Sex, Love, and Dharma: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Relationships

By Simon Chokoisky

Discover your dharma type and prepare your body, mind, and spirit to attract and build a lifelong union with your soul mate

• Explores how the dharma types align in relationships, giving quick and simple insights into which dharma pairings work and which ones need work

• Details methods for attracting a mate as well as practical techniques for improving your sex life, including the best time to have sex during the day

• Provides self-tests to determine your dharma type and outlines unique ayurvedic diet, exercise, detox, and lifestyle tips for better health and sex appeal

The people of ancient India understood that most humans are incomplete without an intimate partner, a soul mate to share life’s journey. Drawing upon astrology, Ayurveda, and dharma type--your personality and spiritual purpose archetype--they developed detailed systems to analyze physical, emotional, and spiritual compatibility between people. This analysis encouraged joyous relationships by revealing the sexual compatibility of a couple, the innate relationship conflicts they face, and their potential for financial success together. In this way, couples were able to distinguish biological attraction from long-term compatibility, lust from love, and soul mates from playmates.

Sharing ancient Vedic secrets of sex, love, health, and dharma, Simon Chokoisky explains how to prepare your mind, body, and spirit for the right partner and how to determine if a potential mate is a good match for your unique chemistry. He provides self-tests to determine your dharma type and outlines unique ayurvedic diet, exercise, detox, and lifestyle tips for each type to reclaim your health and vitality and, by doing so, your sexiness. He explores how the dharma types align in relationships to create harmony or disharmony, giving quick and simple insights about which dharma pairings work and which ones need work. Highlighting the skills inherent to each dharma type, he makes suggestions on how to improve day-to-day relationships for personal and financial benefit and to build lifelong romance that grows into a spiritual union. Moving to the bedroom, the author details methods for attracting a mate as well as practical techniques for improving your sex life, including the best time to have sex during the day and month.

Showing how knowing who you are will help you find your right mate, and keep away those unsuitable for you, Chokoisky explains how living your dharma helps you flow with nature in a way that makes life and your relationships more fulfilling.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inner Traditions/Bear & Company
• Release date: Sep 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781620552889

Simon Chokoisky

Simon Chokoisky is a pioneer in using Vedic Astrology and Dharma Typing to help people discover their soul’s purpose. He runs a private consulting business based on his trainings in Vedic life mapping and Vedic Astrology. The author of The Five Dharma Types and Sex, Love, and Dharma as well as the creator of the Decoding Your Life Map with Vedic Astrology DVD series, he travels widely conducting seminars. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

Discovering Your Dharma

A long time ago, the visionaries of the Indian subcontinent, called rishis, or seers, discovered three basic truths about human life. First, all beings want to be happy. How we define happiness differs among individuals and cultures, but this one truth remains constant. Second, they found that for long-term happiness, it is better to live with rather than against nature. Dr. Robert Svoboda quotes his mentor, the Aghori Vimalananda: Learn to live with nature or nature will come live with you.¹ This means that, while jumping off a cliff may feel exhilarating in the short term, the breeze lifting your hair as you slice through the air, nature inevitably catches up to you. Short-term pleasure is easy; keeping it up is not. Activities that give us pleasure do not necessarily lead to happiness—and those that promote happiness are not always pleasurable! If you want to fly while keeping your organs intact, it is best to study gravity and the laws of aerodynamics first, and apply them judiciously in your attempts at flight.

The rishis of ancient India did just that (though not necessarily in the realm of aerodynamics), and passed down their secrets to us via oral tradition. They called the laws of nature, as well as the practice of following them, dharma. This is the third insight: dharma is one, but it is useful to see it through the lens of five important subcategories.

Table I.1. illustrates the five levels of dharma, or natural law, and the disciplines that help us live accordingly. Note that the dharma types, being in the middle, straddle the others, and are implicated in living a dharmic life on every level. They are also particularly useful because they are not hard to learn. While mastering ayurveda or Vedic astrology can take a lifetime (or more!), getting a handle on the dharma type is far less demanding. The purpose of this book is to introduce you to all of these traditions for optimal understanding of how to make the most of your role in the universe.

THE FIVE LEVELS OF DHARMA

The first level—the level of self—is dedicated to everything that is you, from the skin in. It is the realm of ayurveda, which teaches us how to understand diet and lifestyle in order to experience lasting fulfillment from the physical body. Good relationships are possible when you’re sick, but they are much easier when both partners are healthy and vibrant. Accordingly, chapters 4 and 6 of this book are dedicated to addressing this vital aspect of relationship health—health itself.

