Working your Writer's Dharma

I can see the brows knitted now.  You've heard of karma, but what the heck is dharma (other than a darling sitcom character from a few years back)?  The simple answer is, depends on who you're asking.  Dharma is a sanskit word that literally means that which holds or supports.  However the word can be taken to mean anything from one's religion to divine order.  In this context I refer to dharma as one's spiritual path.

Whether we realize it or not, we are all on a spiritual journey since each of us is a spirit experiencing a human incarnation on this planet at this time.  We are all on a path to find love, purpose, healing, self-actualization and completion.  The point is to be more conscious about how we go about seeking and finding them.  How do we become more conscious?  By monitoring our path and choosing our steps wisely.

According to Buddhist philosophy, the road to enlightenment starts with following the eightfold path and acknowledging the Four Noble truths.  These are:

1. suffering (dukkha) exists
2. the cause of suffering is desire (thirst--samudaya) which originates through ignorance of the true nature of self
3. The end of suffering (nirhodha) is awakening (bodhi)
4. Awakening, end of suffering come from the eightfold path

I am by no means a practicing Buddhist, but I believe you can find illumination just about anywhere.  In the next few posts I will be discussing how these tenets can help us improve our writing life.  Hope you'll stick around for the ride.