When Frank posts these jewels to our message board, I start to think that I'm in way over my head in this Buddhism and Dharma teaching. I fee like I need to pick up Buddhism for Dummies or an Idiots Guide to Dharma to begin to understand. I want to attempt to use this space to answer the questions he has put forth for us to contemplate. I realize there are no right or wrong answers, but isn't it a possibility that I could really miss the mark?

Dharma is one of the most used words in Buddhist-Yoga teachings, and is
instrumental in Hindu-Yoga (Dharma is the basic theme for both of its
epics, The Ramayama and The Mahabharata, which includes The
Bhagavad-Gita within it). Within Buddhist teachings it can mean:

1. The teachings directed to awakening.
2. Law, particularly the law of dependent arising; the principle that
nothing arises without causes and conditions.
3. Duty; acknowledging and understanding the Dharma of one's life
(sva-dharma).
4. Everything; all phenomena whether material, mental or otherwise (the
'content' of the Fourth Foundation of Mindfulness) (Boccio 2009)

So, to me, I feel that Dharma is, simply, everything. I can use it as a tool for living, or a tool for understanding life and how it works. I'm particularly drawn to the law of dependent arising (every action has an equal and opposite reaction = nothing arises without causes and conditions). While I can use this as a tool in my every day life, I realize that Dharma, like anything else, is merely a concept and not meant to be the Golden Rule, or something to cling to (kind of like trying to constantly having to remind myself to not view the five mindfulness trainings as dogma).

I am not sure if there can be a difference between belief and inquiry. I'm also going to throw the word "faith" in to this mix. To me, in order to believe in something, I think you have to have faith in its existence. Miracle on 34th Street taught me that faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to. I have proved this to myself time and time again in my romantic relationships. But even though those relationships waned, I still have faith and believe in love, even though common sense tells me it's pointless (or maybe that's just bitterness in disguise). In order to become stronger in what I believe in, I question it. I've always done this - much to the disappointment to my Catholic school teachers. But even when I was a child, I always thought that if you were able to question something, deconstruct it, and really think about it, it could make your faith even stronger and solidified. While I no longer consider myself Catholic, my faith in God and a higher power is solid and I believe it was the constant questions I asked myself and the praying I have done throughout my life that have allowed me to remain solid in my belief in a higher power.

I think that Dependent Arising is an important term to understand. My understanding of it relates to what I mentioned earlier: actions have equal and opposite reactions/everything that happens is based on the result on what has previously happened, and will effect what happens in the future. The whole butterfly effect (one farts in the east an a hurricane is created in the west, or something like that). As an aside, The Butterfly Effect was, and still is one of my most favourite movies today! But I think of how my life has been and think of everything that brought me to this present moment, sitting in an apartment in the Corso D'Italia in Ottawa, typing on my laptop. Had my friend Meghan not convinced me to sign up for a random online blogging site... had some random dude not decided to leave random comments in my livejournal then I never would have met him, saw his hot friend Josh on his friends list and started talking to him... had I gone to Western Illinois University instead of moving to Chicago to go to DePaul I probably wouldn't have had the freedom to buy plane tickets to Toronto since I'd have still been living under my mom's roof and she wouldn't have allowed it, then I would have never gone to Canada, then decided to randomly move there, etc, etc, etc, etc. Thinking about stuff like that makes me feel so small.

Bringing it into the context of my present day life, I can know that whatever I do, say, think, or feel can potentially have an impact on other people. I know that there is a ripple effect from the smallest things I do, like throwing out something that can easily be reused or recycled or giving a dirty look to someone who is in my way, or smiling at a random stranger and being super friendly to the person who is driving the bus I am on. It's crazy! Knowing this allows me to be more mindful of my actions, thoughts, and words, and how I live my life (which I try to, every day, based on the principles of ahimsa, or non-harming). I also think that it is important, even though I try live my life this way and have a basic understanding of Dharma, that I do not act preachy or holier than thou in how I chose to live, as that can be just as much of a turn off as someone who is angry, bitter, and resentful!