Dharma

Strange word, isn’t it? I came across this odd sounding word from Chin-Ning Chu’s bestseller Thick Face Black Heart, a book I recently finished reading after having it on my bedside table for months already. (Yipeee… kudos for me.) I’m the type of reader who doesn’t consume the whole book before starting to read a new one. Rather, I have a stack of books to choose from and read one depending on my current disposition. For example, I’d read one or two chapters from one book today, and read one or more paragraphs from a different book the next day. It really depends on my mood. Anyway, it is a book on Eastern wisdom and philosophies as applied to life and business mostly based on the Thick Black theory by Lee Zhong Wu and Sun Tzu’s Art of War.

There were lots of ideas I learned from the book but the concept of Dharma is new to me, it caught my fancy. What does it really mean? The word Dharma comes from the ancient language Sanskrit which means “to act in accordance with one’s duty.”

Here are some notable excerpts (in blue) from the book’s two chapters which enlightened more this concept, and my own thoughts (indented) about them.

“Each person, depending on his station in life, will have a different Dharma.”
Our duty as engineers, architects, soldiers, doctors, public servants, lawyers, nurses, salesmen, drivers, fishermen, wives, husbands, daughters, sons, parents, teachers, students and any other role that makes us contribute to society is our Dharma.

“People who practice Dharma accept life as it comes and perform their duty accordingly.”
We are called to excel and give our best to whatever is our work at hand.

“Dharma is a natural law that guides us to recognize at any given moment the role each one of us is playing in life. Being true to the duty of that particular role at any given time and the very act of accepting and performing that action to the highest of our ability – that is following Dharma. That act will become our protector and liberator.”
When we give our best in whatever we do, we will be rewarded for our efforts, in ways we cannot really predict. We could reap our rewards in our present job by getting a raise, or we could be given a better deal by our next employer. For students, giving their best shot in their studies would not only result to higher grades but to bigger investments in self-development.

“The grace of Dharma works in subtle and mysterious ways throughout our lives.”
The author gave an example of a diligent real estate agent who despite all his hard work got numerous rejections. He got so depressed he decided to go on a trip to Hawaii, and guess what… while he was enjoying his vacation, he met a big time investor and struck a good deal with him. He got puzzled why all his hard work produced no results, but he got a good client when he was thinking the least about his work. He thought maybe working so hard is not good for business. He didn’t know that because of his hard work, “the power of Dharma shone its grace upon him as reward for his commitment to duty.”

“The Dharma of an employee is to support the employer wholeheartedly. If you cannot support the company you work for, quit your job. You don’t have the freedom to sabotage the company’s morale and reputation through your constant expression of dissatisfaction.”
Ouch. I once was employed, and I had some officemates complaining against our company. Sometimes I joined them in their ‘ranting sessions’ when they expressed their dissatisfaction. I thought it was OK to do so. Bad me, huh?

“Sometimes people feel that whatever work they are doing, it could not be what God intended for them. They blame the work. The missing piece here is not what is wrong with the work they are doing, but rather understanding the work they are performing right now in the context of the bigger picture of their destiny.”
So true. We may not be presently having the dream job we’ve always wanted. We might feel trapped in the humdrum state of our present career, but unknowingly, it is actually a preparation for something bigger and better in the future. We just have to keep on being true to our duty. Our time will come. As the Law of the Seed states, “You reap what you sow.” Whatever effort and dedication we put into our work today, we will be rewarded accordingly at the right time.

This also got me thinking a lot about my own Dharma in the many roles that I have in my life. It’s not just about work, but also about being a true creature of God, of being a good daughter and family member, of being true to my calling in my present career, or of being true to the business I’m presently in. There were really those days when I put so much of myself in what I’m called to do. But, there were also those lazy days when I was just not attentive with my work or being full of complaints and bad attitude. I just realized I may be a little too relaxed with my present career. Sigh. I miss those times when I was just so passionate about what I did and I wasn’t even thinking about what I could get from it, but I was simply enjoying what I was doing that time. I learned that I have to give my best in whatever I am and whatever I do. I realized that as a child of God, I have to be true to the unique gifts and talents He has given me. And even if I don’t seem to reap the fruits of my labor as soon as I expect it to be, I know it will just be a matter of time.

Well, it’s another Sunday spent at home for me today. I’m just sharing with you some of my thoughts on this. Oh well, we do need some inspiring insights to prepare us for another busy week ahead, right?

Be true to your own Dharma, whatever it is.