Morality and Dharma

Based on the works of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti

It is indeed important to get to understand what morality is.  In
conjunction with that it is also necessary to understand what conduct a
person is to follow.  One's place in the world and one's aspirations all
hinge on practice.  Morality cannot be separated from practice and when you
practice something you seek to achieve a goal.  For a spiritual aspirant the
goal is a lofty one and is that of self-realisation - to realise that your
true self is the same as the Infinite Self or Supreme Consciousness.

Morality can be defined as the code of conduct which leads human beings
towards the state of highest fulfilment.  Morality in English tends to be
equated with coming from scriptural injunctions such as the Bible.  Compare
this to morality in yogic or spiritual philosophy which is a much more
relevant process of self-development, but which certainly has its
principles.  It also assumes an expanded and wholesome approach to morality
or ethics.

Morality must also be something which has the capability to lead. But to
lead to where?  Accordingly, morality is that which leads you in a
particular direction for your well being.  Morality in its broadest sense is
directly connected with the spirit of well-being and development (social and
personal).  Morality is that which leads or that which possesses the
capability of leading.

Generally, religious people equate morality as that effort or idea which
keeps a person away from sin - where sin is something which is not
prescribed by the Bible or some other scripture.  Another thing to bear in
mind is that "sin" in the English language is not the vice that true
morality is concerned about. As already said, "sin" commonly means to go
against that prescribed in the Bible or some other religious scripture. But
we can look at things in a way so that any action by an individual which
leads to the development of others is virtuous, and any action which does
the opposite is vice.

In terms of vice it can be classified as:
1. "to do that which should not be done". For instance, stealing, telling
malevolent lies.
2. "not to do what should be done". For instance, parents should educate
their children. If they do not, they are said to have committed a wrong.

In a unit being there are both righteousness and unrighteousness.  How to
follow righteousness?  Morality has a very close association with dharma
(which loosely can be interpreted as righteousness). What is dharma? That
which sustains the unit being is dharma. And the practical side of dharma is
expressed in the words "dharma is the assemblage of all your conduct" - the
way you eat, the way you speak, the way you perform spiritual practices. If
your conduct is good, dharma is with you; if your conduct is not good,
dharma is not with you. And if dharma is not with you, what comes about is
your physical, mental, and spiritual ruin.

Now you may say that your soul cannot be ruined. That is correct, but your
soul will become crudified because it will bound by relativity through
expressions of ego and those expressions find their reflection on your
mental plate as impressions which ultimately will take on a reaction.
Action leads to reaction.  Reactions can be good or bad, in the relative
sense.  So your actions determine your reactions. Morality assists in doing
good actions and these are beneficial to one's spiritual progress, as the
reaction will also be good and because it its good it is inherently
elevating and expansionary of the mind.  The highest expansion is spiritual.
Conversely, bad actions will take the mind away from the elevating tendency
of spiritual inclination.

So, in the first stages of following dharma, which is the assemblage of how
you conduct yourself, the greatest helping factor is morality. In other
words, the function of morality is to help you in dharma, to help the
practice of dharma.  Dharma is always righteous, never negative.
Accordingly, morality plays a vital role in the life of a spiritual
aspirant. But morality is not the culminating point of life, it is simply a
starting point.

In order to enter a house one has to pass through the gate, and this passing
through the gate is morality. But one has not gotten into the house simply
by passing through the gate; to get in, one has to knock on the door. The
entering into the house after knocking on the door is dharma (the spiritual
practice of dharma). In the house you have to properly conduct yourself.
So, just to be a moralist is not enough, it only provides one with a
passport to enter the house.

As said above "dharma is the assemblage of all your conduct", and the first
phase of proper conduct is morality. Therefore those who are bereft of
morality cannot be dharmic, and those who are dharmic cannot go against
morality.

Now the question crops up whether morality is a relative factor or an
absolute factor. Morality is not cent percent relative, but it is not
absolute, either, because morality does not have any direct relation with
the Supreme Consciousness (or what some may call God). It is indirect.  That
is, morality cannot by its own force help one attain that Supreme
Consciousness. So, morality is a happy blending of relative and absolute.

However, the final goal of dharma is the Supreme Consciousness - it may be
called self realisation. For a dharmic practitioner (spiritual aspirant)
there can be no other end. In morality there is a happy blending of the
relative and the absolute. So morality is based on certain mundane and
supra-mundane principles. Dharma, on the other hand, is conduct. It is,
therefore, something practical. It is a culture. It is not a theory but a
desire, a will to do something.

So the question arises, what to do. As regards morality, one can deliver
some speech, say something on the code of morality, and that too can be
understood. But as regards dharma, one has to actually do something. So what
to do and what not to do? What are people's dos and don'ts?

In the case of morality, indeed, there are certain dos and don'ts. The
collection of dos and don'ts is morality. But as regards dharma there are no
don'ts, everything is do; that is, everything is a conduct which has to be
performed.

