 Q.
What is the difference between Yoga and Sanatana Dharma?
A. Absolutely
none. These are just two terms for the same spiritual
tradition. Sanatana Dharma is the world-view and philosophy.
While Yoga is Sanatana Dharma in actual practice.
Sadly, when most people hear the
word "Yoga", they tend to think in terms of the physical
disciplines of Yoga. Yoga is much more than just an
effective way to become more flexible, healthy and fit. Yoga
is a philosophy, a spiritual path and a world-view. Yoga is
a tradition with thousands of years of history, a vast canon of
sacred literature, and a lineage of teachers who have guide its
development and preserved its teachings for the benefit of modern
humanity. Yoga and Sanatana Dharma are one.
Followers of Sanatana Dharma are called Dharmis.
If you practice Sanatana Dharma, then you are a Dharmi.
Q. How old is Sanatana Dharma?
A. There are several closely allied opinions on this subject. Scholars of
South Asian religions are - at the very least - of the opinion that Sanatana
Dharma represents one of the oldest spiritual traditions known to
humanity. Many of these scholars go as far as to say that it is probably the
oldest spiritual path on earth. Dharmis would certainly agree with this latter view. The oldest writings
known to humanity are the Vedas, the revealed scriptures of Sanatana Dharma, and date back to perhaps 3800 B.C.E. This is when they were first
put into writing; these sacred scriptures are known, however, to have been transmitted orally from generation
to generation for an extensive period of time previous to even this.
Followers of Sanatana Dharma themselves hold the view that this spiritual tradition, known in the
ancient, sacred language of Sanskrit as "Sanatana Dharma," is an eternal and
ever-present (even if not ever-visible) way of life. No one actually
knows when Sanatana Dharma was first started. Both practitioners of
Dharma spirituality, as well as all academicians, agree that
there was no one specific time in known history when the path of Dharma was founded. Additionally, there was no
one individual - a prophet, saint or priest - who can be claimed as the founder
of the religion. As far as followers themselves are concerned, Sanatana Dharma was
never actually founded. It is an eternal spiritual phenomena that is as old as the
Earth herself.
Moreover, Dharma (God's Natural Law) is the sustainer of the Earth. This is indicated by
the meanings of the two words that constitute the very name of this culture:
sanatana means “eternal” and dharma means “natural law."
Sanatana Dharma is a way of
life and world-view that is also trans-geographical. Sanatana Dharma do not pertain only to India. Traces of
Sanatana Dharma
are to be found in many of the ancient cultures of the world. We
see ideas and practices that are very similar to Dharma philosophy,
not only in ancient India, but also in Chinese culture, Native
American, Celtic, Greco-Roman, Egyptian, Mayan, Germanic,
Mesopotamian, and Persian cultures, as well as many others.
The concept of "Dharma", as the natural law inherent in
our cosmos, is found in almost all ancient civilizations. In
Chinese, Dharma is translated as "Tao". In Ancient
Egyptian, it is known as "Ma'at". In Latin as
"Liga Natura" (Natural Law). In ancient Persian as
"Asha". The great Twentieth Century Italian
philosopher, Baron Julius Evola, refers to this concept as
"Tradition". There is a word for Dharma in almost every
ancient language on earth. So when we speak of
"Dharma", we are not just referring to some sect,
denomination or creed. Rather, we are referring to those
principles that serve as the very foundation of all authentic
religious experience.
Q. What’s the difference between being a follower
of Sanatana Dharma and being Indian? Are
they the same thing?
A. No. Being a follower of Sanatana Dharma (a Dharmi) and being
Indian are quite different. Though often the two are
unfortunately confused as being the same. Sanatana Dharma is a
religion; being Indian is an ethnicity. Very simply, just like
Catholicism is a religion, while being Irish is a nationality, in the exact same
way, Sanatana Dharma is a religion tradition, while being Indian is a nationality. Not every
ethnic Indian is necessarily a follower of Sanatana Dharma or
Yoga. One will find Indians who are Muslims,
Buddhists, Christians, Jewish or even atheists. Conversely, not every
person who practices Dharma spirituality is necessarily of Indian ancestry. There are American
Dharmis, Canadian Dharmis, British Dharmis, Russian Dharmis, Japanese
Dharmis, Mexican Dharmis, Iranian Dharmis, Indonesian Dharmis, etc.
