Big Dharma

finding your purpose with philosophy

Photo by Danica Tanjutco on Unsplash

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

~Mahatma Gandhi

Recently, I heard about a local courier who cuddles his client’s pets as he makes his rounds. He was caught on a door cam loving up someone’s kitty, the owner made a public social media post to thank him, and many others piped up to say how he’s been exceptionally kind to their animals too.

With this in mind, let’s talk about the philosophy of finding our purpose, known in Sanskrit as dharma.

Dharma means our sacred duty, the work of our life. It refers to a foundational concept in Eastern philosophy that views our purpose or work as an inherent duty or true calling in life. Dharma is how we fulfill that purpose by utilizing our unique talents and skill sets, how we practice the things that give us joy and make a contribution to the world. It guides us to live a righteous and harmonious life.

Instead of randomly choosing a career path, we heed our soul’s calling. Conforming to our innate nature brings fulfillment and contributes to the greater good. Dharma emphasizes performing our duties and actions with integrity and without attachment to results.

The great work of our life is about contributing positively to the collective, which makes life meaningful and significant. It’s about focussing on how our work can serve others and add value to society, rather than pursuing wealth or recognition.

Dharma defines how to understand our principal duty in and for the world. It includes specific societal responsibilities and requires that our life make a difference.

I am no Buddhist or Hindu scholar - I’m aiming to express my limited understanding of the concept. As I read and learn more about this philosophy, the disconnect between western work values and dharma seems glaringly obvious.

In the West, we are conditioned to find our value in how much money we can make, so we tie financial rewards to our work. Western work values emphasize individual achievement, self-determination, material success, and personal ambition. Careers are a means to an end - accumulating wealth. In the West, work is something we do for money, and we tend to seek out the highest paying work, which may not align with our dharma.

Western culture measures success through external metrics like titles and salary. Dharma measures success by righteousness of one’s actions, moral conduct, and contribution.

The essence of dharma is that we focus on doing the work we’re called to to the best of our ability and completely let go of the outcome. We must be ambitious about the work itself, to sink into our unique contribution to the collective, and not confuse the process with the results or rewards. Our focus is on the act itself and the intention behind it rather than personal gain or success.

We can see how finding our dharma can be in conflict with western work values - in fact, it may be in direct opposition.

Many highly paid jobs are often what are known as bullshit jobs. These are defined as a form of paid employment that is so completely pointless, unnecessary, or actively harmful that even the person doing the job cannot internally justify its existence. These jobs fall into the categories of flunkies, goons, duct tapers, box tickers, and taskmasters, according to anthropologist David Graeber. Are people who occupy bullshit jobs fulfilling their dharma? Doubtful.

Let’s translate this to the real world. There’s work we do for money, and work we do to fulfill our dharma. These are not necessarily the same thing. In our society, we are lucky indeed if our paid work and dharma line up. If it doesn’t, we still need to find ways to express our dharma.

Now the question is, how do we find our dharma?

No matter what stage of life or career we’re in, it’s always a good time to reassess. Our understanding of our dharma will evolve as we grow and gain self-awareness.

• Find your dharma through self-reflection. Explore what you’re passionate about and what comes naturally to you. Discover activities that align with your authentic self.

• Engage in introspection to identify your core values, strengths, and what brings you a sense of purpose.

• Incorporate mindfulness - approach your work as a kind of spiritual practice or sacred duty.

• Where does your joy lie?

• What kind of work could you do for the rest of your life? What kind of work could you never see yourself wanting to “retire” from?

• How can you best heal the world with your unique combination of talents and skills?

In thinking about the cat-cuddling courier, I wondered if delivering packages is his dharma. Perhaps not, but I suspect extending compassion to animals is, and he’s found a way to fulfill it during the course of his work. Whether he likes the courier job or not isn’t the point. Clearly he’s providing a needed service, and while doing so, he’s fulfilling his soul’s calling by spreading love to the creatures he encounters along the way.

Finding and living our dharma is both the path, and the goal. It is a practice, and a discipline. When we live in alignment with our dharma, it creates a sense of inner peace, joy, and satisfaction, which we can’t help but extend to others.

If this work enriched your life even a smidge, would you considering giving a modest tip?