From The River Of Heaven
Major Sections
Books By David Frawley
THE ETERNAL TEACHING: SANATANA DHARMA
Dharma

The correct name for what we call Hinduism, though seldom used or recognized today, is "Sanatana Dharma", which means literally the "eternal teaching". It is not in essence a defined religion but an openness to spiritual experience. We could also translate it as "the eternally renewed truth"; sanaatana not only has the sense of eternity of but perpetual change and renewal. It is also called "Arya Dharma", the teaching of noble people. Yet Buddhism also uses this name, as did the Zoroastrian religion of Persia, both of which were close to the Vedic. 

Yet this term has been degraded by its usage in Europe by German nationalists and later the Nazis for glorification of their prejudices, and so it is has many wrong and negative conceptions associated with it. Another name for it is "Satya Dharma", the religion of truth. More simply it is just called the "Dharma"; a Vedic term meaning the law or truth of one's own nature. However, all religions in India have been called the Dharma; Buddhism as the Buddha Dharma, Jainism as the Jain Dharma, the Sikhs as the Sikh Dharma etc. 

These we can put under the greater umbrella of "Dharmic traditions" which we can see as Hinduism or the spiritual traditions of India in the broadest sense. All these dharmic traditions teach yoga, meditation and aim at self-realization. They have perhaps more in common with each other than do the different sects of Christianity.

 

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About The Eternal Teaching: Sanatana Dharma
The Eternal Teaching..Pg1
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Dharma
Hinduism-Pg.1
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The Culture Of Dharma-Pg.1
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The Religion Of Truth-Pg.1
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