Dharma / Spiritual Alignment
Infinite Spirit has a certain nature, with certain qualities; It expresses itself, and manifests as all of creation, in accordance with certain principles and laws. The whole of spiritual alignment (or the path of alignment with Spirit) is to discover the inherent nature of Spirit (and the inherent principles and laws by which Spirit expresses and manifests its nature) and then to live in accordance with those same principles—to express and live our life in accord with the way Spirit expresses its own nature. When our life is in alignment (or resonance) with Infinite Spirit, it draws and opens us to all the qualities of Spirit; in this alignment the finite expands toward the Infinite.
We do not have to attain the qualities of Spirit—such as love, joy, fullness, aliveness, beauty, etc.—because those are the very qualities of our own nature. As individual expressions of Spirit, we already possess every quality of Spirit. However, in the dulled and scattered consciousness of this age we are not aware of our own one-with-Spirit qualities; these qualities exist only as shadows, as mere glimmers of their true potency; and not realizing that these qualities are inherent to one’s nature, people seek to experience them in some form outside themselves. The path of alignment is founded upon the recognition that all the qualities of Spirit are your own (and those of your true nature); and then to live your individual life in a way that is in alignment with these qualities, which reflects and embodies these qualities, and in a way that allows these qualities to manifest in you.
Every thought, word, or action in alignment with Spirit draws the beneficial qualities of Spirit into one’s life and helps right the natural order of the universe.
The qualities of Spirit (and our own nature) unfold through our own life to the extent that we are open to, and align with, Infinite Spirit. It’s as simple as that. Now the obvious question is this: “What thoughts, actions, attitudes, and beliefs (about myself, the world, and Spirit) align my life with Infinite Spirit—and with the ever-expanding, ever-fulfilling movement of the universe?” “What steps can I take to align myself with Spirit and the natural flow of the universe?”
The essence of alignment with Spirit (and with the natural flow of the universe) is captured by the Sanskrit concept of dharma. Dharma can be summed us as: “action which is in alignment with Spirit and the natural laws of the universe—and these might be called truthful, righteous, noble, and beneficial action.
Dharma
Questions and Answers
Can you give us some ideas of what it means to go against dharma, and the result?
To give you an example: a person goes against the dharma (natural law) of his own body by ingesting harmful foods, eating when he is not hungry, being in a chronic state of stress, etc. Over time, through this continued violation of natural law, the body begins to lose its dharma. It begins to lose its proper function. In this state, the body stagnates, it loses its innate intelligence, it becomes weak. Death comes early. If a person goes against the dharma of his car (i.e., if he goes against the principles upon which his car was designed)—for instance, by not changing the oil on a regular basis and by using poor-grade oil—then the car’s engine will wear out before it’s time, before it was designed to wear out. If a person secures money by untruthful means—by cheating, stealing, or breaking agreements—then that money will not bring any benefit. It lacks dharma; Spirit is not in it. Whatever it touches will come to an early end. On the other hand, money earned by truth and honesty, by hard work and integrity, will support and uplift whatever it is used for.
So, what are dharmic actions?
Actions that are truthful, actions that are honest, actions that help and support others, actions that align us with our highest self and the qualities of Spirit. Dharmic actions are always beneficial and uplifting. The very nature of Spirit is love and truth, and any action based on these virtues is dharmic. Any action which brings about more freedom, joy, abundance, and beauty are dharmic actions. Honesty, humility, truthfulness, compassion, gratitude, generosity, as well as one-pointedness, perseverance, discipline, and enthusiasm are all actions of dharma—and these actions provide the foundation of a true and victorious life.
Sometimes people don’t know what to do, which action to take. In that case the answer is simple—do what is in accord with dharma, the natural laws of the universe. Said another way— do as Spirit does, take the action that aligns your action most fully with Spirit.
We have been talking about the famous line, “Where there is dharma, there is victory”—what is victory in this regard?
Victory is success. Spirit is always victorious, since there is nothing other than Spirit to oppose it. In the Mahabharata, when this line was spoken, it referred to victory in a battle: the side which had Lord Krishna (who represented the principle of Dharma itself)—and which was fighting for a righteous and truthful cause—was assured of victory. That which has Infinite Spirit on its side is assured of victory, since no force in the universe can defeat Spirit. Thus, when a person is on the side of dharma, the very truth and order which sustains the universe, he has the whole universe on his side—and is assured of victory. (And, victory, in this context means “success”—and not necessarily victory over something or someone else. If you are one with the universe, how can you be victorious over someone else?—there is no one else!)
This same principle applies to every aspect of one’s life: when one’s life is aligned with Spirit a person is victorious, he is successful. Success in this case would mean joyous, happy, fulfilled, abundant, etc. The thing to realize here is that when your life is aligned with Spirit, and you are open to the influx of Spirit, then Spirit always enters—yet it does not enter with a mere fragment of its being, but with its whole self. Therefore, when there is alignment and openness to Spirit, then Spirit comes with victory, success, and all its qualities—such as love, joy, freedom fulfillment, satisfaction, abundance, awareness, value, truth, and beauty. So, when there is dharma, there is everything!
To orient yourself, you can ask: “What action is in accord with Spirit?” “What action is in alignment with Spirit and allows Spirit (and all its qualities) to enter my life?” We have been talking a lot about action in alignment with Spirit, but this does not only apply to outer action, but the attitude and intention a person has when taking an action. Giving to another person, with the hidden feeling that there will be less for oneself (or that such an action will accrue some type of merit, or that such an action is “good” and so it should be done) is not action in alignment with Spirit. It is but an outer imitation of action in alignment with Spirit, but an action wherein the heart is missing, where one’s true self is missing—and any action where one’s heart is missing cannot be an action in accord with Spirit, whose very nature is love, fullness, and truth.
