The dharma that is taught and the dharma that is experienced are descriptions of how to live, how to use your life to wake you up rather than put you to sleep. And if you choose to spend the rest of your life trying to find out what awake means and what asleep means, I think you might attain enlightenment.
-Pema Chödrön, "Wisdom of No Escape"
"Dharma" refers to teachings and disciplines related to Buddhist. It also refers to phenomena that is either physically experienced (local events that happen in the world) or mentally experienced such as thoughts.
Thus the purpose of the dharma that is taught is to awaken you spiritually so that you are mindfully aware of the dharma that is experienced.
Even taking shower becomes alive in mindfulness.
When I chose to become mindfully aware almost 25 years ago, I wanted to find out what mindfulness means. It means the same as being truly awake.
I also realize what asleep means: remaining oblivious to the beauty discovered while on the journey of spiritual awareness and, due to craving, fearing the imagined loss of the egocentric existence.
When once he slept unaware of the richness in life found through meditation, more and more a fool such as myself is awakening to that richness.
For this, I am grateful to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha!
Originally published: January 1, 2006 2348H
Updated edited: February 26, 2013 2057H
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