Morality and Dharma

Based on the works of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti

It is indeed important to get to understand what morality is.  In conjunction with that it is also necessary to understand what conduct a person is to follow.  One’s place in the world and one’s aspirations all hinge on practice.  Morality cannot be separated from practice and when you practice something you seek to achieve a goal.  For a spiritual aspirant the goal is a lofty one and is that of self-realisation – to realise that your true self is the same as the Infinite Self or Supreme Consciousness.

Morality can be defined as the code of conduct which leads human beings towards the state of highest fulfilment.  Morality in English tends to be equated with coming from scriptural injunctions such as the Bible.  Compare this to morality in yogic or spiritual philosophy which is a much more relevant process of self-development, but which certainly has its principles.  It also assumes an expanded and wholesome approach to morality or ethics. 

Morality must also be something which has the capability to lead. But to lead to where?  Accordingly, morality is that which leads you in a particular direction for your well being.  Morality in its broadest sense is directly connected with the spirit of well-being and development (social and personal).  Morality is that which leads or that which possesses the capability of leading. 

Generally, religious people equate morality as that effort or idea which keeps a person away from sin – where sin is something which is not prescribed by the Bible or some other scripture.  Another thing to bear in mind is that "sin" in the English language is not the vice that true morality is concerned about. As already said, "sin" commonly means to go against that prescribed in the Bible or some other religious scripture. But we can look at things in a way so that any action by an individual which leads to the development of others is virtuous, and any action which does the opposite is vice. 

In terms of vice it can be classified as:
1. "to do that which should not be done". For instance, stealing, telling malevolent lies.
2. "not to do what should be done". For instance, parents should educate their children. If they do not, they are said to have committed a wrong. 

In a unit being there are both righteousness and unrighteousness.  How to follow righteousness?  Morality has a very close association with dharma (which loosely can be interpreted as righteousness). What is dharma? That which sustains the unit being is dharma. And the practical side of dharma is expressed in the words "dharma is the assemblage of all your conduct" - the way you eat, the way you speak, the way you perform spiritual practices. If your conduct is good, dharma is with you; if your conduct is not good, dharma is not with you. And if dharma is not with you, what comes about is your physical, mental, and spiritual ruin. 

Now you may say that your soul cannot be ruined. That is correct, but your soul will become crudified because it will bound by relativity through expressions of ego and those expressions find their reflection on your mental plate as impressions which ultimately will take on a reaction.  Action leads to reaction.  Reactions can be good or bad, in the relative sense.  So your actions determine your reactions. Morality assists in doing good actions and these are beneficial to one's spiritual progress, as the reaction will also be good and because it its good it is inherently elevating and expansionary of the mind.  The highest expansion is spiritual.  Conversely, bad actions will take the mind away from the elevating tendency of spiritual inclination. 

So, in the first stages of following dharma, which is the assemblage of how you conduct yourself, the greatest helping factor is morality. In other words, the function of morality is to help you in dharma, to help the practice of dharma.  Dharma is always righteous, never negative.  Accordingly, morality plays a vital role in the life of a spiritual aspirant. But morality is not the culminating point of life, it is simply a starting point. 

In order to enter a house one has to pass through the gate, and this passing through the gate is morality. But one has not gotten into the house simply by passing through the gate; to get in, one has to knock on the door. The entering into the house after knocking on the door is dharma (the spiritual practice of dharma). In the house you have to properly conduct yourself.  So, just to be a moralist is not enough, it only provides one with a passport to enter the house. 

As said above "dharma is the assemblage of all your conduct", and the first phase of proper conduct is morality. Therefore those who are bereft of morality cannot be dharmic, and those who are dharmic cannot go against morality.

Now the question crops up whether morality is a relative factor or an absolute factor. Morality is not cent percent relative, but it is not absolute, either, because morality does not have any direct relation with the Supreme Consciousness (or what some may call God). It is indirect.  That is, morality cannot by its own force help one attain that Supreme Consciousness. So, morality is a happy blending of relative and absolute.

However, the final goal of dharma is the Supreme Consciousness - it may be called self realisation. For a dharmic practitioner (spiritual aspirant) there can be no other end. In morality there is a happy blending of the relative and the absolute. So morality is based on certain mundane and supra-mundane principles. Dharma, on the other hand, is conduct. It is, therefore, something practical. It is a culture. It is not a theory but a desire, a will to do something.

So the question arises, what to do. As regards morality, one can deliver some speech, say something on the code of morality, and that too can be understood. But as regards dharma, one has to actually do something. So what to do and what not to do? What are people's dos and don'ts?

In the case of morality, indeed, there are certain dos and don'ts. The collection of dos and don'ts is morality. But as regards dharma there are no don'ts, everything is do; that is, everything is a conduct which has to be performed.