The second level of dharma deals with how you relate to your physical environment, everything from your skin to the skin of the planet, the atmosphere. This entails learning how to turn our houses into homes—comfortable living environments that support our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being, as well as that of the planet. This is explored in chapter 5.

Next is the level of social fulfillment. This is where the dharma type is particularly useful. You are born with special gifts, and your dharma type will help you find and express them. How to do this using the BE FIT program is detailed in chapter 3.

The fourth level of dharma is devoted to ethics and morals and how you relate to your spiritual self. Techniques for how to incorporate spiritual practices from tantra and yoga are detailed in chapter 10 for this purpose.

Finally, the fifth level relates to everything outside our earthly environment. Broadly speaking, it is the realm of the cosmos and how we relate to the macrocosm. Our ancient ancestors believed in the maxim as above, so below—that the position of planets and stars in the heavens have a lot to say about the nature of our karmas, past, present, and future. Jyotisha, Vedic astrology, helps us make sense of those karmas by unraveling the map of our lives displayed in the heavens, including how to time anything for optimal success. This is covered in chapter 11.

The remaining chapters explore how these levels of dharma intertwine in our daily lives.

The word karma is often associated with reincarnation, but you don’t have to believe in reincarnation to realize that you are affected by the past. A look at your genetic heritage over many generations is a look back at the karma (actions and their consequences) of your ancestors and how that is playing out today. From alcoholism and diabetes to behavioral and spiritual attitudes, we are influenced by the past while possessing the free will to act on it and create our future. In this way, karma is both fate and free will, separated by time.

Karma is both fate and free will, separated by time.

The free will of today creates our experience of tomorrow. Indulge in ice cream and candy often enough and you suffer the effects of this sugar abuse in the form of diabetes and poor health. Likewise, if you have inherited patterns of self-neglect from your predecessors, you can do something about it starting today to create a balanced life for yourself tomorrow. Just how to do that is the realm of dharma, and in this book we will look at how to follow the natural laws of your being in every sphere, from the physical to the spiritual, and learn how, by doing our dharma, we mitigate undesirable karma.

Doing your dharma erases your karma—or at least mitigates its effects.

PART ONE

Dharma

Creating a Framework for Success in Life and Love

1

Inside Us All

The Origins of Dharma

Have you ever wished human beings came with an instruction manual? Have you wondered why most material things in life come with directions, like your car or your toaster, but how to have a happy marriage and how to determine your purpose are usually left for us to figure out for ourselves? From caring for our bodies to raising our kids, life’s essential lessons are not taught in school; instead, we have to pick them up from family, mentors, or personal experience, especially in the West. In the ancient East, specifically the Vedic culture of India, questions like Who am I?, Where do I come from?, and What am I here to do? were considered more crucial than multiplication tables, and were addressed early on.

The rishis of ancient India, who tried to answer these questions, used keen insight as well as trial and error to understand the basic nature of every human being, what they called dharma. In Sanskrit, dharma means purpose, the natural law of your being. By living in accordance with your dharma, you maximize positive experiences and minimize negative outcomes in your life. The dharma types are an instruction manual for how to live a fulfilled life, the details of which are discussed in my previous book The Five Dharma Types. In this book, I will show you how to hack into and start using your dharma software from day one in love, work, knowledge, and beyond. In brief, the dharma types are:

Warrior—whose purpose is to fight for a just cause, solve problems, lead, and to protect that which cannot protect itself

Educator—whose purpose is to enlighten others, bringing good counsel to the world

Merchant—whose purpose is to unite people and things in a way that fosters enjoyment and prosperity, the happiness brokers of the dharma type family

Laborer—whose purpose is to love, serve, support, and build communities, without whom society as we know it cannot exist

Outsider—whose purpose is to seek out freedom, new experiences, and a unique expression that reforms and refreshes the world

These are the five archetypes, and they have more to say about living your best life than simply what your profession should be or what your personality is like. There is a specific diet, lifestyle, exercise regimen, favored entertainment, and even sexual expression for every dharma type. Finding yours will help you flow with nature in a way that makes life and your relationships more fulfilling. Why is this? Because dharma means living with nature rather than fighting against it.

