The Struggle for Dharma – To do the right thing.
Why is waking up early in the morning so difficult?
Why did I get so angry then? Why did I say those horrible words?
Why didn’t I work hard enough? Why am I so lazy?
Why didn’t I do the right thing? Why did I give into my temptations?
Why do I feel so miserable? Why am I not happy?
Why don’t I have this or that in my life?
All these questions, these are question of mine. I ask these questions to myself every single day.
And I struggle to answer them.
And I believe all human beings struggle with the very same questions on a daily basis.
Previously I used to think that something was wrong with me. That, I was a defective human being, with so many flaws that I lost count of them a long time ago. I used to shame myself to death for my shortcomings. I used to be miserable.
I still am, miserable.
But a little less.
However, as I read more books, about many topics far and wide, I have come to realize that the struggles that I experience in my daily life are nothing new. These are not unique to me.
They are in fact, an integral part of the human condition.
Doing the right thing at the right time- Dharma, is an old concept in Hinduism and Buddhism. It can mean a lot of things to a lot of people but for me, it simply means: doing what one is supposed to do.
It means, doing the right thing. Doing the things that you ideally should be doing.
Something as simple as, “Brushing your teeth daily” is a part of Dharma.
Moreover, it depends on who you are.
If you were a king in the ancient times, your Dharma was to rule the kingdom (even when you didn’t feel like it).
If you were a carpenter, your dharma was to build furniture regardless of circumstances.
And, if you were a student, your dharma was to study with diligence without fail.
And so on.
And the truth is: People have been struggling to do the right thing : Dharma, since the ancient time. From the ancient Kings, to the wise old monks over the centuries, all of them have time and again struggled and failed to do the right things. It is well documented in historical books and stories.
Even the great warrior Arjuna had to seek the guidance of Krishna when he was faced with his own relatives in the battle field. And Krishna had told Arjuna to perform his Dharma and not back out of the war even if it meant killing his own relatives. Hence, even the great warrior Arjuna was weak at times of great adversity, so who am I to expect myself to be perfect in doing all the things that I should be doing lol.
Whether you believe in these stories is a matter of personal opinion, I personally find them amusing and worthwhile reading.
Hence, I am not unique in my inability to do the things I was suppose to do, people have been struggling with the same thing since the beginning of time.
Moreover, what is right and what is wrong?
If one’s dharma is doing the right thing, one must first determine what the right thing is.
As far as I know and have read, the question of right and wrong is determined more or less by the morals established in the society.
Morals like:
- Don’t kill other people
- Don’t lie to others
- Help the elderly
- Take care of your parents
- Don’t fuck your neighbor’s wife
- Don’t rob a bank
- Do your job diligently
You get the idea. These are the basic principles that everyone understands from a young age. And doing all of these will make you a “Good” person. However, if you don’t do any of these things deemed desirable by the society, you will first be looked down upon by the society (or the government: aka put to jail) and secondly, you will guilt yourself to death because whether you like it or not, you uphold the same morals as the society you live in (deep inside your conscience).
But why should one follow these morals set forth by the “society”?
Why should I not kill another person?
Why can’t I fuck my neighbor’s wife?
Why should I do my job diligently?
Well, it’s a valid question indeed. I mean, nobody would want to follow orders given by a faceless voice called the SOCIETY without questioning any of it. I mean, we are human beings, we need reasons to do stuff. It is stupid to assume that someone will give us a list of rules and we will follow them without any thought or reason, we are NOT robots!
So again, “Why should I not kill the person sitting next to me on the bus?”
The reason that society tells you is: BECAUSE IF YOU DO, WE WILL PUNISH YOU.
Hence, the world has been running on fear. Most people don’t kill people because of the fear of imprisonment. Most people don’t fuck their neighbor’s wife because of the fear of social scrutiny.
The world is running on fear.
Most people don’t kill others because they fear the law.
Most*
But some still do isn’t it? Why?
Because you can’t control people with just fear.
If fear was the answer to all the world’s problem, then why is there still corruption, rape, violence, robbery, drug smuggling in the world. All of these things are considered illegal and have harsh punishment associated with them but people still find a way to do it.
Fear doesn’t work.
And that’s why there are things that suck in the world.
That’s why there is pain and misery.
And that’s where the ancient concept of Dharma comes in.
See, what the concept of Dharma says is that, you ought to do the morally right things and fulfill your duties, not because you are expected to do so by some nameless voice called “SOCIETY” or the “government” but because it is simply the right thing to do.
This is especially the case in Buddhism which looks at rightful conduct as a way of achieving happiness on a personal level rather than doing things for the fear of persecution.
The concept of Dharma highlights the fact that, one should do the “rightful” things for the sake of one’s own wellbeing. It says, if one does the “wrong” things such as:
- Kill other people
- Sleep with your neighbor’s wife
- Drink excessively
- Lie to his loved ones
- Cheat in business
That person will be miserable because of him own actions. He will bear of the fruits of his “evil” deeds in time. It is simply a matter of cause and effect.
Hence, according to Dharma, even if no one actually finds out and punishes you for your wrong deeds, you will still be miserable intrinsically. For instance, the thought of the dead person’s family members crying will not let you sleep and it will drive you crazy.
It puts emphasis on one’s own life experience rather than imposing a rule like an angry authority’s figure like the government in modern societies today.
Hence, in this model, there is no SOCIETY or GOVERNMENT imposing fear onto people to force them to do the rightful conduct, but it puts more emphasis on self-control and practical benefits for oneself.
Hence, I really like this idea of doing the “right” thing because it will make you happy, instead of doing it for the fear of judgement of the society and authority.
So, do the right things because it will lead to lasting happiness.
Not because some dork told you to do so.
Cheers!
= )
Honestblogs 