New release

Dharma

The Living Flame

Dharma: The Living Flame is Daaji’s exploration of dharma as a living principle rather than a religious identity or fixed moral code. Drawing on the Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Dhammapada and the Heartfulness tradition, the book traces dharma from cosmic order and personal responsibility to alertness, surrender and liberation.

By Kamlesh D. Patel (Daaji) · Global Guide of Heartfulness · Padma Bhushan awardee

Get your copy today

Key takeaways from the book

1
Dharma belongs to life.
It reaches into our choices, relationships, work and responsibilities.
2
Dharma is bigger than religion.
Discover the principle that holds life together.
3
Learn to see before you act.
The right response begins with a clear perception of the moment.
4
Rules are not enough.
Life’s hardest choices demand wisdom, context and conscience.
5
Truth may come at a cost.
But comfort, approval and success do not automatically make an action right.
6
What happens within you shapes the world around you.
Personal change quietly transforms relationships, families and communities.
7
Spiritual practice is not an escape from life.
It prepares us to meet life with greater clarity and integrity.
8
Let go of the need to control everything.
True surrender is not weakness; it is the release of the burden of being the sole doer.
9
Awakening is not the end of the journey.
It is the beginning of a life that continues to deepen, expand and illuminate others.

Dharma is that which upholds all of life, the individual, the society and the cosmos.

Kamlesh D. Patel (Daaji)

Alertness is the faculty that recognizes dharma in real time.

Śaraṇāgati completes dharma; it does not discard it.

The world does not need more people who have read about dharma. The world needs people who have become dharmic.

Dharma is the living bridge between the individual and the cosmos.

Praise for Dharma

About the Author

Kamlesh D. Patel

Follow:

Global Guide of Heartfulness | Padma Bhushan Awardee | Environmentalist

Kamlesh D Patel, known as Daaji to his followers, is the global guide of the Heartfulness movement and president of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission. In 2023, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, the country's third-highest civilian honour, for his distinguished service in the field of spirituality. Daaji was named the Commonwealth's Global Ambassador for Peacebuilding and Faith in March 2024.

Daaji is the fourth in a century-old lineage of spiritual masters. He weaves his personal experience with a deep respect for global spiritual traditions and scientific inquiry. A former pharmacist in New York, he now guides spiritual seekers worldwide, dedicating his time to exploring consciousness with a practical, scientific approach.

Daaji is also an environmentalist who is greatly invested in restoring greenery in India. Under his guidance, the once-barren landscape of Kanha Shanti Vanam, the global headquarters of Heartfulness near Hyderabad, has been transformed through extensive ecological restoration.

Dharma: The Living Flame

At its heart is the question: how do we recognise the right action in each moment?

Daaji presents dharma as a quality of presence, one that awakens us, transforms us and ultimately carries us beyond the limitations of the separate self.

Explore a free chapter

Included in the book

A companion workbook

The book includes a comprehensive companion workbook designed to help readers bring the teachings of Dharma: The Living Flame into daily life. The workbook features chapter reflections, contemplative and journaling questions, practical exercises, and a daily sādhanā tracker for morning meditation, evening cleaning and bedtime prayer.