In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: they must be fit for it; they must not do too much of it; and they must have a sense of success in it.

JOHN RUSKIN

THE ORIGINS OF DHARMA

The word dharma comes from the Sanskrit root dhr, which means to sustain. This is the same root from which we get the English words firm, farm, and throne, and is related to truth, tree, and betroth—all things that indicate permanence and sustenance. That which sustains our bodies, minds, emotions, and the universe itself is dharma. Long ago, before the carbon-neutral movement, recycling, and being green were in fashion, our ancestors talked about real sustainability; that is, living in accord with our nature. That’s why reducing our carbon footprint is less important than minimizing our karmic footprint, which is done by walking in dharma.

More important than reducing our carbon footprint is minimizing our karmic footprint, which is done by walking in dharma.

Have you ever told a lie? Think about how much effort it took to keep it up over time. You had to build a backstory and constantly cover up to make it plausible. It takes effort to sustain adharma, dharma’s opposite. It is wasteful and pollutes not only the external environment but your inner self as well. There is a fractious energy around you when you go against dharma, and others feel it at a subtle level, even if they can’t express what they’re feeling. This can create a snowball effect that eventually leads to calamity. Little things add up to big problems when you go against the grain of your nature. Rejecting your purpose or doing another’s dharma not only harms you, but others as well, which creates karma. Undesirable karma, in turn, generates duhkha, or suffering. These three concepts—karma, dharma, and duhka—are jewels in the crown of Vedic philosophy, and the most valuable of these is dharma. Walking in dharma reduces your karmic footprint, minimizes duhkha, and increases sukha, joy and happiness.

Ultimately it is easiest to just tell the truth, even if hurts in the short term. There is nothing to hide and no energy wasted in being true to yourself. It is only uncomfortable when you don’t have the tools to express your nature. The first step in learning exactly how to reclaim your dharma and make it work for you is finding your dharma type.

Let’s begin! Take the following self tests to figure out your dharma type.

DISCOVER YOUR DHARMA TYPE!

So let us now discover your dharma type. In Self Test 1 choose the answers that describe you best; you can choose up to four for each multiple choice question if you are unable to decide. Next, read the paragraphs in Self Test 2 and choose two that describe you best. Not all of their qualities have to fit, though they should at least elicit a gut reaction of yeah, that’s me—even if you don’t necessarily like them! There are two paragraphs for each type. If it is difficult to decide, you may pick as many paragraphs as you like and narrow the results later. Check the answer key at the bottom of each test to tally your choices. The two that receive the most tallies likely indicate your dharma type and the Life Cycle you are in.

*1

It is useful to have friends or relatives help us with the tests and descriptions. Often we see ourselves differently from how the rest of the world perceives us. We may also be in a cycle that makes it difficult to access our essential dharma type. Life cycles can tint our basic expression like different colored lenses—some enhance our light while others sometimes diffuse it—so take your whole life into consideration when reading the following descriptions, and have a friend or relative help you in the process. Looking at yourself from childhood to now will provide a complete portrait that should help determine your type.

SELF TEST I

Circle the answers that best apply to you. You may choose more than one answer for each question if applicable. Try to think of qualities that are permanent in you, how you have always been, rather than how you are at times or during recent changes in your life. Tally them up at the end to determine your dharma type.

1. Circle the word that means the most to you or describes you best.

a. Freedom

b. Loyalty

c. Wisdom

d. Honor

e. Prosperity

2. Circle the phrase that means the most to you or describes you best.

a. Independence and Bliss

b. Love and Devotion

c. Worldliness and Knowledge

d. Discipline and Perfection

e. Entertainment and Fun

3. Circle the phrase that means the most to you or describes you best.

a. I love being alone. Sometimes I hate people, sometimes I like them, but they usually don’t understand me.

b. I don’t mind being alone as long as I have something constructive and productive to do.

c. I love being alone. I like people but I need time to spend by myself for quiet contemplation and rejuvenation.

d. I don’t mind being alone, as long as I have a goal to accomplish.

e. I hate being alone. I prefer the company of people, even if I don’t know them.

4. Circle the phrase that means the most to you or describes you best.

a. I like strange, dark, or wild and remote places no one has ever thought of or been to.

b. I like the plains and wide expanses of earth. I like living close to the ground, on ground floors rather than in high-rise apartments.

c. I like high and remote places. I like upper floors, high-rise buildings, and living above others looking down.

d. I like challenging places, places that are high, but not so high as to be remote. I like fortified and strong places.

e. From the Beverly Hills to gently rolling slopes, I like places where the action is, places that are easy to get to, but also exclusive. I like living in the middle ground, not too high, not too low, where there is activity and access to the world.

