The Dharma is subtle.
This is a famous statement from the Mahabharata. It is attributed to the elder statesman of the Kauravas, Bhishma.
You must be aware of the context or background story. Draupadi is being undressed in public by Dushasana after the Pandavas (specifically Yudhisthira) lost her to the Kauravas (Shakuni) in a game of dice. Draupadi appeals for help in the open court. You would expect Bhishma to use his authority as an elder in the family and force Dushasana to desist. But he does nothing of the sort. He only comes up with a weak kneed response saying that the Dharma is subtle.
I have read a few (edited) translations of the Mahabharata. From what I remember all of them criticized Bhishma as failing in his duty. None of them commented much on Bhishma’s utterance: that the Dharma is subtle.
But this utterance (or statement) is very profound and meaningful.
I was reminded of this utterance yesterday when I was going through some Advaita Vedanta videos. Advaita Vedanta also makes a lot of subtle distinctions and if you want to practice Jnana yoga then it is necessary to learn to do the same.
For example God pervades the Universe. Then how is it that we do not experience Him. It is due to the veiling power of Maya. In order to counter the effects of Maya we have to make subtle distinctions. Then we will be able to see and experience the Divine as we go through life.
If you are interested in knowing more about Advaita go through the below YouTube video:
Highly recommended.
But that is related to Moksha; not Dharma.
Regarding Dharma I will use one example to make my point. How should you respond when you are treated badly or are the target of malice more generally speaking?
When I was young and foolish I would try very hard not to feel bad when some such bad experience took place. I would condemn myself for feeling bad and look for reasons why I shouldn’t feel the way I was feeling.
One underlying assumption I had was that people should treat me with respect or else there was something wrong with me.
There was something wrong with me. I had accepted the foolish assumption above. Also I had accepted that it was necessary for me to hit back when I was the target of malice. This was also completely misplaced in most situations. It is not prudent to hit back when you are facing someone powerful.
The point I am trying to make (through this somewhat convoluted reasoning) is that it is perfectly ok to feel hurt and angry when you are treated badly. But it is not necessary to hit back in all situations.
This is where the subtlety of Dharma kicks in. Dharma does not say don’t feel bad at all times. But we don’t have to react with the rage we are feeling. We can respond in a mature manner.
This is the subtle distinction that I had not made when I was young.
Deal with the disturbed feelings through Buddhist meditation and mindfulness techniques.
There is a huge difference between reacting and responding. Osho has a lot to say about the subject. I searched but could not find a video of his teachings on this subject.
Anyway that is not my main point.
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