RE: [ramakrishna] Dharma....

[Guest guest]

Hi Cindy

Thanks for raising very though provoking questions. I have attempted an

answer to your questions.

 

1. thekind of self-less action that does not generate karma.

The answer fo rthis is available in the Gita, where Krishan says that if one

performs the karma by always reminding oneself that the doer is someone else

and that one is just an instrument in the hand of the doer, then the good or

bad resulting from that action will not attach to you. This thus amounts to

akarma (non-karma). Krishna says that karma and non-karma are the same.

2.what about on an everyday basis, how does one know one's proper dharma in

reaction to the myriad small eventsof a day? "

The answer to this is given by Vyasa. In Sanskrit there is a sloka that

" ashtadasha purananam sara Vyasen kathita, paropkaraya punyaya papaya

parapidanam'. Which means that Vyasa has given the gist of the knowledge

contained in 108 puranas and it is that to help others is punya and to

create trouble for other is pap. SO while reacting to various small events

in life one has always to ask oneself is it going to benefit or do good or

bring happiness to someone? if yes go ahead and do it. If not shun away

from it.

3.how does the hindu make choices such as what school to attend, what

charities to donate to,how to help a friend, etc. Are these issues that

have anything to dowith one's dharma? and if so, would the appropriate

action vary fromvarna to varna?

Dharma talks about duties to be performed. Which school to attend is not a

question that belongs to this aspect (duty). However if you mean which

philosophical school to attend, then the choice is free. Hinduism gives

full liberty to attend any school of thought. Which charities to denote is a

question to be resolved at the individual level and there is no religious

direction available. Hinduism won't mind even if one denotes to other

religious charities. One needs to decide again using Vyasa's yardstick will

it bring happiness to others? if yes go ahead and do it. How to help a

friend? I think I have already answered that above.

 

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE

From 1 JULY 2001, my new e-mail address will be as under:

milindsathye

Thank you.

 

Regards

 

Yours sincerely

Milind Sathye

Department of Finance and Banking

University of Southern Queensland

Toowoomba, Queensland 4350

Australia

Phone 61 +7 + 4631 5509

Fax 61+ 7 + 4631 2625

web page: http://www.usq.edu.au/users/sathye

 

 

 

 

Vivekananda Centre [vivekananda]

Saturday, 19 May 2001 8:34

list; Self Knowledge List

[ramakrishna] Dharma....

 

 

Dear List members.

 

The following very interesting email came to us from

Canadian University. I would like the list members to

respond. The answer may be of interest to many more

list members hence requesting that you respond via the list.

 

jay

 

========copy of email received===========

 

hello. i am a university instructor of eastern religions, and yesterday

a student asked me a question that i could not adequately answer. i was

introducing very basic concepts in the upanishads, including the idea of

performance of one's dharma as a means to moksha, in other words the

kind of self-less action that does not generate karma. i explained

within the context of catuvarna that if one is a brahmin, one must

perform the duties appropriate to the brahmin, etc and so on for the

other varnas. a student asked me " what about on an everyday basis, how

does one know one's proper dharma in reaction to the myriad small events

of a day? " So just on a very general mundane level, how does the hindu

make choices such as what school to attend, what charities to donate to,

how to help a friend, etc. Are these issues that have anything to do

with one's dharma? and if so, would the appropriate action vary from

varna to varna? if you have the time, can you suggest an answer to this

question? thanks, cindy

 

" Cindy Crowhurst " <cgcrowhu

 

 

================

 

 

 

Sri Ramakrishnaye Namah

Vivekananda Centre London

http://www.vivekananda.co.uk