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BEYOND BODY AND MIND
and quarrel in the Dhamma. Nor does it mean to do rituals like worship or prayer. It is mere show and hypocrisy to go to a place of worship for an hour or two and then spend the whole day in irreligious, selfish and immoral acts. If our so called “religion' and 'religious activity cannot bring peace and happiness in our own life, remove quarrels and disputes in our family and society, and does not end the defilements like anger, greed, fraud and ego, then it may be anything but Dhamma.
Dhamma is an integral part of our life and daily activity; it is as indistinguishable as the respiration of the body. One cannot separate Dhamma from life. It has to be present in every activity, be it at home, in office, trade, politics, or anything that we do daily. Truth, being the foundation of Dhamma, must become an integral part of our life and its activities, and then only we can call ourselves ‘Being in Dhamma'.
Secularism and Dhamma
India is called a Secular State and on that account Education is being made devoid of Dhamma. Nothing is taught, not even morals like non-violence and truth, because we are called a secular State. The word 'secular' has been wrongly interpreted because the term Dhamma has not been correctly understood. Secular would mean ‘not pertaining to any one religious denomination', but it cannot mean being neutral or devoid of Dhamma. It should mean catholicity and equal respect to all denominations and not anti-religion or anti-Dhamma. It is, therefore, essential to consider the real difference between “religion' or sect and Dhamma. All rituals relate and pertain to sects and not to Dhamma. There is only one Dhamma for the mankind and that is known to all and can be felt and understood by everybody. No outside teacher or preacher is required. Only one has to ask himself, “What is my Dhamma?” One's own understanding is the Dhamma. If we listen to our self, we would know the duty and Dhamma. However, we ignore that voice, as we give importance to worldly things. The temptation to gain name, fame, wealth, power and status puts a veil on our conscience, duty and understanding and we deviate from our duty or Dhamma. If only we follow our own understanding, conscience and discrimination, our conduct will be in accordance with Dhamma.
Self-awareness
To know the self is called self-awareness. This helps in realizing our duty and Dhamma, and also what is beyond our body and mind. There
