What is the "Dharma"?

Ven. Nyanatiloka (A Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines), Dhr. Seven and Ashley Wells, (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Where does wisdom come from? It derives from studying Dharma (teachings, phenomena)

Yoga, meditation, relaxation, chanting banners draped on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's beautiful Dharma center next to the Univ. of So. California (USC) the night of the "Yoga Rave" (WQ)

 

Buddhist Dictionary (palikanon)

[NOTE: The Sanskrit word dharma is multivalent with at least 12 distinct meanings, as is fairly common with many Indian terms. When capitalized it refers to the Buddha's Teachings, but all its meanings are related. This capitalization is only an English convention used to distinguish the Teachings from phenomena in general, other spiritual teachings, and one's duties and obligations, etc.]

 

The Dharma (Pali Dhamma) literally means the "bearer," (what upholds, supports), constitution (the nature of a thing), norm, law (jus), doctrine; justice, righteousness; quality; things, objects of mind (see spheres or bases, āyatana) "phenomena."

The word dhamma is met with in the texts in all of these meanings. The Commentary to the Long Discourses (Digha Nikaya) gives four applications of the term:

1. quality (guna),
2. instruction (desanā),
3. text (pariyatti),
4. selfless, void, empty (nijjīvatā), for example, "All dhammā, phenomena, are impersonal..."

Buddha, cat, books (Dee McIntosh/flickr)

The Commentary to the Dhammasangani has hetu (condition) instead of desanā (instruction).

Therefore, the "analytical knowledge" of the law or lawfulness of phenomena (see patisambhidā) is explained in the Path of Purification (Vis.M. XIV) and in the The Book of Analysis (Vibhanga) as hetumhi-ñāna) "knowledge of the conditions."

 

The Dharma, as the liberating truth discovered and proclaimed by the Buddha, is summed up in the Four Noble Truths (see sacca).

 

It forms one of the Three Gems (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, ti-ratana) and one of the Ten Recollections (anussati), which are subjects for frequent recollection or mindfulness as contemplation.

 

A dharma (dhamma) as object of mind (dhammāyatana, see āyatana) may be anything past, present or future, physical or mental, conditioned or unconditioned (cf. sankhāra, 4), real or imaginary. See wider Wiki discussion: Dharma.

Why the forehead chakra? (Buddhist tantra)

Ashley Wells and Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; Wikipedia edit

The crown, brow (agni), and throat chakras, Rajasthan, India, 18th century (wiki)

 

Om or aum (Themeplus/flickr.com)

Chakras (subtle energy centers of the body) play an important role in the main surviving branch of Indian Vajrayana, Tibetan Buddhism.

They play a pivotal role in completion stage practices, where an attempt is made to bring the subtle airs or winds of the body into the central channel, to realize the clear light of bliss and emptiness, and to attain buddhahood (Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Clear Light of Bliss: A Tantric Meditation Manual).
  

The Vajrayana system states that the central channel (avadhūtī) begins at the point of the third eye like the of Lord Shiva, curves up to the crown of the head, and then goes straight down to the lower body. 

There are two side channels, the rasanā and lalanā, which start at their respective nostrils and then travel down to the lower body. The apāna vāyu (down-moving wind, where "wind" means the invisible power to move) governs the lower terminations of the three channels. The lower end of the central channel ends at the rectum. The lower end of the lalanā ends in the urinary tract. The lower end of the rasanā channel emits semen.

Chakra picture produced by AuraStar2000TM bio-energy sensor (William Vroman/wiki)

  

Buddha aum (BrookeMontes/flickr)

The side channels run parallel to the center channel, except at locations such as the navel, heart, throat, and crown (i.e., the chakras) where the two side channels twist around the central channel. At the navel, throat, and crown, there is a twofold knot caused by each side channel twisting once around the central channel. 

At the heart wheel there is a sixfold knot, where each side channel twists around three times. An important part of completion stage practice involves loosening and undoing these knots.

 

Within the chakras exist the "subtle drops." The white drop exists in the crown, the red drop exists in the navel, and at the heart exists the indestructible red and white drop, which leaves the body at the time of death.
 

Sanskrit characters (sriaurobindoashram.com)

In addition, each chakra has a number of "spokes" or "petals," which branch off into thousands of subtle channels running to every part of the body, and each contains a Sanskrit syllable.

By focusing on a specific chakra (while often holding the breath) the subtle winds enter the central channel. The chakra at which they enter is important in order to realize specific practices.

For example, focusing on the subnavel area is important for the practice of tummo, or inner-fire. Meditating on the heart chakra is important for realizing clear light. Meditating on the throat chakra is important for lucid dreaming and the practices of dream yoga. And meditating on the crown chakra is important for consciousness projection, either to another world or into another body.

 

A result of energetic imbalance among the chakras is an almost continuous feeling of dissatisfaction. When the heart chakra is agitated, people lose touch with feelings and sensations, and that breeds the sense of dissatisfaction. It leads to looking outside for fulfillment. When people live in their heads, feelings are secondary. They are interpreters of mental images in a feedback loop to the individual.