For example, "serve the patient", "don't steal", "speak the truth", "don't
tell a lie" -- such a combination of observances and restrictions is
morality. Dharma, on the other hand, is action, that is, it is only "do
this, do that". "Do spiritual practices for the Supreme Consciousness -
self-realisation - like this".  "Sing spiritual songs". This is the
fundamental difference between dharma and morality.  A modern person might
ask whether it is really possible to merge one's mind in Supreme
Consciousness. It is a difficult task, but since dharma consists in doing
something in practical terms, one should make the effort. So in dharma there
are only dos.

Now common people will naturally ask, "what is it that we are to do?"  The
scriptures differ, the social codes differ; each sage has a different
opinion. But the essence of dharma lies deep in the mind; its purpose is so
that one can follow the true path of self-realisation.  So what should
common people do? Which should they accept?

Similar is the case with morality. We see that there are differences of
opinion even in the scriptures and the social codes also differ. With the
scriptures and saintly intellectuals differing widely, what are common
people to do?

Importantly, the essence of dharma is hidden in your own "I" feeling.  Also,
the path pursued by practical saints is the real path. "The essence of
dharma is hidden in the I-feeling". The essence of dharma, that is, the
Supreme Consciousness, is hidden in your own "I"-ness". Do you require the
help of a mirror to see the wristwatch on your wrist? No, and neither for
the Supreme Consciousness, who is hidden in your "I"-ness. The Supreme
Consciousness is hidden in you, and is witnessing all your activities,
physical or mental, and seeing whether you aspire for spiritual realisation
or for worldly objects.

So what will spiritual aspirants do? The cover of "I"-ness is to be removed
from them to realise the Supreme Consciousness, the essence of dharma.
Those who try to remove it are practical people, practical spiritual
aspirants. This cannot be brought about with morality. This is entirely a
spiritual culture or spiritual cult. It is actual practice.  One achieves
the spiritual end by removing the cover of your "I"-ness. You will find that
your goal is hidden in your own "I"-ness.

Hence morality will help you, but only through dharmic spiritual practices
will you be able to attain the Supreme Consciousness - self-realisation.
That is why it has been said "conduct is the principal factor in dharma."
Those who are persons of good conduct you will surely attain the Supreme.
But what to speak of getting God in the future.  Isn't it true that you have
already got God, you simply are not able to see God.

As morality can also be said to be the effort to lead a well-knit life, and
as morality is required for dharma and spiritual realisation, what
principles of morality to follow? The ancient yogic moral code of Yama and
Niyama offers the best approach.  Our conscience is disturbed if we do
something wrong, and that disturbs our peace of mind.  Social harmony is
also important.  The yogic moral principles neatly deal with both personal
and social, internal and external, matters.   The principles are:

* Non-harm in thought, word and action. This means maintaining the least
harm in any given situation. It's the intention that's important here.
Non-harm does not exclude the possibility of using physical force to defend
oneself or others if necessary.

* Benevolent truthfulness. This is the use of mind and words in the spirit
of welfare. The emphasis is on "helpful" truthfulness (as opposed to
unhelpful truthfulness!). Buddha said the first priority for words is that
they should be helpful to others. The second priority is that they should be
true. And the third priority is that they should be sweet-sounding. Note
that sweet-sounding comes in only third!

* Non-stealing. Not to take what belongs to others without their permission.
It also means not to deprive others of what you owe them. One must not steal
either physically or mentally.  The thought of stealing is also contrary to
morality as the mind is crudifying itself through such thoughts.

* Universal thinking. To consider everything as an expression of the Cosmic
Consciousness. By doing this regularly, the thought that we are all part of
the same Cosmic family will gradually increase in the mind, and with it the
feeling of family love and security.

* Simple living. Not to accumulate more than you need for a reasonable
standard of living. This has personal consequences as well as social. We can
never be satisfied with what we have unless we stop accumulating things
unnecessarily. Also, the physical wealth of this world is limited, but there
IS enough to go around if nobody hoards anything that they don't need. By
accumulating excessive physical wealth you would be depriving others of
their necessities.

* Purity of mind and cleanliness of body. To keep the body clean not only
means externally. There's no use in washing your car on the outside only if
the inside is like a pigsty! Internal cleanliness depends on what we eat,
and other things we ingest.

* Mental ease and contentment. Living simply is essential for peace of mind.
Only when the mind is at ease is it possible to be satisfied with your life,
and to infuse others with your cheerfulness and enthusiasm.

* Social service. This means to help others in need without expecting
anything in return. There is a flow of love within us that we can only
express when we give willingly and selflessly to others. Note that it means
to others that need it. Giving money to a rich man is not service!

* Inspirational reading. To read uplifting books, understanding their
underlying meaning. This is best done after meditation, when the mind is
most receptive to deep ideas and higher thinking.