What if Dharma Begins Where Approval Ends?

By Rev. Michael Gadway

Dharma is not upheld by talking about it. Dharma is upheld by living in harmony with it. – Gautama Buddha

Breaking Free from the Need for External Validation

We spend so much time looking at ourselves through the world’s eyes, we lose our natural, intuitive ability to see into the depths of our own being. We have become enamored of the physical and material aspects of life. In our relentless pursuit of approval, success, and emotional gratification from the material world, we have forgotten the one thing we want most: to rest in the awareness of our true Self.

The desire to belong, to fit in, to step up and “be somebody” in the world, so constrains our view of Spirit that it is life-denying rather than life-affirming. When we set our egoistic aspirations above our Soul longings, we drown the truth of our being in the mediocrity of society. This impulse reveals itself in two ways: as those who wish to fit in and belong and as those who spend their time trying to be different and special. Both have missed the callings of the Soul.

When we constantly search for guidance and approval from an external locus of authority rather than an internal one, our inner vitality is eroded and we disempower our life force. The corresponding Soul-devaluation affects the essential fabric of our lives. The scope of our perception is then limited to a Soul numbing restricted view of the world and ourselves, and with it, we lose the joy and contentment secreted in the profoundness of being.

Discovering Your True Self Through Dharma

To counter this loss of Self-reliance and Self-awareness, we must discover and declare our intrinsic spiritual value to ourselves. We must learn to create and hold a sacred space within us and then stand strong in this inner sanctum with or without the world’s praise; this is the true meaning of Self-reliance. To dwell in this innermost tabernacle is to be established in our dharma. It becomes that which we invoke and that which sustains us. The vast spiritual space within us speaks in whispers, Soul urgings, and intuitions. This relationship with the indwelling Infinite becomes the foundation of our lives. It guides and supports, suggests and demands, pushes and pulls us towards the Source, and it fulfills our every need.

The Meaning and Evolution of Dharma in Spiritual Tradition

If we trace the origin of the term dharma, we discover that it meant simply, the law: the law of the cosmos and of nature. It was the basic principle in ritualistic worship and it inferred a transactional-karmic relationship with God; if we do this, we get that. If we sacrifice something important to us, we are rewarded with something even greater. We give to get. This theologically underdeveloped relationship with the God of the Old Testament still exists today.

Though it is a spiritually immature framework for relating to God, many people in prayer offer God something if they will only answer their prayers the way they want them to. We see this same now defunct spiritual model in the new thought movement as well. “If I think this way, I get what I want from life.” The mistaken belief that because we are individual units of Spirit, we can manipulate the world, blurs our awareness of our dharma which is found in the bliss of surrender, not in creating a world reactive to our egos.

What Is The Modern Usage of Dharma and Life Purpose

In the Rig Veda, dharma was referred to as the “pillars” of creation and there was little moral character applied to its meaning. But over the millennia, the term dharma evolved to signify one’s moral duty or righteous conduct. It began to have social and religious implications. Dharma took on ethical tones as the term law began to be applied to peoples’ daily behaviors. It was then adopted by the Buddhist and Jain movements before sweeping across Asia and eventually making its way into western lexicon.

As it was adapted into modern usage, it evolved to mean spiritual law, righteous living, and life’s purpose. The term dharma represents the need for us to find what unites us to God in life, work, and relationships. It is the universal and personal realization that there is an organizing principle that binds us all.

Living Your Dharma as an Expression of the Divine

The Buddhist scholar Rupert Gethin defines dharma as “The basis of things.” Dharma is the foundation of our lives. It is, in a real sense, the internal structural core and interior functional framework from which we view and interact with life.

Dharma is the living, spiritual story we inhabit. It is the timely woven thread of the Divine, and it runs through the fabric and tapestry of our being. Our journey is not to discover our dharma. Our journey is the reflection of our dharma and it does not come from an outward source. It is not mediated through church, minister, or therapist. Our walk in the world is the unfolding of our dharma. Our story is the sojourn of dharma, and the path before us is our dharma unfolding as a wondrous divine incongruity. It is the demonstration of our relationship with the Infinite. Realized in the depths of our true essence-of-being, dharma is God expressing through us, for us, and as us.

How Meditation Can Help Your Find Your Life Purpose

If you’re a spiritual seeker in Raleigh, I invite you to my weekly Wednesday night Guided Meditation for Presence & Purpose. All skill levels are welcome.