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Infinite Spirit has a certain nature, with certain qualities; It expresses itself, and manifests as all of creation, in accordance with certain principles and laws. The whole of spiritual alignment (or the path of alignment with Spirit) is to discover the inherent nature of Spirit (and the inherent principles and laws by which Spirit expresses and manifests its nature) and then to live in accordance with those same principles—to express and live our life in accord with the way Spirit expresses its own nature. When our life is in alignment (or resonance) with Infinite Spirit, it draws and opens us to all the qualities of Spirit; in this alignment the finite expands toward the Infinite.
We do not have to attain the qualities of Spirit—such as love, joy, fullness, aliveness, beauty, etc.—because those are the very qualities of our own nature. As individual expressions of Spirit, we already possess every quality of Spirit. However, in the dulled and scattered consciousness of this age we are not aware of our own one-with-Spirit qualities; these qualities exist only as shadows, as mere glimmers of their true potency; and not realizing that these qualities are inherent to one’s nature, people seek to experience them in some form outside themselves. The path of alignment is founded upon the recognition that all the qualities of Spirit are your own (and those of your true nature); and then to live your individual life in a way that is in alignment with these qualities, which reflects and embodies these qualities, and in a way that allows these qualities to manifest in you.
Every thought, word, or action in alignment with Spirit draws the beneficial qualities of Spirit into one’s life and helps right the natural order of the universe.
The qualities of Spirit (and our own nature) unfold through our own life to the extent that we are open to, and align with, Infinite Spirit. It’s as simple as that. Now the obvious question is this: “What thoughts, actions, attitudes, and beliefs (about myself, the world, and Spirit) align my life with Infinite Spirit—and with the ever-expanding, ever-fulfilling movement of the universe?” “What steps can I take to align myself with Spirit and the natural flow of the universe?”
The essence of alignment with Spirit (and with the natural flow of the universe) is captured by the Sanskrit concept of dharma. Dharma can be summed us as: “action which is in alignment with Spirit and the natural laws of the universe—and these might be called truthful, righteous, noble, and beneficial action.
Dharma
Questions and Answers
Can you give us some ideas of what it means to go against dharma, and the result?
To give you an example: a person goes against the dharma (natural law) of his own body by ingesting harmful foods, eating when he is not hungry, being in a chronic state of stress, etc. Over time, through this continued violation of natural law, the body begins to lose its dharma. It begins to lose its proper function. In this state, the body stagnates, it loses its innate intelligence, it becomes weak. Death comes early. If a person goes against the dharma of his car (i.e., if he goes against the principles upon which his car was designed)—for instance, by not changing the oil on a regular basis and by using poor-grade oil—then the car’s engine will wear out before it’s time, before it was designed to wear out. If a person secures money by untruthful means—by cheating, stealing, or breaking agreements—then that money will not bring any benefit. It lacks dharma; Spirit is not in it. Whatever it touches will come to an early end. On the other hand, money earned by truth and honesty, by hard work and integrity, will support and uplift whatever it is used for.
So, what are dharmic actions?
Actions that are truthful, actions that are honest, actions that help and support others, actions that align us with our highest self and the qualities of Spirit. Dharmic actions are always beneficial and uplifting. The very nature of Spirit is love and truth, and any action based on these virtues is dharmic. Any action which brings about more freedom, joy, abundance, and beauty are dharmic actions. Honesty, humility, truthfulness, compassion, gratitude, generosity, as well as one-pointedness, perseverance, discipline, and enthusiasm are all actions of dharma—and these actions provide the foundation of a true and victorious life.
Sometimes people don’t know what to do, which action to take. In that case the answer is simple—do what is in accord with dharma, the natural laws of the universe. Said another way— do as Spirit does, take the action that aligns your action most fully with Spirit.
We have been talking about the famous line, “Where there is dharma, there is victory”—what is victory in this regard?
Victory is success. Spirit is always victorious, since there is nothing other than Spirit to oppose it. In the Mahabharata, when this line was spoken, it referred to victory in a battle: the side which had Lord Krishna (who represented the principle of Dharma itself)—and which was fighting for a righteous and truthful cause—was assured of victory. That which has Infinite Spirit on its side is assured of victory, since no force in the universe can defeat Spirit. Thus, when a person is on the side of dharma, the very truth and order which sustains the universe, he has the whole universe on his side—and is assured of victory. (And, victory, in this context means “success”—and not necessarily victory over something or someone else. If you are one with the universe, how can you be victorious over someone else?—there is no one else!)
This same principle applies to every aspect of one’s life: when one’s life is aligned with Spirit a person is victorious, he is successful. Success in this case would mean joyous, happy, fulfilled, abundant, etc. The thing to realize here is that when your life is aligned with Spirit, and you are open to the influx of Spirit, then Spirit always enters—yet it does not enter with a mere fragment of its being, but with its whole self. Therefore, when there is alignment and openness to Spirit, then Spirit comes with victory, success, and all its qualities—such as love, joy, freedom fulfillment, satisfaction, abundance, awareness, value, truth, and beauty. So, when there is dharma, there is everything!
To orient yourself, you can ask: “What action is in accord with Spirit?” “What action is in alignment with Spirit and allows Spirit (and all its qualities) to enter my life?” We have been talking a lot about action in alignment with Spirit, but this does not only apply to outer action, but the attitude and intention a person has when taking an action. Giving to another person, with the hidden feeling that there will be less for oneself (or that such an action will accrue some type of merit, or that such an action is “good” and so it should be done) is not action in alignment with Spirit. It is but an outer imitation of action in alignment with Spirit, but an action wherein the heart is missing, where one’s true self is missing—and any action where one’s heart is missing cannot be an action in accord with Spirit, whose very nature is love, fullness, and truth.
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