Sanatana Dharma

Sanatana Dharma is a code of ethics, a way of living through which one may achieve moksha (enlightenment, liberation). It provides its followers with an entire worldview, a way of life with a coherent and rational view of reality.

Definition

Sanatana Dharma is by its very essence a term that is devoid of sectarian leanings or ideological divisions. This is evident by the very term itself. The two words, "Sanatana Dharma", come from the ancient Sanskrit language. "Sanatana" is a Sanskrit word that denotes that, which is Anadi (beginningless), Anantha (endless) and does not cease to be, that which is eternal and everlasting.

With its rich connotations, Dharma is not translatable to any other language. Dharma is from dhri, meaning to hold together, to sustain.

Its approximate meaning is "Natural Law," or those principles of reality which are inherent in the very nature and design of the universe. Thus the term Sanatana Dharma can be roughly translated to mean "the natural, ancient and eternal way."

When translated into English, Sanatana refer to Eternal, Perennial, Never Beginning nor Ending, Abiding, Universal, Ever-present, Unceasing, Natural, and Enduring while Dharma refers to Harmony, The Way, Righteousness, Compassion, Natural Law, Truth, Teachings, Tradition, Philosophy, Order, Universal, Flow, Religion, Wisdom, Divine Conformity, Cosmic Norm, Blueprint, Inherent Nature, Law of Being, and Duty.

What is Sanatana Dharma?

Sanatana Dharma does not denote to a creed like Christianity or Islam, but represents a code of conduct and a value system that has spiritual freedom as its core. Any pathway or spiritual vision that accepts the spiritual freedom of others may be considered part of Sanatana Dharma.

First and foremost, Sanatana Dharma is without beginning and also without a human founder. It is defined by the quest for cosmic truth, just as the quest for physical truth defines science.

Its earliest record is the Rig-Veda, which is the record of ancient sages who by whatever means tried to learn the truth about the universe, and man’s relationship to the cosmos.

They saw nature including all living and non-living things as part of the same cosmic equation, and as pervaded by a higher consciousness. This search has no historical beginning; nor does it have a historical founder. This is not to say that the Rig-Veda always existed as a literary work. It means that it cannot point to a particular time or person in history and say: "Before this man spoke, what is in the Rig-Veda did not exist."

The Nature of Sanatana Dharma

By its nature, Sanatana Dharma is:

    God-centered rather than prophet-centered

    Experience based rather than belief based

    Beyond any historical date of founding

    The process of growth, which comes from the seed

    Inherent in, and inclusive of all

    In the world, while beyond the world

    Both immanent and transcendent

    The whole and the parts

    Loving of all and excluding of none

Human beings are meant to live in a way that best manifests for the entire world to witness our innermost essence, as eternal spiritual beings, who are currently on a temporal, material journey.

We are meant to recognize the presence of the Divine in our everyday lives, and to then humbly manifest infinite love, compassion, and wisdom toward all sentient beings.

Rather than reveling in exploitation of the Earth and our fellow living beings, we should grow in our dedication to serving others.

Rather than reveling in greed, envy and anger, we should develop our natural spiritual capacity for giving, of celebrating life, and of being full of joy.

Rather than living in fear, we must embrace the full scope of our own boundless freedom.

Each of us can honestly aspire to achieve self-realization and spiritual transformation as radically free individuals, outside the confines of sectarianism, intolerance, closed-minded fanaticism, and organizational denominationalism, and in accordance with Dharma - the Natural Way of the Cosmos.

In this way, we can all strive toward a higher degree of happiness both as individuals, and as a society. We can save the world from its illusion...but it begins with each one of us liberating ourselves from our own illusion first.

This is how we are meant to live.