Posted inDharma, Henry's Messages

Message from Henry: Dharma

November 22, 2016

…the Dharma is actually not a teaching system. It’s a learning system.

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The word “Dharma” means “law” or “natural law,” but it also means “teaching.” In a Buddhist context it most commonly refers to the body of teachings of the Buddha, as well as other later teachings in the many traditions of Buddhism. Sometimes it also refers to the fundamental “law” of all things arising, changing and passing away. Thus it also refers to each and every phenomenon, since each “thing” is an expression itself of the universal natural law – a “dharma.”

But either way, turning back to the original sense of “teaching”: the fact is, the Dharma is actually not a teaching system. It’s a learning system.

Our teachers and their teachings are there simply to open up our own learning capacity, ever more broadly and deeply. It’s therefore crucial that the teacher remains their own learning system too, always open to learning more. To be a practitioner is to be open to learning, right here and now.

 

Message from Henry is from our November 22, 2016 Newsletter.
Image: Innocence, by Hartwig HKD, CC BY-ND 2.0, from Flickr. com

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