Following Dharma Rather Than Karma
A lot of what people do in their lives is determined by conditioning – they are just riding the waves of karma. They think they want something, but it is not their inner being that actually wants it, rather it stems from a mish mash of the cravings and aversions within them. In other words, the chasing of a particular goal might just be a futile attempt at stopping some thoughts and feelings from occurring or inducing other ones. Most people are so full of this that all they may have had are rare glimpses of the ocean of depth within, which can actually guide them in a more fulfilling direction.
It's as if there is an abundant river that is designed for you, meant to enrich your life, and take you on a wild ride if you are willing to flow with it. The key to unlocking this is developing a deep connection with your inner self which can be sustainably achieved only by including both polarities and not avoiding anything. It is very common in the spiritual community for folks to desperately cling to positive thoughts, emotions and feelings thinking that the negative ones are somehow hampering their progress. In their attempt to do so, they try multiple things such as drugs, meditations, diets, gurus and the list goes on indefinitely. Rather, if they spent some time integrating their shadow self – a lot of the kinks in life would smoothen out effortlessly. The scary part is it seems to get worse (much worse) at times before it actually gets better and you’re able to sense the light at the end of the tunnel. A blind leap of faith is the only way to get through it.
At the end of the tunnel is the beautiful connection with source that everyone is seeking. The path of “dharma” seems much clearer than ever before. A nice question to ask yourself in a moment of confusion is – how does karma want me to respond versus how would dharma have me respond? It’s not that there will never be any negativity or blockages or challenges, but it seems like the connection to the inner being is strengthened making the path out of any difficulty less murky and clearer. Another way of looking at is that you are just an instrument through which the divine is orchestrating a play of its choice, an act of true surrender. It feels like waking up from a dark dream where everything was covered up with a sense of unease and now there is finally a sense of lightness and flow. You are able to appreciate the little things and are not in a constant state of seeking anymore. Passion projects reveal themselves and everything you do is now imbued with a sense of presence and consciousness.
