Sanatana means eternal, never beginning nor ending.
Dharma is from dhri, meaning to hold together, to sustain.
Sanatana Dharma eternally holds All together.
Sanatana Dharma
means:
Eternal Path
Never Beginning nor Ending Way
Perennial Philosophy
Universal Tradition
All-Pervading Truth
Natural Flow
Sanatana is:
Eternal
Perennial
Never Beginning nor Ending
Abiding
Universal
Ever-present
Unceasing
Natural
Enduring
Dharma is:
Harmony
The Way
Righteousness
Compassion
Natural Law
Essential Nature
Morality
Truth
Teachings
Tradition
Philosophy
Order
Flow
Spirituality
Religion
Wisdom
Purest Insight
Divine Conformity
Cosmic Norm
Blueprint
Inherent Nature
Intrinsic Nature
Law of Being
Duty
By its nature,
Sanatana Dharma is:
Experience based rather than belief based.
Without any ideological divisions.
Beyond any historical date of founding.
The process of growth, which comes from the seed.
Inherent in, and inclusive of all.
Applicable to all people of all places and times.
In the world, while above the world.
God-centered rather than prophet-centered.
Devoid of sectarianism or denominationalism.
Both immanent and transcendent.
The whole and the parts.
Loving of all and excluding of none.
The universal flow of
Dharma,
regardless of what name you call it,
whether Dharma or some other name,
has eternally existed.
It has been before any of
the great teachers were born.
It is not better than, or alternative to,
but is inclusive of all.
Dharma is that out of which
our earth and humanity itself emerged.
Dharma not only is,
but always was, and always will be.
To live in alignment with,
and to know the true nature
of that Sanatana Dharma
is one of the ways of describing
the higher goal of life.
Swami Rama: The words
"religion" and "dharma" denote two entirely different concepts and
perspectives. Religion is comprised of rituals, customs, and dogmas
surviving on the basis of fear and blind faith. Dharma--a word,
unfortunately, with no English equivalent--encapsulates those great laws
and disciplines that uphold, sustain, and ultimately lead humanity to
the sublime heights of worldly and spiritual glory. Established in the
name of God, a religion is an institution that requires a growing number
of adherents for its expansion and future existence. A religion
discriminates against human beings who do not belong to its particular
order and condemns their way of living and being, whereas dharma is
eternal, looking for no followers for its propagation. With no
discrimination whatsoever, it leads a human being beyond the realms of
man-made, institutionalized dictums. Instead of creating fear of God, it
makes God manifest in the human heart, not in an anthropomorphic form,
but as the absolute and universal One in whom all diversities reside in
perfect harmony.
This site is devoted
to presenting the ancient Self-Realization path of the Tradition of
the Himalayan masters in simple, understandable and beneficial ways,
while not compromising quality or depth. The goal of our sadhana or
practices is the highest Joy that comes from the Realization in
direct experience of the center of consciousness, the Self, the
Atman or Purusha, which is one and the same with the Absolute
Reality. This Self-Realization comes through Yoga meditation of the
Yoga Sutras, the contemplative insight of Advaita Vedanta, and the
intense devotion of Samaya Sri Vidya Tantra, the three of which
complement one another like fingers on a hand. We employ the
classical approaches of Raja, Jnana, Karma, and Bhakti Yoga, as well
as Hatha, Kriya, Kundalini, Laya, Mantra, Nada, Siddha, and Tantra
Yoga. Meditation, contemplation, mantra and prayer finally converge
into a unified force directed towards the final stage, piercing the
pearl of wisdom called bindu, leading to the Absolute.
