Definition of Dharma
This comes to us from Patti - our ever astute Lost fan. In researching Dharma she found the following:
Everyone wants to be happy and no one wants to suffer, but very few people understand the real causes of happiness and suffering. We tend to look for happiness outside ourself, thinking that if we had the right house, the right car, the right job and the right friends we would truly be happy. We spend almost all our time adjusting to the external world, trying to make it conform to our wishes. All our life we have tried to surround ourself with people and things that make us feel comfortable, secure, or stimulated, yet still we have not found pure and lasting happiness.
It is time we sought happiness from a different source. Happiness is a state of mind, so the real source of happiness must lie within the mind, not in external conditions. If our mind is pure and peaceful we shall be happy, regardless of our external circumstances, but if it is impure and unpeaceful we can never be truly happy, no matter how hard we try to change our external conditions. We could change our home or our partner countless times, but until we change our restless, discontented mind we shall never find true happiness.
Full excerpt is found Here.
So, relating to Lost how could this tie in? In the orientation film there was mention of creating a utopian society. When I think of a utopian society I think of a society where there is no crime, everyone lives well, people contribute to the community and feel good about themselves. To date that type of society has never existed. Even if an individual can achieve that level of peace - how can you create a whole community that shares in the experience with you?
My thoughts … what if utopia was a frame of mind that you could be drawn into through drugs, hyponotism, therapy, etc. Instead of creating a community type utopia could you create a utopia in someone’s mind? Regardless of what is going on around them - could someone remain in a perpetual state of happiness? There could be violence and poverty, yet to the person in utopia they are oblivious to what is really going on. They see the world only as utopia. Think about this concept like anti-depressants on steriods. A constant state of utopian bliss. Again - quoting from the Dharma website: Happiness is a state of mind, so the real source of happiness must lie within the mind, not in external conditions.
Food for thought.
The principles by which a person can be led to enlightenment are known as the Buddhadharma, or simply the Dharma. One type of utopia is a community where everyone is practicing the principles of dharma. As the story of LOST unfolds, it will be interesting to see if/how the Dharma Initiative relates to Buddhism.
In Buddhism, there are the Four Noble Truths. As the many complex characters are revealed on LOST, I wonder if they would all benefit from learning the second Noble Truth. The second Noble Truth is the origin of suffering. Basically, it says that we create the majority of our own suffering in life. Each character, examined through flashbacks, appears to be holding onto painful memories and they tend to emotionally punish themselves.
Comment by Lena — March 7, 2006 @ 4:38 pm
Thanks Lena for the comment. It is interesting that you can see, generally, a connection to the story and the definition. However, over time I am hoping we will see more ties into the meaning of the word.
Comment by Administrator — March 7, 2006 @ 5:06 pm