Dharma

"Dharma" is a key term in religious traditions that originate in India—Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain—but one with several different meanings. Its root in Sanskrit has the sense of "that which supports or holds together," while its variant form of dhamma in Pali refers to one of the smallest and most temporary of the several kinds of constituent units that make up the world as it appears to us. Dharma is used in Jainism to refer to the noncreated medium within which all movement takes place. In Buddhism, whether in its Pali or its Sanskrit form, the meaning of constituent unit in the changing world of appearances is complemented by the quite different meaning of the doctrine or teaching of the Buddha that offers an understanding of things that can make it possible to pass beyond the world of appearances. In this latter sense, the teaching (dharma) is honored as one of the three gems of Buddhism, along with the teacher (Buddha) and the monastic community (sangha). In English any reference to the dharma in the singular almost certainly means the teaching or truth as transmitted by the Buddha.

In Hindu tradition, one of the influential senses of dharma is as the structural power that holds things together and arranges them into a meaningful cosmos. Dharma in this sense is manifested in the order of nature, in the patterns of traditional society, and in the integrity of anyone who appropriately embodies their traditionally prescribed roles and responsibilities. Dharma as a principle of order, along with the dynamic principle of karma (the acts and consequences that generate patterns over time), is one of the most central Hindu ideas and sometimes serves as a synonym for Hinduism itself.

In Hindu thought, dharma organizes by differentiating. The dharma of various people differs in correlation with their birth into a particular genetic (gender, family, kin, and caste) endowment, their marital status, and their current age. A repeated theme in the popular Hindu text the Bhagavad G?t? is that it is better to enact your own dharma poorly than another's, however well. The G?t? opens with a crisis in which its central character is unable to act consistently with his dharma, and its teachings along with divine intervention allow him to perform it properly. The range of meanings, history, and prestige of the term may give deep seriousness to any situation in which a Hindu speaks of his or her duty, which is a typical way of referring to dharma in relation to present circumstances. How does a Hindu know how dharma applies to him or her and to particular circumstances? This is not a matter left to individual conscience alone, but is supported by an array of traditional authorities, both oral and written, that includes religious specialists attached to temples, study and pilgrimage centers, and families over the generations. As the twenty-first century begins, the modern emphasis on universal rights and responsibilities makes traditional notions of dharma implausible for some people, but reformers such as Mahatma Gandhi have renewed the power of the idea and have brought out its inherently ethical as well as social component.

See alsoBhagavad G?t?; Buddhism; Hinduism; Jainism; Karma.

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Gene R. Thursby