5. Circle the sentence that describes you best.

a. I am the rebel or black sheep of my family. As a parent, I give freedom to my kids and let them individualize themselves from others.

b. I am deeply bonded with my family. As a parent, I nurture my kids by making sure they are well fed, healthy, and content.

c. I tend to teach my family and urge them to improve themselves. As a parent I make certain my kids learn how to think for themselves, get a good education, and understand the world.

d. I am the strong one in my family. As a parent I lead by example and earn my kids’ respect with discipline and order.

e. I actively support my family with shelter and resources. As a parent I provide for my kids and make sure they understand the value of money, self-effort, and making your way in the world.

6. In religion I most value the following:

a. Going my own way.

b. Faith and devotion.

c. Study and scripture.

d. Penance and discipline.

e. Rituals and observances.

7. In marriage I most value the following:

a. An unconventional spouse, one who understands my particular quirks and desires.

b. A dutiful spouse who is loyal and provides for me: a woman who cooks and cleans/a man who brings home the bacon.

c. A sensitive, intelligent spouse.

d. A challenging spouse with whom I can do activities.

e. A beautiful spouse.

8. I mainly watch TV for:

a. Horror, alternative political and spiritual viewpoints, science fiction (like the sci-fi, FX, indie, and alternative channels).

b. Family, drama, history, and community programs (like soap operas, reality TV, daytime shows, cartoons, entertainment gossip, and reruns).

c. Educational, thought-provoking, human-interest stories and entertainment (like National Geographic, PBS, Syfy, and documentary channels).

d. Sports, action, news, and politics; adventure stories and entertainment (ESPN, CNN, etc.).

e. Fun programs, drama, music, comedy, game shows, financial and motivational stories and entertainment (like HBO, the Comedy Channel, and Spike).

9. Under stress I tend to:

a. Bend the rules or lie to get my way; feel invisible and self-deprecate.

b. Become lazy, close down in my own space, and worry a lot.

c. Be scatterbrained, feckless, and wishy-washy.

d. Become anger prone, inattentive, and reckless.

e. Be moody, depressed, loud, and restless.

10. At my best I am:

a. A revolutionary, an inventor, a genius.

b. A devoted friend, a hard worker, a caregiver.

c. A counselor, a teacher, a diplomat.

d. A leader, a hero, a risk taker.

e. An optimist, a self-starter, a promoter, an adventurer.

Answer Key for Self Test I

Tally your answers now. The most selected letter likely reflects your dharma type. For confirmation you should now move on to Self Test II.

A. Outsider

B. Laborer

C. Educator

D. Warrior

E. Merchant

SELF TEST II

Select two paragraphs that describe you best. Then refer to the answer key to determine your type.

1. Sometimes I think no one really understands me, and no one ever will. I love freedom and need to feel independent and free most of all. Although I can fit into many crowds, I never really feel a part of any of them. I wear many hats but none of them defines me. People may see me as secretive or mysterious, but I am just the way I am—different. By fate or choice I am attracted to foreign lands, cultures, religions, and values and have embraced some of these. I have talents and abilities that are not always recognized, and it can be hard to make a living if I do not compromise with my society. My ambitions are somewhat unique, and I have a quirky way of seeing the world. Sometimes I feel lost and don’t know what my true purpose is, but when I look at others I am reminded of what it is not: I can’t conform to somebody else’s lifestyle just for the sake of security, even though I may not have found my own.

2. I have often dreamt of owning my own business and being financially independent. From an early age I have felt a need to provide and be provided for. I have a strong sense of the value of money and I don’t mind working long hours to generate security for myself and my family. I don’t pay much attention to my body, unless it is part of my business or I have the leisure time. I like giving and the feeling that it creates, but in this competitive world it is most important to secure my own and my family’s needs first. I have a good practical sense and know how to take care of mundane obligations. I believe that anyone can make it in today’s society if they’re willing to apply themselves. I am motivated and self-driven and can’t understand idealistic or so-called spiritual people who deny the importance of financial security.

