Guest guest Posted August 17, 2002 Report Share Posted August 17, 2002 You're right. Birth doesn't do it for most of us these days. I'd have to be a professional artist, because my father was, but his father was a museum guard, and so on. I think if we focus on our spiritual practices, do what we're good at and what we enjoy, stay settled in the present moment, and "take it is it comes," things work themselves out for us in the best possible way. -- > Girish <girishv > Ammachi > Sat, 17 Aug 2002 18:23:31 -0700 (PDT) > Ammachi > SwaDharma > > I've always wondered about this. > How do I determine what my Dharma is ? > My profession is engineering, my sister works for a regulatory agency, my > father > worked for a government organization. As far as I understand it during the > time > of the Mahabharata your Dharma was determined largely by the circumstances of > your birth. > > In these days what are the circumsatances that determine what your Dharma is > ? > Is your Dharma dependent on the choices you have made ? (I have a wife and > kid- so is my Dharma "providing" for them ?) > > Sorry if I've rambled on :-} > > I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. > > Girish > > > > On Sat, 17 Aug 2002, Rick Archer wrote: > >>> Somewere in the Gita says something close to: >>> >>> "It is better to be wrong on your own path, than to follow perfectly >>> the path of another." >>> >> Just for the record, it¹s: >> >> ³Because one can perform it, one¹s own dharma, though lesser in merit, is >> better than the dharma of another. Better is death in one¹s own dharma. The >> dharma of another brings danger.² >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! >> >> Ammachi >> >> >> Your use of is subject to >> >> >> >> > > > > Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! > > Ammachi > > > Your use of is subject to > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 18, 2002 Report Share Posted August 18, 2002 Ammachi, Girish <girishv@e...> wrote: > I've always wondered about this. > How do I determine what my Dharma is ? > My profession is engineering, my sister works for a regulatory agency, my father > worked for a government organization. As far as I understand it during the time > of the Mahabharata your Dharma was determined largely by the circumstances of your birth. Your Dharma depends on a number of things, including what situation you're asking it about. In other words, your Dharma at home as a father, would be different than at work. There are some overall criteria like being married vs. single, being male vs. female, age, nationality (loyalty to country), financial situation, etc. but you need to balance that with the situation. The part about it being determined by birth might be reference to the caste system. When people don't follow their dharma, in other words, do what is right in a situation, it causes unnecessary suffering. Doing what's right may cause some suffering, but is good for everyone in the end. Rent the movie "Vertical Limit" for good examples of Dharma. The opening scene and other scenes near the end show adharmic and dharmic actions, given the people's lives and situations. Doing what's dharmic, will almost always require a sacrifice. Going with your heart, no offense to those who do, many times means going with your emotions and mind (attachments/desires) and will result in adharmic actions. tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 18, 2002 Report Share Posted August 18, 2002 As long as one looks outside, for answers that one needs to find inside there will be confusion. Some quotes from Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi => ------------------------------ To enquire (within) 'Who am I that is in bondage?' and to know one's real nature is alone Liberation. ----------------------- Freewill and destiny are ever existent. Destiny is the result of past action; it concerns the body. Let the body act as may suit it. Why are you concerned about it? Why do you pay attention to it. Freewill and destiny last as long as the body lasts. But jnana transcends both. The Self is beyond knowledge and ignorance. Whatever happens, happens as the result of one's past actions, of divine will and of other factors. There are only two ways to conquer destiny or be independent of it. One is to enquire for whom is this destiny and discover that only the ego is bound by destiny and not the Self and that the ego is non-existent. The other way is to kill the ego by completely surrendering to the Lord, by realizing one's helplessness and saying all the time, 'Not I, but Thou oh Lord' and giving up all sense of 'I' and mine, and leaving it to the Lord to do what he likes with you. Complete effacement of the ego is necessary to conquer destiny, whether you achieve this effacement through self-enquiry or bhakti marga -------- The truth is that no one can give us liberation. The way can be pointed out, directions can be given. Our intense earnestness and total dedication to the goal is the most essential factor. If we become obsessed with this one thing - realizing Truth-Truth, a physical Guru (if necessary) and all else will be drawn to us automatically. The Guru will come to us when we are ready. We simply need to attend to making ourselves ready and the rest is automatic. ---------- Asked 'How does a grihastha (householder) fare in the scheme of Moksha (liberation)?' Bhagavan said, 'Why do you think you are a grihastha? If you go out as sanyasi (ascetic), a similar thought that you are a sanyasi will haunt you. Whether you continue in the household or renounce it and go to the forest, your mind goes with you. The ego is the source of all thought. It creates the body and the world and makes you think you are a grihastha . If you renounce the world it will only substitute the thought sanyasi for grihastha and the environments in the forest for those of the household. But the mental obstacles will still be there. They even increase in the new surroundings. There is no help in change of environment. The obstacle is the mind. It must be got over whether at home or in the forest. If you can do it in the forest, why not at home? Therefore, why change your environment? Your efforts can be made even now - in whatever environment you are now. The environment will never change according to your desire'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.