Dharma

After his enlightenment, Siddhartha was uncertain as to whether he should share his experience. He could see how humans were overpowered by hatred, greed, and delusion – blinding them from seeing the true way to happiness. He was not sure if he could make a difference. 

Dharma means “the path to the way”. The word 'dharma' literally translates as 'that which upholds or supports'. Legend says Siddhartha was visited after his awakening by a divine spirit and asked that he teach the dharma to the world. With enormous compassion he accepted his Dharma. 2500 years later, millions of people have been elevated from suffering into happiness because he said “Yes”.

The word Dharma takes on two important meanings. The first meaning is the highest truth or ultimate reality. The second is one’s righteous duty or virtuous path within this life. The dharma is an invitation to be the truth and base your life on living the truth. Notice I did not say seek the truth. The truth is not something outside of you. It is something you will intuitively know by cultivating the ability to pay attention. You will see truth outside of yourself yet it is always within yourself that you are experiencing this ultimate reality. 

For simplistic purposes, the Dharma is your life. How you meet the moments of your life becomes your practice. Meeting these moments day to day is how our lives will unfold. The symbol for Dharma is a wheel. Our actions turn the wheel in certain ways and with repetition, speed occurs. There is an energy that we create from the moment we enter this world and things continue to unfold like a wheel that is turning. This is why it becomes more and more challenging to change as we age. Our wheels are spinning quickly.