Bon protectors of Tibet (viewzone.com)

When awareness is focused on memories of past experiences and mentations, the energy flow to the head chakra increases and the energy flow to the heart chakra lessens. Without nurturing feelings of the heart, a subtle form of anxiety arises which results in the illusory-separate-self reaching out for experience. When the throat chakra settles and energy is distributed evenly between the head and the heart chakras, one is able to truly contact one's senses and touch real feelings (Tarthang Tulku, Tibetan Relaxation: The Illustrated Guide to Kum Nye Massage and Movement - A Yoga from the Tibetan Tradition, pp. 31, 33).

Bön

Chakras, according to the Himalayan pre-Buddhist shamanic Bönpo tradition, influence the quality of experience, because movement of vayu cannot be separated from experience. Each of the six major chakras is linked to experiential qualities of one of the six major realms of existence. More

India's Festival of Lights (Diwali)

Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly; Huffington Post Religion, Oct. 30, 2013

(Nina Paley) "Sita Sings the Blues" new full-length, full-res version. DVD - See FULL MOVIE

 
Diwali is one of the biggest festivals on the Hindu calendar. There are multiple reasons why modern Hindus celebrate this festival.

 

The most popular narrative, based on the ancient Sanskrit epic called the Ramayana. In it Lord Rama, his wife Sita, and his brother Lakshmana return to their kingdom of Ayodhya after defeating Ravana the demon king.

 

On that dark new moon night, the residents of Ayodhya joyfully lit oil lamps to welcome Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana back to the kingdom. 

 

Defying Traditions

Widows of Vrindavan celebrate Diwali at their ashram on October 31, 2013 in Mathura, India. These aged widows have been abandoned by their families or have fled their inhospitable homes to make Vrindavan their home or their last destination.

 

To kindle happiness in their twilight years, Sulabh International founder Bindeshwar Pathak has come up with the idea of organizing the festival of lights for these widows, locally known as matas.

 

Following in that tradition, Hindus celebrate Diwali by lighting oil lamps, detonating firecrackers, cleaning and decorating their homes, distributing sweet delicacies, and gathering with friends and family. More

The Lotus Sutra (Chapter 2)

Dhr. Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; based on Burton Watson translation

Chapter II: Expedient Means

At that time the World-Honored One calmly arose from his meditative-absorption (samadhi) and addressed Sariputra, saying: "The wisdom of the buddhas is infinitely profound and immeasurable. 

The door to this profound wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to enter. Not one of the hearers (shravakas) or nonteaching-buddhas (pratyekabuddhas) is able to comprehend it.

 

"What is the reason for this? A [supremely enlightened samma-sam-] Buddha has personally attended [on] a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million, a countless number of buddhas and has fully carried out an immeasurable number of religious practices. He has exerted himself bravely and vigorously, and his name is universally known. He has realized the Dharma that is profound and never known before, and preaches it in accordance with what is appropriate, yet his intention is difficult to understand.

 

"Sariputra, ever since I attained buddhahood, I have through various causes and various similes widely expounded my teachings and have used countless expedient means to guide living beings and cause them to renounce attachments. Why is this? 

It is because the Thus Come One (Tathagata) is fully possessed by both expedient means and the perfection of wisdom.

A lotus, its beauty and fragrance, arise from mud.

 

"Sariputra, the wisdom of the Thus Come One is expansive and profound. He has immeasurable [mercy], unlimited [eloquence], power, fearlessness, concentration, emancipation, and meditative-absorptions, and has deeply entered the boundless and awakened to the Dharma never before attained.

 

"Sariputra, the Thus Come One knows how to make various kinds of distinctions and to expound the teachings skillfully. His words are soft and gentle and delight the hearts of the assembly.

 

"Sariputra, to sum it up: the Buddha has fully realized the Dharma that is limitless, boundless, never attained before.

"But stop, Sariputra, I will say no more. Why? It is because what the Buddha has achieved is the rarest and most difficult-to-understand Dharma [truth]. The true entity of all phenomena can only be understood and shared between buddhas. This reality consists of the appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, inherent cause, relation, latent effect, manifest effect, and their consistency from beginning to end."

 

At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse, saying:

The great hero of the world is unfathomable. Among heavenly beings or the people of the world, among all living beings, none can understand the Buddha. The Buddha's power, fearlessness, emancipation, and meditative-absorptions, and the Buddha's other attributes -- no one can reckon or fathom.

 

(windhorse.com.au)

Earlier, under the guidance of countless buddhas, he fully acquired and practiced various ways, profound, subtle, and wonderful doctrines that are hard to see and hard to understand.

 

For immeasurable millions of aeons (kalpas) he has been practicing these ways until in the place of practice he achieved the goal. I have already come to know-and-see completely this great goal and recompense, the meaning of these various natures and characteristics.

I and the other buddhas of the ten directions can now understand these things. This Dharma cannot be described, words fall silent before it. Among the other kinds of living beings there are none who can comprehend it, except the... More