The
followers of Sanatana Dharma and Yoga are represented by almost every race, nationality,
language and
ethnic group in the world. Today, there are at least one billion
people who identify themselves to one degree or another as
followers of Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma is a philosophy, a
spiritual culture, a world-view and a
way of life that is open to, and welcoming of, all people without
discrimination. Regardless of your race, nationality,
ethnicity, gender or language, you are welcome to practice
Sanatana
Dharma.
Q. How
many followers of Sanatana Dharma are there in the world?
A. There are close to one billion followers of Sanatana
Dharma in the world today. The majority of these Dharmis live in South Asia - India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, etc. Approximately 85%
of the population of India are followers. However,
Dharmis
can be found living happily in almost every country
on earth. There are about 3 million
people currently practicing Sanatana Dharma, for example,
living in the U.S.
Interestingly, not every American who practices
Sanatana Dharma, however,
is necessarily consciously aware of the fact that they are
following the ancient tradition of Sanatana Dharma. At least
3 million people in the U.S. do consciously
identify themselves as followers of Sanatana Dharma. Of
these 3 million American followers, about 1 1/2 million are of Indian descent.
The other 1 1/2 million are non-Indian American practitioners.
Q. Do those who practice Dharma spirituality follow a set of scriptures?
A. Absolutely! In fact the very definition of a follower
of Sanatana Dharma and Yoga is one who accepts the
teachings and guidance of the revealed scriptures of Sanatana Dharma. The
canon of sacred
scriptures that guide Sanatana Dharma and Yoga is known as the Veda. The word “Veda”
itself comes from the Sanskrit verb root "vid" and literally means “to know."
The Vedic literature is the most ancient writing in world history and is
composed of a vast library of beautifully written texts devoted to a wide array of subjects
including: philosophy, theology, sacred arts, medicine,
architecture, ancient sciences, politics, economics, social
science, and sacred stories
(divya-katha).
Of all these many ancient and intriguing writings,
the most famous in the West is probably the Bhagavad Gita.
When J. Robert Oppenheimer, the inventor of the atomic bomb, first
witnessed the power of the first atomic explosion, in awe he
quoted a verse of the famous Bhagavad Gita:
"Time am I, the destroyer of all worlds." In
addition to the Bhagavad Gita, the most important sacred texts in
the Dharma tradition include the Yoga Sutras, Narayana
Upanishad,
Narada Bhakti Sutras, Lakshmi Tantra and Yoga Rahasya,
among others. Sincere followers of
Sanatana Dharma use the immense wisdom of these sacred texts as guides to
successful living.
Myth: Followers of Sanatana Dharma worship cows.
Fact: Actually, Dharmis respect all forms of life. Indeed, one of the major
tenets of Sanatana Dharma is known as ahimsa, or non-violence. Rather
than just being limited to the human population, the Dharma concept of
non-violence extends itself to all the living beings who inhabit God’s creation,
whether they be humans or animals. For this reason, Sanatana Dharma
teaches the positive lifestyle of vegetarianism and respect for
the earth. Cows serve a highly symbolic function
in our tradition. In the same way that a fish symbolizes the highest belief of
the Christian faith, or the crescent moon represents Islam, the cow is simply representative of the life-affirming
teachings of Dharma. Cows represent the sacredness of motherhood and the
abundance of God’s creation. As a sacred symbol, followers of
Sanatana Dharma respect cows and try to protect
them from harm; we don’t worship cows any more than
Christians worship fish, or Muslims worship the moon!
Myth: Followers of Sanatana Dharma are idol worshipers.
Fact: Followers of Sanatana Dharma are not idol worshipers.
We do, however, employ sacred imagery in our worship, and as focus points to concentrate on during meditation.
