Something in the Way: The Dharma of the Mind

 Peaches   Mostly, I am a sponge. A sack of bones, collected, sharply prodding,  Held together by this spongy mass of muscle and tissue; Viscera.  I am a breathing spore [sponge]   Respirating   [sponge]   Growing  [sponge]   Absorbing   Wet and crackling, I expand and contract.   What will be my physical story, told?   Multiply, grow   Disease, decay   Deceased, desist.   Leaves Break down;  First,   The webbing between, Then the rest.   “Time claims all.” And all become soil;  Earth.   And I see it in my veins  In the patterned wrinkles of my skin  That I am the same as   [all of it]   An avocado,   A peach,   A growth. A mass of veined, fleshy tissue.   I, too.   And like attracts like   So I mush together;   Teeth scrape p...

  A Little Bit More Dharma… Following My Dharma Through Careers: Cooking, Exotic Dancing, and Mindfulness Introduction While writing last week’s piece, “ The Meaning of Dharma ,” I got to thinking about my current life path. I looked at the values of Seva and Ahimsa I spoke of when covering the Sikhs and Jains. I started thinking about what was really important to me- and in the middle of patting myself on the back about how great I am doing with starting this business, I realized that actually, I could be doing a lot better. With the help of the lovely support network I have had around me, including my husband, daughter, sisters, and loyal, uplifting friends, I have accomplished so much! It has been amazing, yet something is still off. I realize that my path needs to shift to align more with my core values. In this blog post, I will delve into a little bit of my work history, how I got to the point of starting Little Bit of Dharma (originally planned to be an online yog...

The Meaning of Dharma Exploring the Meaning and Relevance of Dharma in Modern Times and Across Traditions By Kelsey Dickstein   Introduction In my work, I often instruct folks to “Follow your Dharma.” But what does that really mean? There seems to be some real mystery around the meaning of the word Dharma, with many people giving different answers when asked. Let’s break it down etymologically, culturally, and personally through a historical lens to try to get a better understanding of the concept as a whole, and how it applies to us here in the 21st century. As it turns out, Dharma is a key principle or theory in several Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. Commonly oversimplified to mean “the law” or “religion”, Dharma is a powerful concept that has much more significance and depth. It encapsulates different concepts when spoken of in different traditions. Some of its meanings can be understood as what we are; what we do; what we ought to...