The Four Aims of Life and Your Business

According to the Indian wisdom teachings, there are four aims of life: dharma, arta, kama and moksha.

Each one impacts you as a business owner, and your business should tap into all four.

Dharma is first intentionally because it is what sets the tone.

On the one hand, this represents justice and righteousness, or even balance. But it also means doing what you are meant to do in the world - sharing your particular gifts.

In India it is said that we discover this in our first 25 years of life - and it sets the tone for our life.

I don’t know about you, but I didn’t necessarily get a teaching like this. By the time I was 25 I was already working too hard and feeling unsatisfied. In Indian wisdom tradition there is also a suggestion to observe brahmacharya at this time - sexual countenance, but also reducing distraction - basically so we can really identify what we are suppose to be doing. Most of us didn’t get this teaching either!

Arta is second, which is acquiring material wealth so that we can take care of our responsibilities. This correlates with a period from age 25-50, when we are “earning a living”. 

Just to say - all of these aims of life are happening concurrently throughout life, but the timing is about emphasis.

The third important aim of life is kama, enjoyment. This is just as important as the first two in the traditional Indian worldview because we are here as reflections of the divine to enjoy what is possible in a human body. 

Unfortunately in the modern world without the establishment of dharma, this means there is a lot of indulgence. So this is about finding a balance of play and seriousness about addressing karma and responsibilities.

This roughly correlates to the stage of life between age 50-75 (though of course we can and should have pleasure throughout life!) but this is supposedly the period when children are grown, and maybe you become a grandparent and you are getting to enjoy grandkids without the responsibility. 

The fourth major goal of life is moksha, or release - which essentially means setting aside material things and finishing untying karmic knots, releasing anything you no longer need and which doesn’t serve you. It is about preparing for death and honoring the cycle of life. 

This roughly correlates to the final period of life, if we are lucky from 75-100 when we begin to retreat from the world stage and do more spiritual practice.

When we think of work, we automatically think about arta because it is about building wealth, but I think as spiritual entrepreneurs we have the opportunity to include all of these in our work. 

I believe we can build businesses that are like our practices - spacious, aligned, and powerful agents of change.

It starts with our intention not to overly focus on arta while ignoring the other three.

Here is what this could look like:

Your business should be based in your dharma, the gifts you are here to give. When your business is based in dharma, you will be able to come back to it again and again even when things get hard because the work is meaningful to you and you are good at it!

Arta, or wealth creation, when infused with dharma inspires us to give back and make more impact as we grow our bottom line. I believe arta is in fact empty without the other three.

Kama is where we derive inspiration - because building a business is a creative act.

We must play and break free from being chained to our desks. We must move our bodies and go outside and take time to rest and eat good food and enjoy relationships. This is all kama, and it is essential for us in business so that we don't burn out.

Moksha is all about the bigger picture. "When I'm dead, what kind of legacy do I want to leave?" And literally taking time away from work completely for retreat to enkindle a wider view about what really matters.

In the end it is all a play, and moksha helps us to not take things so seriously while we pursue our goals - yes we will give it our all, but we will also remember that it is not just us and our will making things happen, we have a co-conspirator in the universe.

If you want to create a business like your practices, with practical tools to help you overcome limiting beliefs, create a vision, work with planetary energies, and create an offer aligned with your gifts, join The Cosmic Business Incubator, my 8-week program for spirit-led entrepreneurs to clarify who you serve, how you serve in a way that allows you to thrive, and how to effectively market your offerings.

You can sign up for a connection call here to see if you are a good fit for either of these offerings.