Karma, Dharma and the Truth

The attempt to explain and understand the totality of human experience seems to be the very nature of the human mind. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been trying to make sense of it. 

We know by now that our thoughts are rarely based on facts, but they do matter, because they have a direct influence on our experience of reality. Even if our beliefs are not true, they are real to us and therefore important. Some people believe in coincidences, some believe that we are here for a reason. Our personal worldview, the way we perceive the world, ourselves and each other is something we all need to come clear about at some point in our lives. What are you here for? Is everything random? Or is there a greater purpose behind your existence? If so, what is it, what gives meaning to your life? These are a couple of good questions to start figuring out your worldview; the lens of which you are viewing your life through. 

There are no right or wrong ways to approach life, but what (I believe) we should pay attention to is whether or not our worldview serves the greater good of 1. the individual and 2. the collective. So regardless if you ended up with “life is a series of random coincidences” type of case or to the belief that there is a greater meaning behind your existence, please contemplate: how does this belief system affect me and those around me? Does it support my growth and happiness? How about the bigger picture, is it affecting those around me in a positive way?

Now, if you feel like having a clear ideology that profits both the individual and collective wellbeing, awesome, hold on to that. In case you are not so sure of it yet, let me introduce you to a couple of yogic principles and an ancient school of thought called Samkhya philosophy. These time tested teachings have helped me to gain clarity on what’s up with this wonderful thing called life with. 

Karma, the law of cause and effect

Yoga says that our destiny is free for us to create, but there are certain natural laws influencing it. No matter if you’ve ever done a single class of yoga in your life, you have probably come across with the concept of karma. Unfortunately, like many other brilliant ancient teachings, karma too has got slightly lost from its original meaning. In the modern world it is often misunderstood to some sort of mystical force punishing bad people for their bad actions. Partially this is true, but karma is really something bigger than the duality of a human mind. Karma means the universal law of causation; simply stating that one act always leads to another, and our actions have consequences. Whether we liked it or not, everything and everyone operates under this law. 

Karma works within the field of time; what we choose today affects our tomorrow. A simple example: what we chose to consume last night (foods we ate or company we kept) has an impact on how we are feeling today. 

It’s important to remember that it’s not only our physical actions that shape our future, but more importantly the thoughts and intentions behind them. Buddha said it: “Intention, I tell you, is karma. Intending, one does karma by way of body, speech, and intellect.” (AN 6.63)

So more than the bare behaviour, it is the intent behind the act that matters.

While we can’t always have full control of what is the outcome of our actions, we can make sure that our intentions are coming from a place of purity. This, yogis say, is how our destiny is created.

Dharma, the righteous way of living

The D-word, also known as our souls deepest desire, is another big player in this philosophy. It’s a huge concept, but I’ll do my best to honor it’s vastness. 

So as you may have learned by now, yogis believe that we are more than just bags of flesh and bones with brain control (and an incredible nervous system !!). 

To unpack this idea, let’s strip a few layers down, and travel all the way back to the beginning of time.

In the beginning of everything, there was a Source. Samkhya philosophy calls this source of everything Ishvara, or we could just think it as The One, Divine Consciousness or even God. Ishvara is made out of two principles: Purusha (pure consciousness/ soul) and Prakriti (creative potential/ primal matter).  

So, everything in life, us humans included, is part of Ishvara and consists of these two primary principles. Now let’s go back to the individual: in the core of every being lies something that has existed way before we are born into this lifetime, and will continue to exist long after our physical bodies expire. This part of us is divine: it is whole and complete and knows no limitations. And amongst just experiencing life as a human being, it has a bigger mission. We are born here with a tremendous purpose to fulfill, and that purpose, our dharma, is nothing less than greatness itself. 

Unfortunately, as we evolve into human grown-ups, we often forget both this magnificent brightness and limitlessness of our being and also our interconnectedness with all that is.

We grow into roles that are defined by our cultures and the time and place we live at, and end up living meaningless (sorry not sorry) lives, playing small, not shining the way we were meant to shine. If you have done any work on yourself, I believe you have come to learn that the only limit you ever had was inside your own head. And once this is realised, the path to liberation has begun. 

I’ve noticed that there is some common misunderstanding in the concept of dharma, too. Even though we are talking about life purpose or soul’s mission, it is not something external such as a new profession or other life achievement to cling on to. What I mean is, to follow one’s dharma does not mean that we need to quit our jobs and move to Bali. It is more of an internal purpose to fulfill; an alignment with one’s soul. Living to the dharma simply means that we begin to live in a way that is true to us. By becoming truthful to yourself, the things in the external world begin to fall into place as well. Welcome, success, on all levels (yes, also your business says thank you.)

Living to your dharma is to perform the duty of your soul, which is the only way to access complete fulfillment and supreme happiness. And by doing that, you are filling your part in the grand cosmic play, aligning with the universal consciousness, divinity itself. 

Your karma is your dharma

I wanted to break down these concepts so that we could now better understand the connection between the two. So dharma in one way refers to our destiny, and karma is how that destiny is created. Yes, it is time to take responsibility for our lives. Our karma is our dharma.

We are constantly shaping our destiny with the choices we make. Bad choices, bad destiny, great choices, great destiny. Sounds simple… although, no one said simple was easy. How to have your karma and dharma aligned, then? By starting to make decisions driven by that part of you which is infinite. Begin to base your actions on something bigger than your ego, dedicate your deeds to a higher cause like family, community, the planet… service of something larger than yourself.

Ancient scriptures as the road map

So, we are cosmic consciousness or divinity experiencing itself and our purpose here is to shine and thrive as bright as ever. Our destiny is fully ours to create and the only limitation we have is our own mind.

This sounds awesome to me but let’s be real, it’s quite a big idea and not necessarily the easiest one to embody. Thank God, we have yoga. 

People have been searching answers to these huge questions for thousands of years, because, like stated in the beginning of this monologue, the desire to know who and what we are is coded deep within us. 

Fortunately, we don’t have to begin our search from scratch: we are lucky to have access to ancient texts that hold ageless wisdom from the Sages and enlightened ones. These scriptures, Vedas, are the base of Samkhya philosophy and also all yoga as we know it, and they work as our guide on our path to self realisation and ultimately freedom.

However, these texts are only a road map, the work must be done by the individual. It is the journey, not the destination; or like sage Patanjali said:  the means are just as important as the end.

One thing I am sure of though: this is a science based on empirical study and shall be explored that way, too. The Truth is ours to find.

The stunning photography in this post is by Ashley Drody and the yoga set from Warriors of The Divine