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Lesson IX: More About Dharma.413
and religious ideas grow, the “taboo” is lifted. Many of these “tabooed” things
were made “bad” by the priests of different times, for reasons satisfactory to
themselves, their power often being increased in this way.
You will notice that as time passes, the average intelligence, and the
average conscience, taking form in “public opinion” and law, demands
of man a greater consideration for his fellows—insists that he “be kind”
to a greater degree. This because of the dawning consciousness of the
relationship of one man to another—the growing knowledge of the
Oneness of All (often unconscious knowledge). And you also will notice this
fact, that while a higher standard of “right” and “good” is required in the
above stated matter, the “taboo” is gradually being lifted from man’s action
as regards his thoughts, life and actions affecting only himself. While man is
expected to “be kind” to a greater degree each year, he is being accorded
more freedom and is being given a better opportunity to “obtain a place,
a free field, a harmonious expansion for his activities, his tastes, his feelings,
his personality, his self,” as Edward Carpenter has expressed it. The blockade
is being raised—the “taboo” is being taken off and man is to be given an
opportunity to “fearlessly and gladly live his own life,” provided only that
he observe the highest degree of “being kind” to his brothers and sisters.
Now this idea of Dharma—this knowledge that “right” and “wrong”
are relative and changeable, instead of absolute and fixed, does not give
anyone an excuse for doing anything “bad” or “wrong” that he would not
have done under the old idea. On the contrary, Dharma holds one up to
his highest conception of “right,” and expects him to do what seems “right”
for right’s sake, and not because the law compels him to do so—it expects
right-action from him, even though the law has not as yet reached so high
a stage. It teaches him that, if he sees a thing to be “wrong,” it is wrong for
him even though the law and public opinion have not yet reached so high
a standard of ethics. The advanced man will always be a little ahead of the
average conception—never behind it.