Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Drishtikone

Home
Hindu
Dharma and Religion – the foundational difference

Dharma and Religion – the foundational difference

Last updated on: February 13, 2012 at 6:58 pm by Desh Kapoor

Dharma and Religion – the foundational difference 2012-02-13T18:58:21-06:00 Desh Kapoor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Rose

A rose was born in a lovely garden of marigolds and jasmines. In his small lifetime that he had woken up, he was sad and despondent. One day, a Sage happened to pass by and hear his crying.

“What happened, O’ lovely one?”, the Sage asked.

“Please don’t kid me. I am not lovely from any angle.” retorted the Rose.

The Sage smiled and remarked – “And, why do you say that?”.

“Sir, look at those white and bright yellow flowers all around me. They glow and everyone likes them. Look at me, dark unattractive. No one can even smell me sitting between them. I want to be them. What can I do to become them? My color, my height, I want to change everything to become them.”

“But, by believing yourself to be like them, does you no good, dear Rose. You are what you are, and there is no one as beautiful and as fragrant as a rose. Currently, you are feeling all this because this is the festive time, and people make marigold and Jasmine garlands. When the time for love comes, people will look for you.”

“Wonder when that time comes? Its been 2 weeks already and I won’t live for more than 2 more weeks at my best.” sighed the Rose.

“Then,” the Sage said, “you should spend the time, knowing your own fragrance and opening yourself up, instead of being despondent and letting your lovely fragrance get over ridden with your anxiety to become something that you are not”.

“Respected Sage, what you say sounds good, but it will do me no good.” Rose said.

“If you don’t know who you are, my dear Rose, whatever you will do will be a mistake. If you haven’t ever been in touch with your fragrance, then you will always look at other flowers and believe yourself as something else… without ever knowing that you are THE Rose.”

When Sage had failed to help Rose to touch his own unique and beautiful fragrance, he moved on. Rose, meanwhile withered away in the coming week, without ever knowing that it carried a fragrance that millions pay so much to experience.

Dharma is the fragrance, your fragrance. Religion is the collection of beliefs that one carries along. Rose’s fragrance is Rose’s Dharma. Rose’s belief that Yellow flowers are “better” than Dark Red, is his Religion.

Rose’s fragrance is all there is to it. Its belief in yellow being better has no bearing to its beauty, its life or its splendour.

It doesn’t matter who you are, Jasmine or Rose or Marigold or even Cactus – you have your own Dharma. Your own essence. It has a value and it has an importance. Every essence has the same shot at self realization. Every Cactus can get in touch with its inner essence as much as a Rose can. Their Self Realization is in-born in them, IF they seek to understand their own Essence, their own Fragrance.

But if a Rose or a Cactus keeps believing in his Red-ness or Thorni-ness and yearns to be something different, because it is something that the 4 weeks of season in the Garden is seeking – then it has wasted its entire (albeit short) lifetime.

Religion can never lead you to know yourself. Dharma can. Any Dharma. And Dharma – the fragrance – has NO relationship to your Religion – the belief of being something else than what you are.

So, let us understand the precepts of Dharma clearly. Dharma is the cosmic law. The Hukum, or the Dhamma. The Cosmic Foundation (Dharma comes from the root – That which holds) of this existence. My Dharma is how that Cosmic Foundation manifests in me.

Fragrance and Beauty is a Garden’s Dharma. A Rose’s Dharma is how that manifests in its life. As Rose’s fragrance and its beauty. It is a sub-set, yet it encapsulates the entire Dharmic character of the Garden.

My Dharma is my essence. It is not Cosmic as it manifests in me, but it encapsulates everything of the Cosmic Character.

So, let us clarify some cobwebs:

Do All Religions lead to Truth? NO.
Do All Dharmas lead to Truth? YES.
Can you find Truth in someone else’s Religion? NO.
Can you find Truth in someone else’s Dharma? NO.
Can you find Truth in only YOUR Dharma? YES! (as long as it is Dharma and not religion)

Dharmic Existence – as known from the Rishis and Scriptures – is predicated on knowing your essence and living it. Not to copy or emulate someone. Not trying to be unique or superior to anyone. Not trying to be “Good” or “Nice” in the parlance of the new Season in the Garden, but in living what you are.

Religion is a useless construct, which unfortunately for the humanity, has become the main currency of our existence. It should never have been made important. Dharma was, is, and will remain the ONLY Currency worth keeping. Religion had never helped anyone and will never do so in future.

The Rose despondent in his darkness, and not touched by its own fragrance will wither away in sorrow and pain.

Religion

Spirituality

Previous Post

February 13, 2012

When two NRI young men lived on Rs 26 a day in India to experience the Poverty line

Next Post

February 14, 2012 The Greatest Indian Dance Performance of this Century

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Aarti Achievement and Leadership AfPak Africa Annual and Year-end Asia Audio Australia Behavioural Sciences Bhagwad Gita Bhagwad Gita Blogging Blogs Business Business Intelligence Business Strategy Cannes Careers Chanakya China Conservation Corruption Creative Daily Links Desh Poems Development & Welfare Devotional Audio Devotional Songs Drama Earth Economics Education Entertainment Environment Europe Everyday Quotes Featured Articles Featured Songs Finance Flickr Pictures Food Geo-Political Global Warming Globalization Health & Medicine Hinduism Historic History Humour India Indian Culture Indian music Indian Weddings Israel Issues Legal Link Love Minorities Misc Motivation and Personal Development Movie Lists Movie Reviews Movies Mumbai terror attacks Natural Disasters Nature News Outsourcing Pakistan Parenting Personal Philosophy Poetry Politics Poverty Quotes Recipe Regular Blog Post Relationships Religion Religious/Spiritual Audio Sciences Showcase Slideshow South Asia Special Stories Spiritual Quotes Spirituality Sports Stories Strategy Technology Technology Terrorism Travel Uncategorized US Video Women Women_s Rights Worship Yoga

Select a Month December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 September 2014 August 2014 January 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Proverbs 31 describes the characteristics of a godly husband.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE