Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction and Self Tests

Part ONE
The Roles of the Dharma Types

1 Merchant Society and the Dharma Types

2 Educator
Enlighten Others

3 Warrior
Protect Others

4 Merchant
Clothe, Connect, and Animate Others

5 Laborer
Nourish and Serve Others

6 Outsider
Innovate, Rebel, and Free Others

7 Summary of Part One

Part TWO
Authentically Living Your Dharma Type

8 Five Paths to Wellness

9 The Social Conscience of the Dharma Types

10 Element, Season, and Taste

11 Intelligence, Secret Fear, and Speech

12 Music, Myth, and Poodles

13 Sport, War, and Warriors

14 Money and Profession

15 The Life Cycles

Notes

Suggested Resources on East/West Wisdom

Index

About the Author

Simon Chokoisky teaches Sanskrit and Medical Astrology at the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He also runs a private consulting business based on his trainings in Vedic life mapping and Vedic astrology. The creator of the Decoding Your Life Map with Vedic Astrology DVD series, he travels widely giving seminars. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Reviews

“Simon Chokoisky’s The Five Dharma Types is a beautiful book. Reading it carefully will give you insight into your dharma and help you heal your life.”
*Dr. Vasant Lad, author of Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing and founder of the Ayurvedic Institu*

“This work has opened doors of insight and perception, allowing me to see our species in a fresh and hopeful light. I hope people will read this book more than once, and slowly.”
*Robin Gile, coauthor of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Palmistry*

“[A] comprehensive handbook. . . . Chokoisky’s tone is authoritative, inspirational, and rich with pop culture references from Harry Potter to Spider-Man that make his message accessible to the modern, Western mind. . . . The author demonstrates a deep understanding of his subject. He writes clearly and eloquently, offering a spiritually inspired, and ultimately practical, guidebook for personal fulfillment.”
*Publishers Weekly, April 2014*

“Chokoisky (Ayurvedic Inst., Albuquerque, NM) teaches Sanskrit and “medical ­astrology,” and this ambitious volume attempts to map ancient Vedic conceptions of human capacities to the realities of today’s Western world. While we can, according to the author, be divided into five Dharma types: educators, warriors, merchants, laborers, and outsiders, we are all constrained to live in an age most congenial to merchants. Chokoisky’s task, in addition to convincing readers of the types to which they belong, is in part to help them adjust to the times. The success of this book for most readers will depend on their acceptance of the validity of the ancient Indian model, which at times has been seen as a set of confining hierarchies: Chokoisky’s attempts to visualize them as complementary personalities is intriguing. VERDICT The author’s purpose—to allow each of us to find a right profession and way of living—is appealing, but his ideas may be a tough sell in America, where we tend to believe in an infinite ability to choose. Still, this book is enthralling, and should appeal to many students of Vedic tradition and yoga.”
*Library Journal, May 2014*