3. I like to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I believe in standing up for a good cause whether it is social, environmental, ecological, etc. Money is less important to me than securing justice in the world. I have strong convictions and character, and people often look to me for leadership. I have an inner strength that drives me to achieve. I can usually outperform others by sheer force of will. I have an eye for deception and can tell when someone is lying. I admire wisdom and like to associate with smart and educated people, though I may not have the time or opportunity to cultivate these qualities in myself. I can be highly disciplined and therefore acquire skills quickly. At my best I am courageous, noble, and self-sacrificing, but I can also be distracted, anger prone, and judgmental.

4. I love the camaraderie of working with others to construct something useful. I am handy, skilled, practical, and not averse to work. I am devoted to friends and family, and though not an intellectual I have a good sense about things, though I can’t always explain it in words. My needs and tastes are simple, and it doesn’t take a lot to make me happy: good food, good company, and a solid roof over my head are the essentials in life. I like being of service and feeling needed. Being useful to someone is more important than how much money I make, though I don’t like to be cheated. I believe in hard work and don’t understand lazy people. I can be superstitious and have deep-seated beliefs about things that often stem from my childhood and cannot be easily rationalized.

5. I prefer intellectual work to physical labor. I can be idealistic and focus on concepts and philosophies rather than living in the real world. I become disheartened by the ugliness and injustice of life and often lack energy to change it. I have always been smarter and more perceptive than most of my peers, though not inherently practical. I like to counsel others, though I don’t always practice what I preach. I have a knack for encouraging and finding the best in people, and as a result people come to me for advice. I don’t have a killer instinct and that’s a disadvantage if I try to compete in physical or other cutthroat professions. I like to live in a peaceful environment, rather than the hustle and bustle of the busy world. I often know what needs to be done but don’t necessarily have the energy or skills to do it. It is often easier for me to tell others what to do rather than to do it myself.

6. I set strong standards for myself and expect to live up to them. I love competition, debate, and testing my limits. I even compete with myself when others are not around. I have a huge heart, and my generosity sometimes gets me in trouble. I like to lay down the law in my family and with others. From early on I was blessed with physical and mental strength, though I often abuse these by pushing too much—I play hard and party hard. I like to care for those who cannot fend for themselves: the innocent, the elderly, and the underprivileged.

7. I hate constrictive social, religious, and moral institutions, and I feel it is my right to speak and act out against them. I also feel justified in flouting an unjust law and not conforming to artificial regulations. I am physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually different from others, and because of this I find it hard to fit in. I can see through people’s bullshit, and that makes me want to run away from society. Sometimes I resent normal people who were born with opportunities that I don’t have. I would rather overthrow the status quo to allow fresh growth than try to patch things up piece by piece. I respect an authority that allows me to be who I am and understands the gifts I have to offer.

8. I am a devoted, loyal, patriotic person and have a deep connection to the things that are dearest to me: my family, friends, God, and country. I believe it is important to abide by the codes and principles of my country, church, and society. I love to build community. I guess you could say I’m sentimental about the things I value. A dutiful worker, I believe in getting a job done right and am faithful to my word. I am also very good at what I do and specialize in well-developed skills. I secretly admire widely read and cultured people and wish I were a bit more like them, but I just don’t have the time to waste on that and prefer to be better at what I do than to know a lot of trivia. I have to touch, see, hear, or feel something; otherwise it is not real for me.

9. I love attention and being the life of the party. I am quick and clever and find it easy to get along with others. I can be very likable, though I don’t necessarily like other people and am more attached to the few people I can really trust—myself and my family. I am naturally glib and gregarious, and people tend to believe what I say. I have good taste and appreciation for the finer things in life, things that have beauty and value. However, I sometimes feel an emptiness that I have to fill with outside things, though it is never really filled until I give or do something for others. Sometimes I feel that I am not worth anything, and that if people really knew me they wouldn’t like me. Because of this I respect those who have raised and supported me, and I work hard to pay back their love in return. I am also very emotional and can go to extremes of depression and elation. This volatility may cost me in relationships and in my health, and I sometimes like to numb it with drugs, sex, and entertainment. I enjoy all sorts of fun, from performing for people and being the center of attention to watching others do the same.

10. I consider myself a rather cultured, mild-mannered person. I don’t tolerate vulgarity or crass behavior. I have special food preferences and daily regimes that require me to be alone for parts of the day so I can tend to my rather delicate constitution. I tend to be solitary in my personal habits and prefer losing myself in a book more than engaging in the hustle and bustle of the world. I like the realm of ideas and concepts, though I am rarely able to embody them in the real world. I don’t have abundant physical energy, though I enjoy sports, games, and being in Nature for their recreational and inspirational value.