For example, "serve the patient", "don't steal", "speak the truth", "don't tell a lie" -- such a combination of observances and restrictions is morality. Dharma, on the other hand, is action, that is, it is only "do this, do that". "Do spiritual practices for the Supreme Consciousness - self-realisation - like this".  "Sing spiritual songs". This is the fundamental difference between dharma and morality.  A modern person might ask whether it is really possible to merge one's mind in Supreme Consciousness. It is a difficult task, but since dharma consists in doing something in practical terms, one should make the effort. So in dharma there are only dos. 

Now common people will naturally ask, “what is it that we are to do?”  The scriptures differ, the social codes differ; each sage has a different opinion. But the essence of dharma lies deep in the mind; its purpose is so that one can follow the true path of self-realisation.  So what should common people do? Which should they accept? 

Similar is the case with morality. We see that there are differences of opinion even in the scriptures and the social codes also differ. With the scriptures and saintly intellectuals differing widely, what are common people to do?

Importantly, the essence of dharma is hidden in your own "I" feeling.  Also, the path pursued by practical saints is the real path. "The essence of dharma is hidden in the I-feeling". The essence of dharma, that is, the Supreme Consciousness, is hidden in your own "I"-ness". Do you require the help of a mirror to see the wristwatch on your wrist? No, and neither for the Supreme Consciousness, who is hidden in your "I"-ness. The Supreme Consciousness is hidden in you, and is witnessing all your activities, physical or mental, and seeing whether you aspire for spiritual realisation or for worldly objects. 

So what will spiritual aspirants do? The cover of "I"-ness is to be removed from them to realise the Supreme Consciousness, the essence of dharma.  Those who try to remove it are practical people, practical spiritual aspirants. This cannot be brought about with morality. This is entirely a spiritual culture or spiritual cult. It is actual practice.  One achieves the spiritual end by removing the cover of your "I"-ness. You will find that your goal is hidden in your own "I"-ness.

Hence morality will help you, but only through dharmic spiritual practices will you be able to attain the Supreme Consciousness - self-realisation. That is why it has been said "conduct is the principal factor in dharma."  Those who are persons of good conduct you will surely attain the Supreme. But what to speak of getting God in the future.  Isn’t it true that you have already got God, you simply are not able to see God.

As morality can also be said to be the effort to lead a well-knit life, and as morality is required for dharma and spiritual realisation, what principles of morality to follow? The ancient yogic moral code of Yama and Niyama offers the best approach.  Our conscience is disturbed if we do something wrong, and that disturbs our peace of mind.  Social harmony is also important.  The yogic moral principles neatly deal with both personal and social, internal and external, matters.   The principles are:

* Non-harm in thought, word and action. This means maintaining the least harm in any given situation. It's the intention that's important here. Non-harm does not exclude the possibility of using physical force to defend oneself or others if necessary.

* Benevolent truthfulness. This is the use of mind and words in the spirit of welfare. The emphasis is on "helpful" truthfulness (as opposed to unhelpful truthfulness!). Buddha said the first priority for words is that they should be helpful to others. The second priority is that they should be true. And the third priority is that they should be sweet-sounding. Note that sweet-sounding comes in only third!

* Non-stealing. Not to take what belongs to others without their permission. It also means not to deprive others of what you owe them. One must not steal either physically or mentally.  The thought of stealing is also contrary to morality as the mind is crudifying itself through such thoughts.

* Universal thinking. To consider everything as an expression of the Cosmic Consciousness. By doing this regularly, the thought that we are all part of the same Cosmic family will gradually increase in the mind, and with it the feeling of family love and security.

* Simple living. Not to accumulate more than you need for a reasonable standard of living. This has personal consequences as well as social. We can never be satisfied with what we have unless we stop accumulating things unnecessarily. Also, the physical wealth of this world is limited, but there IS enough to go around if nobody hoards anything that they don't need. By accumulating excessive physical wealth you would be depriving others of their necessities.

* Purity of mind and cleanliness of body. To keep the body clean not only means externally. There's no use in washing your car on the outside only if the inside is like a pigsty! Internal cleanliness depends on what we eat, and other things we ingest.

* Mental ease and contentment. Living simply is essential for peace of mind. Only when the mind is at ease is it possible to be satisfied with your life, and to infuse others with your cheerfulness and enthusiasm.

* Social service. This means to help others in need without expecting anything in return. There is a flow of love within us that we can only express when we give willingly and selflessly to others. Note that it means to others that need it. Giving money to a rich man is not service!

* Inspirational reading. To read uplifting books, understanding their underlying meaning. This is best done after meditation, when the mind is most receptive to deep ideas and higher thinking.

* Spiritual ideation or goal. To feel one with the Cosmic Consciousness. This gives the realization that you are one with the Infinite Consciousness, and this realization in turn gives you the strength to do great things in your life!