DHARMA Initiative

The DHARMA (Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications) Initiative was a scientific research project that had a large presence on the Island between the 1970s and early 1990s. It is represented by variations of an octagonal logo that appear on most of its products and stations.

Most information on the project is derived from the Swan Orientation film and the ARG The Lost Experience. The former detailed some of the project's aims and a brief history, while the latter expanded greatly on this, particularly with regards to the company which funded the Initiative, the Hanso Foundation.

The DHARMA Initiative in large part ended after the Purge in 1992, an event that saw the death of almost all of its members on the Island at the hands of Benjamin Linus and "the Hostiles." Indeed, The Lost Experience confirmed that the Hanso Foundation cut the DHARMA Initiative's funding in 1987. However, 2008 saw an attempt to reconstitute the project, with advertisements seeking volunteers for the Dharma Initiative Recruiting Project. The reconstituted project also in part humorously 'sponsored' LOST, as seen during the Comic-Con panel. The new Initiative was canceled, however, due to financial problems caused by the onset of global recession. In fact, in a Dharma Special Access email, Lost writers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse stated that "without going into any further details" they now owned the DHARMA Initiative.

History

Finding the Island

An as of yet unidentified man was able to find the location of the Island in the 1960s (well before 1974, when the DI was well-established), by way of the Lamp Post station in Los Angeles -- as explained by Eloise Hawking. Located underneath a church, the Lamp Post harnessed the unique pocket of energy in that area and used it to find other similar pockets around the globe. Though this man was only interested in one specific area: the Island. Since the Island was always moving, the Lamp Post was integral in finding the Island's location. Within a few years' time, the location was uncovered, and a tiny commune was formed on the Island, called the DHARMA Initiative.

Project aims

Scenesfromorientationfilm — Assorted images from the Swan Orientation film.

According to various orientation films, the Initiative was founded in 1970 by Gerald and Karen DeGroot, two doctoral candidates at the University of Michigan. It was financially backed by Danish industrialist and munitions magnate Alvar Hanso and his Hanso Foundation. The alleged purpose of the Initiative, according to the Swan Orientation film, was to create "a large-scale communal research compound where scientists and free-thinkers from around the globe could pursue research in meteorology, psychology, parapsychology, zoology, electromagnetism, and Utopian social-[static]."

The Barracks video also said that the mission of the Initiative on the Island was to study its unique properties for the betterment of mankind and advancement of world peace.

The Sri Lanka Video of The Lost Experience appears to build on the last statement, explaining that the DHARMA Initiative was part of a project begun in response to the Valenzetti Equation commissioned by the UN in 1967, a mathematical formula that reportedly predicts the amount of time until the extinction of mankind. The purpose of the DHARMA Initiative on the Island was to use scientific research to manipulate the environment in order to change any one of the core factors of the Valenzetti Equation which, in turn, would change the Equation's result and thus change mankind's destiny. They were also interested in researching the unique properties on the Island found nowhere else in the world, again for the betterment of humanity.

The Purge

Main article: The Purge

The DHARMA Initiative fought an armed conflict on the Island with a group they called the Hostiles for many years. The reasons for the conflict have not been revealed, though Horace Goodspeed stated that the Hostiles were natives to the Island, implying that a conflict could have arisen from DHARMA moving into their territory or intruding on the Island.

Regardless of the cause, the conflict ended in December 1992 with an event known as the Purge. The Hostiles launched a toxic gas attack on the Barracks and possibly other locations that killed nearly all the staff of the Initiative on the Island. Some members of the Initiative, including Benjamin Linus, survived the attack by joining the Hostiles. The inhabitants of the Swan survived by being sealed in the station. The bodies of the DHARMA Initiative members were piled into a mass grave in the jungle. The Hostiles, along with the several members of the DHARMA Initiative who joined them prior to the Purge, survive today as the group Danielle Rousseau, the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 and the survivors of the freighter Kahana call the Others.

