I had an “ah-ha” moment this weekend. I haven’t had one in some time–you know, one of those internal shifts where some bit of knowledge finally clicks into place and suddenly the whole picture is visible. Like one of those old “Magic Eye” posters from the 90s, it’s all separate pieces and then suddenly the whole thing becomes one giant image.
I was teaching the last day of the Exploring the Veda 2 course in San Francisco when I got into a little fender bender. Nothing big, but certainly enough to bring up some pretty icky feelings. That day during the course we were discussing “Dharma,” the definition of which is, “contact of Universality through our individuality with other individuals.” And the combination of the accident with the knowledge alchemized into the realization that everything is an opportunity for connection.
Later that day, when I spoke with the people with the now wrecked bumper, at first, they were combative and clearly expecting a fight. When they didn’t get what they expected, and instead were met with compassion, there was a moment of unity between us and by the end of our talk, they were thanking me. Thanking me, someone who had just hit their car.
It wasn't magic, just kindness. And it's not like it will always turn out like this, but at least by looking for possibilities for connection, we don't add to the difficulty. This interaction also flushed away the ickiness for me and I felt lighter and unbound by the event.
After each daily meditation, we become more and more that field of Oneness, that field of bliss. When we go into action, we become a conduit of connection between that field of Oneness we experience in meditation with all those we interact with. We are finding fulfillment within and then becoming exporters of happiness, not extractors. So even in a situation like a minor car accident, it’s neither a “good or bad” event but simply a pretense for having an uplifting interaction. This is what is really meant by “living in Dharma.”
I had always thought of Dharma as following "kriya," that most evolutionary path, or in other words, the path that brings about the most evolution to ourselves and everyone else. Which is true, but this always had me wondering if I was truly hearing my intuition or maybe was making the wrong choice. When I think of dharma as simply “contact,” I realize that no matter what happens, as long as I remain in contact myself with that expansion within, all situations have potential for connecting others to that field through me.
Making contact