Answer Key for Self Test II

1 and 7: Outsider

2 and 9: Merchant

3 and 6: Warrior

4 and 8: Laborer

5 and 10: Educator

2

The Roles We Play

General Principles of Dharma

I just don’t know what to do. I’m stuck and overwhelmed, and I feel like such a failure. I mean, the best part of my day is probably walking the dog.

This is my Vedic life-mapping client, let’s call her Jane, a few minutes into our dharma session. Complaints like this are increasingly common, and Jane is one of a new set of well-intentioned but confused purpose seekers.

Does your dog think you’re a failure? I ask.

Well, no, I guess not, she chuckles. I probably take care of him better than I take care of myself.

I wish you could see yourself through his eyes, because you’re definitely doing something right with him. And if we called your son, your boss, or your friends and asked, ‘Do you think Jane is a failure?,’ wouldn’t they say you’re at least doing okay in their eyes, if not better?

Instead of categorically pronouncing ourselves failures, it helps to isolate what we’re not happy with, and also to focus on things that are working.

Well, yeah . . . but I still feel like something’s missing.

What if life were a stage and you were a character, with a specific script to follow, marks to hit, and so on. Would it be easier to know your purpose and feel fulfilled?

Yeah, sure. It would be nice to have a set of instructions.

Most of our obligations in life are simply roles we play. We are master to our pets, spouse or main squeeze to our significant other, parent to our kids, child to our parents, employee to our boss, and pain in the neck to our employees. These are roles pretty much every human being has had to play from prehistoric times to the present day. In traditional cultures, happiness came from fulfilling your obligations to family and society.

Not satisfied that these roles are enough, in the modern West we have put a twist on this arrangement and begun to glorify the individual, seeking our happiness from our personality and not our role. We say, I matter, instead of my role matters, in part because the roles we choose are not enough to fulfill us. But the truth is that even when we exalt the individual, exclaiming, for example, You’re great!, we’re still only saying, You’re great . . . at something, like making money or cooking. When I worked in sales, I noticed that when numbers were high everybody was my friend, but when sales dipped I began getting the suspicious What’s wrong with that guy? look. This is nothing but your role affecting how people see you.

Our roles are important, but so are we. Part of the reason we have rejected them and set up selfhood as our primary source of happiness is because we have lost connection to the roles that really matter. Somehow friend, hockey fan, and even parent are not enough anymore. That is because dharma is missing from our life. Dharma is purpose, the blueprint that not only outlines how to play our daily roles, but also points the way to personal happiness. That sense of a life well lived comes in part from doing our job as a mom or a friend, but also from having fulfilled our purpose on this planet. Everybody is born with a purpose, a destiny. It just takes skill to find it.

A Sanskrit aphorism states, There is no sound that is not a mantra, no plant that is not medicine; no person who does not have a use, but people skilled at finding these things are themselves hard to find. The Vedic culture believed that nothing in nature is useless, that everything has a purpose. Accordingly, they arranged the sounds of the alphabet to create the perfect vibrational language, Sanskrit. They found the medicinal value of every vegetable, animal, and mineral substance in their environment and organized it under ayurveda, the study of life. They distilled the five essences of individual purpose, called the dharma types, and passed this wisdom down to us via oral tradition.

To understand yourself is to understand your dharma type. Knowing your weaknesses is knowing the weaknesses of your type. Your faults and strengths are written in you just like characters in a play, and in the play of life you are free to improvise and create, but the basic script you work with has been already penned by creation itself. The canvas of your life is sketched; it is up to you to fill in the lines.

To understand yourself is to understand your dharma type. Knowing your weaknesses is knowing the weaknesses of your type. The canvas of your life is sketched; it is up to you to fill in the lines.

When Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel he took great care to craft the sketches of the figures, but sometimes left his assistants to fill in the paint. The sketch was everything; such is the importance of a blueprint. Similarly, your dharma type is your basic blueprint, and in this book we will learn how to use it to color in and fulfill all your heart’s desires.

Jane is intrigued, but her face is twisted in a puzzled look. She asks, Okay, if there are seven billion people on the planet and five dharma types, how does that make me unique?

I reply, "Can you think