In the March 20, 2007 Official Lost Podcast, Carlton Cuse said he did not believe that The Others knew about the Swan station, but acknowledged that they might have observed the Swan through the monitors at the Pearl. The last known working member of the Initiative on the Island was Kelvin Inman, who died September 22, 2004.

Aftermath

Comic-con OGR2 — Modernized DHARMA logo as seen at Comic-Con 2008.

Hugh McIntyre of the Hanso Foundation said in an interview as part of The Lost Experience that the DHARMA Initiative's funding was cut in 1987. Thomas Mittelwerk also claimed in the Sri Lanka video, "we all know what happened—the DHARMA Initiative failed." In the Official Lost Podcasts, executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse also make frequent references to DHARMA's fall as a "collapse", explaining that the polar bears escaped from their cages during the collapse, for example.

However, the truth of when the Intiative collapsed or if indeed it did at all is uncertain due to the events of the Purge, which reportedly occurred five years after the date quoted by Hugh McIntyre. Furthermore, in the Sri Lanka Video, it is shown that even in 2006 similar work on the Valenzetti Equation is being conducted, suggesting the project's major aims are still being investigated in some new incarnation by Thomas Mittelwerk. It has also been shown that the Swan station received supplies with DHARMA Initiative-branded food and necessities up to at least December 2004, and that Kelvin Inman joined the DHARMA Initiative after the Gulf War in 1991, both indicating that the Initiative did not end its operations in 1987 as McIntyre stated.

In the Dharma Initiative Recruiting Project of 2008, unknown benefactors attempted to restart the Initiative but failed due to constrains by the 2008 financial crisis. The "Project" consisted of a series of tests that dealt with different areas of expertise. The tests measured various skills of recruits, and official Volunteer Assessment Dossiers were sent out to recruits on November 18th. The "Project" was unable to continue spending due to the financial crisis, and sold the Dharma Initiative to the T.V. show Lost. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse started a new website called Dharmaspecialaccess.com that gave recruits exclusive information on upcoming Lost info.

The name

The word DHARMA was revealed to be a backronym in the Official Lost Podcast. Later in the ARG The Lost Experience, through the clues of Rachel Blake (known as the hacker Persephone at that time), players were directed to play a memory game available at the Hanso Foundation's website. Gradually the acronym was revealed and upon reaching level 42, the full acronym DHARMA was revealed as being "Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications". The acronym was later confirmed by Alvar Hanso in the Sri Lanka Video and in an ABC press release [1].

Little is known what the actual explanation behind the name is, although a heuristic is a particular technique of directing one's attention in learning, discovery, or problem-solving.[2] Also, in the Sri Lanka Video, Alvar Hanso (standing in front of the DHARMA acronym) says "it also stands for the one true way", a reference to the word's meaning in Sanskrit (see below).

DHARMA Initiative stations

ConstructionSite — DHARMA workers constructing The Swan station.

Main article: DHARMA Initiative stations

The DHARMA Initiative conducted its research and activities on the Island through a series of stations. They all have (or have had) power (from an unknown source) and a water supply as well as various kinds of equipment (e.g. machinery, living quarters, computers, medical equipment, etc). Each facility also has its own octagon-shaped logo, utilizing a different symbol to designate which station items or personnel correspond to.

It is known from the orientation films that there were at least six stations at the time they were filmed in 1980, with the Swan station shown as "3 of 6", for instance. However, a total of nine different stations have already been visited on the show, suggesting that either additional stations and films were made after 1980, and/or that an unknown number of stations did not include "Orientation" films (possibly ones kept secret from general DHARMA staff). Other stations to be identified with numbers include the Pearl as number 5, the Arrow as number 2 and the Orchid as number 6. The Flame was also referred to as number 4 on the blast door map, though this may not be accurate.

