धर्म अर्थ काम मोक्ष
DHARMA, ARTHA, KĀMA & MOKṢA
Kula Dharma Patnī
Since the body and mind are gifts of the Divine, Tantric science teaches us to cherish life. Only by living fully—realizing our total potential—can we exhaust the desire to be reborn. It is only then that we can absolve karma: our entanglement with the limited aspects of the world into which we chose to be born. The Tantras teach that we are not born by chance, but in accordance with the Divine Will (see Manu’s Manava-dharma-śāstra). Therefore, we must remain mindful of our spiritual nature and not live whimsically, believing in the limitations of our finite birth—as if we were mere bio-organisms. By realizing our spiritual essence, we attain our true potential and own unique nature (svadharma).
To observe a spiritual life, we must fulfill certain duties (saṃskāras) that enhance and develop our potential as human beings. Tantrism asserts that if we don’t live life to our full potential, we will not fulfill the very purpose of our birth.
Neglecting to engage fully in life—failing to fulfill our full potential—is adharma, and its remedy is the conscious, meaningful fulfillment of life, or dharma. The failure to live fully leads to entrapment in karma.
This void or nonperformance of dharma is the cause of rebirth. Due to this, the Tantras teach us to live a total life. This teaching stands in contrast to certain modern interpretations of Buddhism, which advocate the avoidance of full participation in the world.
Dharma is the honoring of your true self, not your dysfunctions or conditioning. Tantra teaches that we are born to embody our true nature, just as a cat lives as a cat, not something else. Dharma, then, is about living your life to its fullest, in alignment with your true nature. By realizing your true nature or dharma, you also come to understand your true potential or artha. Artha relates to those things that enable you to fulfill your potential as a human being, for example, your home, tools, food, and resources. Tantrics regard these as vital for one’s existence as a human being. Unfortunately, modern thinking often splits matter and spirit into opposing realms, forcing us to identify with one at the expense of the other. This dualism distorts the understanding of our full being.
Dharma Path
Kāma is your innate bliss. Children naturally express this bliss through play; as adults, it is expressed through meaningful and loving relationships.
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