599. Stephen Cope

Dharma, Sacred Duty, and the Common Good

Summary: This conversation explores dharma as sacred duty and how it connects personal calling with the common good. It also looks at discernment, long-term practice, karma yoga, and the difference between happiness and deeper fulfillment.

Questions This Interview Explores

• How can you tell the difference between a true dharma and a merely attractive path?
• What does it mean to live with dedication while releasing attachment to results?
• How do suffering, uncertainty, and life transitions reveal a deeper calling?
• Can a person fulfill their dharma even when their job does not express it directly?

Stephen Cope is the Scholar Emeritus at the renowned Kripalu Center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He is the author of many best-selling books on the topic of yoga and meditation. For over thirty years, his interest has been in bringing important but esoteric yoga scriptures to the mainstream, including, most recently, the two-thousand-year-old spiritual classic called The Bhagavad Gita, or “The Song of God.” His new book on The Gita, entitled The Dharma of Difficult Times, will be released later this year.

Books:

• The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling (Discussed in this interview)
• Yoga and the Quest for the True Self
• The Wisdom of Yoga: A Seeker’s Guide to Extraordinary Living
• Deep Human Connection: Why We Need It More than Anything Else

Website: stephencope.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript, summary, and key takeaways from this interview

Interview recorded May 29, 2021

YouTube Video Chapters:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
• 00:04:14 – The Definition of Dharma and Its Connection with the Common Good
• 00:07:48 – The concept of dharma and its impact on individuals, families, and society
• 00:11:13 – Higher Beings and Our Relationship with Them
• 00:14:48 – Discovering the Dharma
• 00:18:11 – The Importance of Underrating Oneself
• 00:21:42 – Everything is Already Okay
• 00:25:04 – The Effects of Meditation on Young Musicians
• 00:28:37 – The Contemplative Tradition’s View on Mastery
• 00:31:55 – Finding Your Dharma
• 00:35:14 – Finding Your Duty
• 00:38:40 – Finding Fulfillment in Your Dharma
• 00:42:21 – Finding the Open Door
• 00:45:57 – Fulfilling your Dharma and making a significant impact
• 00:49:16 – Listening for the Call of the Times
• 00:53:05 – Beethoven’s Dedication to his Gift
• 00:56:43 – The Practice of Letting Go
• 01:00:17 – The Self’s behavior and suffering leading to enlightenment
• 01:03:46 – Gandhi’s View on Violence and War
• 01:07:17 – Exceptions to Oppression
• 01:10:40 – Living Unknown
• 01:14:22 – The Mystery of Sacrifice and Dharma
• 01:17:43 – The Period of Certitude and Doubt
• 01:20:59 – The Conflict of the Heart and Mind
• 01:24:33 – All is Brahman
• 01:27:54 – The Power of Taking Risks and Committing
• 01:31:17 – Support from Higher Intelligence
• 01:35:00 – The Fruition and Importance of Ethical Practice
• 01:38:12 – Finding Fulfillment through Balance and Wisdom
• 01:41:37 – The Impact of Concentration Levels on Book Publishing
• 01:45:12 – Schedule Change: Lawrence Freeman – Work with the Dalai Lama