Dharma Glimpses

“If something burns your soul with purpose and desire, it’s your duty to be reduced to ashes by it. Any other form of existence will be yet another dull book in the library of life.”  -Charles Bukowski

Dharma, or one’s personal duty or life’s work, is something we do every day, whether we realize it or not.  And if we aren’t doing it, chances are we feel as if something very important is missing from our day-to-day lives.

Look at the things you choose to do every day that you could have the option of leaving out.  For example, do you cook dinner every night without fail, never stopping to consider eating takeout/leftovers/cereal-in-a-bowl?  Do you always make time to call your sister and let her vent your frustrations upon you? (You deserve a sibling-of-the-year medal if you do that…)  Maybe you make a point to tally your purchases at the end of the day and keep a record of them.  Or you might have a ritual of watching “American Greed” on CNBC every night (hey, don’t knock it til you try it!)

By examining our daily behaviors, we can get a glimpse of our dharma.  What are the things we do every day that give us immense joy and purpose?  What are we doing in those moments when we lose track of time because we’re so absorbed in what we’re doing?

As we grow more aware of our dharma, we can then take steps toward spending more time engaged in those activities.  However, those activities may not always sustain the cost of our lifestyle, so the topic is certainly more complicated than just “Drop what you’re doing and dedicate your life to your dharma!”  It doesn’t always work out so cleanly.  But, the more we can orient our lives around the activities that fill us with meaning and purpose, the less time we will spend on pursuits that don’t serve us.  We are, in effect, weeding out the unnecessary parts of our lives by focusing on the essentials.  In doing so, we simplify our lives, allowing us to feel more grounded and at peace with ourselves and those around us.

[whohit]blog-dharma[/whohit]