Discovered stations

Logo	Name	Number	Purpose	Possible reference
	The Staff	Unknown	Medical Research Facility.	The Caduceus staff originally belonged to Hermes, a figure sometimes associated with Apollo. Apollo was a god of healing (and of plagues).
	The Arrow	2 of 6	Develop defensive strategies and gather intelligence on the island's indigenous hostiles.	Apollo was the god of archery.
	The Swan	3 of 6	Electromagnetic Research and Containment.	Swans are sacred to Apollo. Swans encircled the birthplace of Apollo when he was born on an Island (Delos).
	The Flame	4 of 6	Communication Technology Facility.	Apollo was the sun god.
	The Pearl	5 of 6	Psychological Research and Observation Facility.	Hindus associate the pearl with the moon. Artemis, twin sister to Apollo, is the moon goddess. Could also be a literary reference to "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck.
	The Orchid	6 of 6	Space Time Travel Facility. Disguised as a botanical station.	Possibly references the station's greenhouse exterior.
	The Hydra	Unknown	Zoological Research Facility.	Guardian of the Underworld (like Cerberus). Apollo sent a crow to fetch water, and blamed the Hydra as an excuse for not fulfilling the task.
	The Looking Glass	Unknown	Underwater Submarine Guidance Facility, Radio Jammer.	Most likely a literary reference to Lewis Carrol's sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland titled Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There.
	The Tempest	Unknown	Toxic gas Development.	Possibly a reference to William Shakespeare's play The Tempest, which takes place on a mysterious desert island. The wave symbol could signify the ship that was wrecked on the island due to Prospero's magic.
	The Lamp Post	Unknown	Locates when the Island will appear.	Most likely a reference to the The Chronicles of Narnia. The lamp post in Narnia marked the entrance and exit to the world of Narnia.

Other stations

LOST totalback — The blast door map, referencing other possible stations.

"The Door" was presumed to be the Hatch to another station, but when opened by Sayid in "Live Together, Die Alone, Part 1" it was revealed to be a façade covering a rocky wall.

There should also be a meteorological station somewhere on the Island; since meteorology is listed among DHARMA's main research areas in the Swan orientation film, and notations on the blast door map reveal a potential location.

One station (The one marked as C3) is said to have light industrial equipment, according to the blast door map. This led Radzinsky or Kelvin to believe it was possibly a manufacturing facility.

It is believed that there is a electrical/power station somewhere on the Island.

Other stations were also marked on the blast door map, including "C3?", "C4?", and a seventh station which was crossed out. It may not have been built, it may be abandoned, or might have been destroyed, or might be the presumed station the Door. It may also have been crossed out because they were not sure it existed, explained by the "Unknown!" notation above it. Elsewhere on the map is the text "Alleged location of aborted #7.

A listening station, cryptography research facility, and a communications analysis facility may also exist, according to the blast door map.

There is also substantial evidence about a security station, shown in "LaFleur". It appears to be located in the Barracks and consists of several monitors that scope the perimeter, including the pylon security fence. The logo appears to be a five-pointed star. This station is also featured in following episodes including "Namaste" and "He's Our You".

The Radio tower is a structure on the Island which was built by the DHARMA Initiative to relay the results of their experiments to their backers and external supporter.

Staff

Main article: List of DHARMA Initiative members

Circle of trust

The circle of trust is a group of people within the DHARMA Initiative who are 'in' on the secret of the Swan station, and know that it is built in Hostile territory in violation of the truce.

Known members:

Orientation films

MarkWickman — Pierre Chang in the Pearl Orientation film.

Main article: DHARMA Initiative films

To instruct its members, the DHARMA Initiative created several orientation films, most of them featuring Pierre Chang under various aliases.

Known films are:

The Barracks video - An introductory video that new members of the Initiative were shown upon reaching the Island. Pierre Chang (under the alias Marvin Candle) explained the purpose of the Initiative and security protocols for the Barracks.
The Swan Orientation film - Instructing the Swan station's inhabitants about the protocol, supposedly as a consequence of an unspecified incident. The film includes a short history of the Initiative.
The Arrow Orientation film - Explaining the primary purpose of the station.
The Pearl Orientation video - Instructing the Pearl station inhabitants on monitoring other stations.
The Orchid Orientation video - Instructing the Orchid station inhabitants on monitoring the machines.
Outtakes of the Orchid Orientation film - Introduced as a teaser for Season 4 at San Diego Comic-Con 2007.
The Psychology Test Orientation Video - A series of flashing images shown revealed in The Lost Experience.
The video filmed in the Sri Lanka Video - Dated 1975, provides a broader history and overview of DHARMA.

