Dharma has three connotations and none of them refers to religion. The first connotation refers to the eternal and unchanging basis of everything. That of course is the Divine who is behind everything as its unchanging stable basis and support. It doesn’t change but based on the country of birth, the religion one is born in and the Age in which one is born, the name of this eternal basis changes.
The second aspect of dharma are the inner motives, ethical, cultural, moral tendencies that help the evolution of mankind and the individual to evolve towards the Divine in his being and in the manifestation. This changes not only from birth to birth based on inner temperament and sometimes, even in one life as one evolves. What was useful at one time becomes a barrier and a chain at another time.
The third aspect of dharma is all our outward going action and dealings with the world. This too changes as man evolves, as the society evolves.
Religion of course changes once there is an inner need to go beyond one’s own and eventually beyond all religions.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
