From: FNyuo@gRQsk9.com   
      
   What is Dharma?   
   by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti   
      
   "Human beings are the highest-evolved beings. They possess clearly-reflected   
   consciousness, and this makes them superior to animals. No other being has   
   such a clear reflection of consciousness. Human beings can distinguish between   
   good and bad with the    
   help of their consciousness, and when in trouble they can find a way out, with   
   its help. No one likes to live in misery and suffering, far less human beings,   
   whose consciousness can find means of relief. Life without sorrow and   
   suffering is a life of    
   happiness and bliss, and that is what people desire. Everyone is in quest of   
   happiness; in fact it is people's nature to seek happiness. Now let us see   
   what one does to achieve it and whether it is achieved by those means.   
      
   In their search for happiness people are first attracted towards physical   
   enjoyments. They amass wealth and try to achieve power and position to satisfy   
   their desires for happiness. One who has a hundred rupees is not satisfied   
   with it, one strives for a    
   thousand rupees, but even possessing thousands of rupees does not satisfy. One   
   wants a million, and so on. Then it is seen that a person having influence in   
   a district wants to extend it over a province, provincial leaders want to   
   become national leaders,   
    and when they have achieved that there creeps in a desire for world   
   leadership. Mere acquisition of wealth, power and position does not satisfy a   
   person. The acquisition of something limited only creates the want for more,   
   and the quest for happiness    
   finds no end. The hunger for possessing is unending. It is limitless and   
   infinite.   
      
   However dignified or lofty the achievement, it fails to set at rest people's   
   unlimited quest for happiness. Those who hanker after wealth will not be   
   satisfied until they can obtain unlimited wealth. Nor will the seeker of   
   power, position and prestige be    
   satisfied until he or she can get these in limitless proportions, as all these   
   are objects of the world. The world itself is finite and cannot provide   
   infinite objects. Naturally, therefore, the greatest worldly acquisition, even   
   if it be the entire    
   globe, would not secure anything of an infinite and permanent character. What   
   then is that infinite, eternal thing which will provide everlasting happiness?   
      
   The Cosmic Entity alone is infinite and eternal. It alone is limitless. And   
   the eternal longing of human beings for happiness can only be satiated by   
   realization of the Infinite. The ephemeral nature of worldly possessions,   
   power and position can only    
   lead one to the conclusion that none of the things of the finite and limited   
   world can set at rest the everlasting urge for happiness. Their acquisition   
   merely gives rise to further longing. Only realization of the Infinite can do   
   it. The Infinite can be    
   only one, and that is the Cosmic Entity. Hence it is only the Cosmic Entity   
   that can provide everlasting happiness -- the quest for which is the   
   characteristic of every human being. In reality, behind this human urge is   
   hidden the desire, the longing,    
   for attainment of the Cosmic Entity. It is the very nature of every living   
   being. This alone is the dharma of every person.   
      
   The word dharma signifies "property" . The English word for it is "nature",   
   "characteristic" or "property". The nature of fire is to burn or produce heat.   
   It is the characteristic or property of fire and is also termed the nature of   
   fire. Similarly, the    
   dharma or nature of a human being is to seek the Cosmic Entity.   
      
   The degree of divinity in human beings is indicated by their clearly-reflected   
   consciousness. Every human being, having evolved from animals, has, therefore,   
   two aspects -- the animal aspect, and the conscious aspect which distinguishes   
   a person from    
   animals. Animals display predominantly the animality, while human beings due   
   to a well- reflected consciousness also possess rationality. The animality in   
   human beings gives them a leaning towards animal life or physical enjoyment.   
   They, under its    
   influence, look to eating, drinking and gratification of other physical   
   desires. They are attracted towards these and run after them under the   
   influence of their animality but these do not provide happiness as their   
   longing for it is infinite. Animals    
   are satisfied with these limited enjoyments as their urge is not infinite.   
   However large the quantity of things offered to an animal may be, it will take   
   only those which it needs and will not bother for the rest. But humans will   
   certainly act    
   differently in these conditions. This only establishes that animals are   
   satisfied with the limited, while the desire of human beings is limitless,   
   although the desire for enjoyment in both is prompted and governed by the   
   animal aspect of life. The    
   difference in the two is due to the possession by the human being of a   
   clearly-reflected consciousness, something which animals lack. The infinite   
   nature of the human urge for absolute happiness is due to their consciousness   
   alone. It is this    
   consciousness alone which is not satisfied with the physical pleasure of   
   possession, power and position   
   -- things which in spite of their huge proportions, are only transitory in   
   character. It is their consciousness which creates in human beings the longing   
   for the Cosmic Entity.   
      
   The objects of the world -- the physical enjoyments -- do not quench the   
   thirst of the human heart for happiness. Yet we find that people are attracted   
   by them. The animality in people draws them towards gratification of animal   
   desires, but the    
   rationality of their consciousness remains ungratified since all these are   
   transitory and short-lived. They are not enough to set at rest the unending   
   and unlimited hunger of the human consciousness. There is, thus, a constant   
   duel in humans between    
   their animality and rationality. The animal aspect pulls them towards instant   
   earthly joys, while their consciousness, not being satisfied with these, draws   
   them towards the Cosmic Entity -- the Infinite. This results in the struggle   
   between the animal    
   aspect and consciousness. Had the carnal pleasures derived from power and   
   position been infinite and endless, they would have set at rest the eternal   
   quest of consciousness for happiness. But they do not, and that is why the   
   fleeting glory of temporal    
   joys can never secure a lasting peace in the human mind and lead people to   
   ecstasy.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)