In the Western world religion is associated with a belief in something unseen, miraculous, or perhaps even irrational. For the Western mind religion is something removed from ordinary existence, and apart from the world of Nature, something supernatural, like the miracle of Christ of turning water into wine. The fruits of our religious practice are gained after death, in heaven, and seem little related to the events of this life. Such religion is different than religion in the Eastern or Hindu sense, and appears artificial and imaginary, rather than the product of any profound meditation.

There is no such term as religion in this sense in the teachings of India. The term for a spiritual teaching is Dharma, the natural law of Truth and its universal and eternal principles. The so-called religions of India - like Hinduism and Buddhism - are not religious belief systems but ways of cultivating dharma, ways of developing higher awareness. To follow the Dharma requires living in harmony with the universe attuned to the consciousness of the Universal Being.

Discovery of the Dharma is possible only through direct perception, which requires freeing the mind from its conditioned responses. It does not rest upon belief or speculation. The cultivation of Dharma, which is religion in the sense of the Himalayan sages, means developing an awareness which is clear enough to perceive things as they are. If we emphasize Dharma rather than religion there will be no more religious conflicts in the world. In fact, religion as we have known it will disappear into a real search for Truth through Yoga and meditation.

[ David Frawley ] [ Up ] [ Next ]