O que é Dharma? Qual o seu significado?
Há vários, e apenas um. Como o panteão hindu - vários deuses, um deus: o absoluto chamado Brahman. Como o ser humano e o universo: vários caminhos, uma só verdade, uma existência do que é. O melhor significado de Dharma não consta nas palavras, e isso já é uma parte de definição. Uma explicação interessante é a da Wikipedia, onde fala do sentido hindu, do sentido budista e do sentido espiritual universal (com o perdão do pleonasmo). Clica na Wikipedia. Três outras boa definições: “The Way of Higher Truths”; “The underlying order in Nature (and thus signifies ‘the way things are’)”; “The fulfillment of an inherent nature”. Embora haja alguma associação, não é uma teoria religiosa oriental nem uma filosofia. Uma vida bem examinada e investigada, onde haja auto-conhecimento (”know thyself”), por exemplo, é uma vida que encontra a Verdade, que encontra seu destino, que encontra o Dharma. O contrário também é válido: uma vida de sofrimento, autômata, sem consciência e mantida na ilusão dos sentidos, é adharma. A definição que usa exemplo do rio é uma das que mais gosto: “se o universo fosse um rio, o fluxo desse rio seria o Dharma“.
Mas há muitas outras definições bonitas e reveladores sobre o Dharma, e abaixo replico algumas das melhores que encontrei na Web (pra continuar viajando, clique no link de cada uma):
tokuda-igarashi.net: Se chegarmos a apreciar todos os fenômenos com a visão de um buda e não aquela de um ser humano comum, qual seria o aspecto do mundo? Todavia, mesmo as coisas mais terríveis são a expressão de tathata, a totalidade, porque todos os fenômenos ensinam o Dharma. Não se descreve o Dharma com palavras, dizemos que as árvores e as montanhas elas mesmas ensinam o Dharma. É algo de secreto, “secreto” porque se nós estamos no mundo do inferno, não os podemos ouvir, e enquanto seres humanos não os podemos ouvir tampouco. Um buda e somente um buda pode ouvir uma árvore falar do Dharma.
opendharma.org: We hardly ever listen to the sound of a dog’s bark, or to the cry of a child or the laughter of a man as he passes by. We separate ourselves from everything, and then from this isolation look and listen to all things. It is this separation that is so destructive, for in that lies all conflict and confusion. If you listened to the sound of those bells with complete silence, you would be riding on it–or, rather, the sound would carry you across the valley and over the hill. They beauty of it is felt only when you and the sound are not separate, when you are part of it. Meditation is the ending of the separation not by any action of will or desire. (J.Krishnamurti)
suddha.net: A felicidade é fruto da paz interna e aquele que está feliz é, naturalmente, bondoso. Assim, vive o Dharma doce como o néctar (susukham kartum) tal como ensina Sri Krishna, afastando-se do conceito de que só a dor purifica e eleva o homem (!).
buddhistdoor.com: (palavras de Boddhidharma) “The Dharma is the truth that all natures are pure. By this truth, all appearances are empty. Defilement and attachment, subject and object don’t exist. The sutra says ‘ The Dharma includes no being because it’s free from the impurity of being, and the Dharma includes no self because it’s free from the impurity of self’. Those wise enough to believe and understand these truth are bound to practise according to the Dharma. And since that which is real includes nothing that is worth begrudging, they give their body, life, and property in charity, without regret, without the vanity of the giver, gift, or recipient, and without bias or attachment. And to eliminate impurity they teach others, but without being attached to form. Thus, through their own practise they’re able to help others and glorify the Way of Enlightenment. And as with charity, they also practise the other virtues to eliminate delusion, they practise nothing at all. This is what’s meant by practising the Dharma.’”
yogadharma.com.ar: Dharma es la capacidad de prestar servicio, la cualidade esencial de todo ser vivente (”Bhagavad Gita”).
buddhanet.org: The Buddha taught Dhamma (the way, the truth, the path). He did not call his followers “Buddhists”; he referred to them as “Dhammists” (those who follow the truth).
What one’s mind contains, at this moment, is Dhamma. Dhamma is everything there is.
Let a beginning be made to understand Dharma. Dharma is free from all sectarian beliefs, dogmas, rites and rituals. Even sectarian names are not necessary. You may or may not call yourself a Hindu or a Muslim, but you should be a Dharmic person, a person living the life of Dharma. This means that your mind should remain pure. If your mind remains pure, then all your other actions, vocal or physical, will naturally become pure.
