us all the same. And we do that by practising letting go of all that we are.

 

And when all that we are as unique individuals is no longer here, there is just the simpliest of things – just our breath, going in and out. Nothing else. We are simply, gloriously ALIVE. We are gloriously, simply AWAKE.  We are gloriously, simply PRESENT. We ARE.

 

We are able in these moments to experience a world free of construction, free of constraint, free of conditions. It is a world that simple is as it is. Never wrong , or right. Never good, or bad. Always and in all ways wonderful, exciting, open, gratifying and awe inspiring.

 

That’s why my number one rule is practice, all the time.

Top

don't beat yourself up

 

While my number one rule is practice all the time, the first thing I practice is to never ever beat myself up. To never come down on myself. This is a great thing to practice as I quite often realise throughout the day that I’m not practising. So right then, in those moments, I start practising and what I practice is not giving myself a hard time. ‘That’s ok’ I tell myself. It’s all ok. Just let any thoughts of self-incrimination go and get back to practising – being no thing. Being my breath, coming in, going out.

 

Never, EVER, beat yourself up. Take ‘I should of’ out of you’re vocabulary.

Top