Dharma and the Right Way of Living
Dharma is a disciplined way of life in accordance with certain rules and doctrine of a religion. All the major religions of Indian origin, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism lay down their own dharma, the right way of living, for the followers of each of these religions. Sanatana Dharma, now known as Hinduism, has in it the seeds of the profound principles of eternal Truth, Consciousness and Bliss (Sat, Chit and Ananda). Dharma shows the path of moral order, the way of righteous living. Man passes through four stages in his life’s journey, namely, brahmacharya (a period of celibacy and learning), grihastha (a householder), Vanaprastha (a time when man renounces his family responsibilities and goes into a forest in search of the Ultimate Reality), and finally Sannyasa (a period when he tries to attain moksha or release from the cycle of births and deaths). In the first stage, he has to be a student and practice celibacy, but as a householder, he can hanker after wealth (artha) and desire (kama). And in the final two stages, he has to pray for the liberation of his soul (moksha). However, in all the four stages, he has to follow his dharma, the rules of appropriate living, observing all the prescribed rites and rituals.
The teachings of the Buddha are the dhamma, and the true Buddhists are expected to lead their lives by these teachings in order to attain the ultimate goal, Nirvana, the final awakening of the spirit. According to Sikhism also Dharma is righteous living as per the advice and teachings of the Sikh gurus (teachers) enshrined in their holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. The Sikh religion lays emphasis on service to God’s creation through manual work, on working towards the attainment of justice for all and the emancipation of the oppressed in order to spread goodwill. Jainism speaks of dharma being related to the way man leads his life for the needs of this world (lauk) as also of the other world (paralauk).
So, in terms of dharma, what is the right way of living? Does the dharma mentioned above apply only to the followers of those respective religions? What about the followers of the other religions of the world? Do they have their own dharma? Of course, they do, even if the word dharma itself is not expressly used in their scriptures. Every religion prescribes its own set of principles for the right living of its followers. Spreading messages of love and peace, contributing to universal brotherhood, serving the poor and the downtrodden for bettering their living conditions, working for the emancipation of women wherever required, protecting the rights of children and preventing their abuse, avoidance of overindulgence in the pleasures of the senses, upholding the family values may be counted among the obligations of all social beings.
At the individual level, cultivating the mind for its elevation in thought and maintaining physical fitness so that the body functions at optimum levels of efficiency at all times are important aspects of living right. These can be achieved only when the individual disciplines his or life through practices like meditation, yoga and prayer for spiritual enrichment and social well-being.
Add to a sound mind and a fit body, qualities like selfless service for the common good of the family and the society, you have devised a working formula for right living. You can of course idealize that formula by incorporating into it whatever appeals to you as worth borrowing from the religions of the world. Be vigilant in including a well-rounded plan for living right that does not exclude things that you may not like doing. The formula that finally emerges is your dharma for right living.