On the other hand, if you learn the art of Dharma, this means the art of living, and you stop generating negativity, you start experiencing peace and harmony within yourself. When you keep your mind pure, full of love and compassion, the peace and harmony that is generated within permeates the atmosphere around you. Anyone who comes in contact with you at that time starts experiencing peace and harmony. You are distributing something good that you have. You have peace, you have harmony, you have real happiness, and you are distributing this to others. This is Dharma, the art of living.
Dhamma is so simple, so scientific, so true-a law of nature applicable to everyone. Whether one is Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Christian; whether one is American, Indian, Burmese, Russian or Italian - it makes no difference; a human being is a human being. Dhamma is a pure science of mind, matter, and the interaction between the two. Do not allow it to become a sectarian or philosophical belief. This will be of no help.
sankaracharya.org: As a result of this (nirvikalpa) samadhi millions of results of actions, accumulated in this beginningless world over past and present births, are destroyed, and pure dharma (helpful to the realisation of Truth) grows. The experts in Yoga call this samadhi ‘a rain cloud of dharma’ because it pours forth countless showers of the bliss of dharma.
anandamarga.org: 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.
hinduism.about.com: Anything that helps human being to reach god is dharma and anything that hinders human being from reaching god is adharma. (…) The purpose of dharma is not only to attain a union of the soul with the supreme reality, it also suggests a code of conduct that is intended to secure both worldly joys and supreme happiness. Rishi Kanda has defined dharma in Vaisesika as “that confers worldly joys and leads to supreme happiness”.
veda.wikidot.org: Dharma (Sanskrit) (”way of righteousness.” From dhri, “to sustain; carry, hold.”) refers to the underlying order in Nature and human life and behavior considered to be in accord with that order. Dharma is a Sanskrit expression of the widest import. There is no corresponding word in any other language. It would also be futile to attempt to give any definition of the word. It can only be explained. It has a wide variety of meanings. A few of them would enable us to understand the range of that expression. Hence dharma can be briefly said as “that which contains or upholds the cosmos.” The word ‘Dharma’ is used to mean Justice (Nyaya), what is right in a given circumstance, moral values of life, pious obligations of individuals, righteous conduct in every sphere of activity, being helpful to other living beings, giving charity to individuals in need of it or to a public cause or alms to the needy, natural qualities or characteristics or properties of living beings and things, duty and law as also constitutional law. (veja mais no site)
sotozen-net.or.jp: We then take refuge in the Three Treasures: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. The Buddha is the one who awakened to reality. The Dharma is reality itself, the way things truly are. The Sangha are the people who aspire to study and living according to the teaching of the reality of all beings.
livingdharma.org: The “Dharma” refers to the teachings of Buddhism, the essence of which is the impermanent and interdependent nature of all life. But “Dharma” also refers to the everyday experiences of our lives that make these teachings come alive. That’s why we say the Dharma is “living.”
Brh. Upanishad, 1.4.14: ” Verily, that which is Dharma is truth. Therefore they say of a man who speaks truth, ‘He speaks the Dharma,’ or of a man who speaks the Dharma, ‘He speaks the Truth.’ Verily, both these things are the same.”
Oxford Philosophy Dictionary: (Sanskrit, carrying or holding) In Buddhism, the factors of existence. Originally not so much an ethical concept as one of cosmological theory, dharma bears some relationship to the Greek logos, meaning the principle or law governing the universe, and in particular the cycles of rebirth. It became associated with the teachings of the Buddha and the sphere of temporal (non-religious) duty and custom, and from here is extended to cover aspects of character that make up a personality. As in the ethics of Kant, it is also associated with concern for others as extensions of oneself. This ethical notion of dharma is prominent in the Buddhist contribution to Hindu thought.
sanskrit.org: One often sees dharma translated as religion, duty, or even righteousness, but in fact, there is no true direct translation for dharma. Religion, duty and righteousness are not wrong; they are simply included within the idea of dharma.
acessoaoinsight.net: Quem vê a origem dependente vê o Dhamma; quem vê o Dhamma vê a origem dependente (MN 28, The Great Discourse on Causation - Paticcasamuppada, Bhikkhu Boddhi)
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