These sacred images can be in the form of a statue, a portrait,
or a mandala or yantra. A similar use of sacred imagery is found in almost every other
religion on earth. This practice is
similar to how Catholics venerate statues of saints, Protestants pray at the
cross and Muslims pray toward the Ka'aba. Followers of Sanatana
Dharma are certainly intelligent to
understand that the Unlimited ultimately cannot be fully expressed in a
limited statue or image.
Simultaneously, however, if God truly is omnipresent and omnipotent, then He
certainly has the ability to make Himself present in a sacred image if He so
chooses. Moreover, if God is truly merciful and good, then He would want to
choose to make Himself as accessible to His devotees as possible.
Such is the grace of God. It is with
this understanding in mind that followers of Sanatana Dharma engage in the ancient science of
archana-seva, or deity worship. The practice of employing sacred imagery is
a very powerful tool for showing our devotion to God, for
meditation, and for making spiritual
progress. This fact is actually acknowledged and practiced by most of the
world’s religions. Followers of Sanatana Dharma are, therefore, not “idol
worshipers".
Myth: Sanatana Dharma is a polytheistic spiritual
tradition. They worship many gods, not the one
supreme God.
Fact: Sanatana Dharma is not in any way a polytheistic
spiritual tradition. Rather, Sanatana Dharma teaches a form of
panentheistic monotheism. We believe that God is one,
transcendent, yet fully immanent and present in all things
perceivable and conceivable. For all
followers of Sanatana Dharma, there is only one, ultimate, supreme God. This God is the
one Supreme Lord -
the ontological source and foundation of all subjective and objective reality. In
a similar way in which other religions believe in a multitude of
divine beings, sometimes known as angels, divinities, gods,
etc., followers of Sanatana Dharma believe that our universe is alive with
beneficent beings, called devas in the ancient Sanskrit language. These
devas, however, are all servants of the one Supreme Lord,
and are never to be mistakenly confused with the Supreme Lord. While
followers of Sanatana Dharma respect these devas, and even propitiate them in times of need,
we also readily acknowledge that these devas, too, have their origin and
sustenance in the one Supreme Lord. God is known as Narayana for followers of
Dharma spirituality.
The name Narayana means "The Sustainer of All
Beings". Followers of Sanatana Dharma
are thus panentheistic monotheists, worshipers of
one supreme God, in every sense of the word. Sanatana Dharma is not
in any way a polytheistic tradition.
Myth: Sanatana Dharma tends to be very “mystical;" it is not a world-view
that stresses reason and philosophy.
Fact: Actually, Sanatana Dharma represents a very
systematic and deeply rational world-view. Sanatana Dharma is a tradition that is
based upon the two complimentary tools of rationality and practical experience.
Both reason and personal spiritual experience are necessary to
make real spiritual advancement. Without reason and discernment, spirituality becomes fanatical and
sentimental. But without practical experience of the Divine,
spirituality can become dry and theoretical. Dharma
spirituality unites intellect and experience in the service of
knowing Truth. The long history of Sanatana Dharma includes
many vivid examples of
the most intellectually challenging philosophers, thinkers and scholars known to
humanity. Some of these great philosophers include: Patanjali,
Gautama, Vyasa, Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Vedanta Deshika,
Vijnana Bhikshu, and countless others. Whether speaking of metaphysics, epistemology, ontology, ethics,
psychology, literary criticism, poetry, aesthetics, logic, or propositional analysis, there is no idea,
concept or world-view of importance that has not been debated and
thoroughly explored by traditional
Vedic philosophical texts.
Historically, there are allied seven schools of philosophy in
the tradition of Sanatana Dharma. These include Nyaya (the
school of logic and epistemology), Samkhya (speculative
physics), Vedanta (metaphysical ontology), Vaisheshika
(phenomenal ontology), Vyakarana (linguistics), Mimamsa
(causality and cosmology), and Yoga itself.
Thus, Sanatana Dharma is far
from an un-intellectual tradition.
Myth: Dharmis all sleep on beds of nails.
Fact: Um...no.
|
