What Is My Dharma?
Dear friends,
I am part of a spiritual community. Different ideas would sometimes captivate those living there en masse. Some years ago it seemed as if everyone was asking "What's my dharma?" Dharma can be said to be your life path; what you are intended to do this life both as a service and as a means to learning what you need to learn (usually the same thing!). It is said in India it is better to do your own dharma poorly than someone else's dharma well. We need to walk the path that is best for us, not necessarily the one that is the most fun, most attractive, or most convenient, most emotionally satisfying, or even where we are most “competent".
So folks of course wanted to know what path was for them. This is not easy to tell, whence the question "What is my dharma?"
Well, at one point someone approached my spiritual teacher and asked him that question. I am pretty sure he could tell what was best for each of us, but knowing the answer to a question does not always mean you should answer it directly. His answer intrigued me. He said, "You have many things to learn. If you walk this path [he moved his hand and arm to the left] you will learn one set of things. If you walk this other path [moving his arm to the right] you will learn a different set of things."
If we have an open heart and truly want to learn what we need to learn—which is why we incarnated here, after all—we will absorb the lessons that life is constantly presenting to us no matter what the task at hand. Too, keeping that attitude maximizes the chance we will know and feel what the best path is for us because we are not attached or wedded to a particular idea or opinion. It is, after all, a strong human tendency to see the world the way we want it to be rather than the way it actually is.
May we each go through life with full energy, courage, and joy. But may we always remain open to that gentle whisper from the Divine Guide. Spirit knows better than we do what path is best for us to walk. Asking the question is great, but truly listening for the answer is even better!
Blessings,
David G., manager
For the staff at East West