DHARMA logos and personnel

The Swan station's logo

Main articles: DHARMA Logos and List of DHARMA Initiative members

The DHARMA initiative is represented by a series of distinct 8-sided logos. These octagon-shaped logos used by the Initiative appear on many items and are seen in the various DHARMA Initiative stations on the Island. DHARMA members also wear uniforms embossed with the logos, and this can also designates which station they belong to. Notable members of the Initiative include Pierre Chang and Horace Goodspeed, who wore various uniforms connecting them to particular DHARMA stations. According to information obtained in He's Our You, an unknown person or group based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, (presumably the DeGroots), make large decisions and are the leaders of DHARMA. Horace Goodspeed appears to be the leader of all the DHARMA members on the Island, but ultimately does not make all decisions. Other seemingly high-ranking members of DHARMA are Jim LaFleur, the Head of Security, Stuart Radzinsky, the Head of Research and presumed architect of The Swan, and Pierre Chang, who appears to have some leadership at The Orchid.

The logos are all based on an octagonal design incorporating eight trigrams surrounding a central symbol. The central symbol is unique for each station. The design of the logo was derived from a Chinese concept known as "Bagua"; the trigrams are all inverted (inside-to-outside) from their normal "Later Heaven" order.

Cultural references to "Dharma" and the DHARMA logo

Wheel — The Dharmacakra, a Buddhist symbol representing the teachings of Dharma.

In Sanskrit, the word Dharma (धर्म) means "religion, moral duty", [3] with the etymological sense "that which is established firmly". [4] [5]

In Eastern religion, Dharma means Natural Law or Reality, or the "Way of The Higher Truths" By this, it stands as the principle or law that orders the universe, individual conduct in conformity to this principle, and the essential function or nature of a thing.

In Hinduism, Dharma refers to individual obligation with respect to caste, social custom, civil law, and sacred law. Meanwhile, in Buddhism, it stands for the body of teaching expounded by the Buddha, and therefore the knowledge of or duty to undertake conduct set forth by the Buddha as a way to enlightenment. In addition, it is one of the basic, minute elements from which all things are made. It also refers to the Path of the Teaching, the journey of the student that ends ultimately in the alleviation of suffering and/or the undoing of karma. Finally, it also references ultimate reality, the realization that the most fundamental element of the universe is happiness, bliss, or Nirvana.

Surrounding the logo are 8 trigrams which are derived from belief in Bagua. Under Chinese legend, the 8 trigrams were represented to the Yellow Emperor in 3000 BC by heaven, each symbol allocated to a particular plane of existence, a family member, an element etc... and grouped into both Yin and Yang. Cross multiplication of the 8 trigrams yields the I-Ching which is an old method of divination in which coins or sticks are randomly shaken to produce lines making up the trigram. The I-Ching is then used to interpret the meaning of the combination of trigrams.

References in popular culture

A DHARMA logo appearing at the beginning of the film Cloverfield.

Main article: Outside references to Lost

In the season 3 episode 5 Initiation of NBC's The Office, Dwight asks Ryan a series of questions one of them being, "What is the DHARMA Initiative?"
The band Miniature Tigers has a T-shirt featuring the DHARMA logo, with a Tiger in the center.
In the sixth chapter of Half Life 2: Episode Two, Gordon Freeman can see a corridor behind a gas tank next to Uriah the vortigaunt, where the Swan's numbers input terminal can be seen opposite a concrete wall bearing a DHARMA logo with an unknown symbol (actually is the White Forest symbol, the rebel base where the game concludes).
At the beginning of Cloverfield there is a Dharma initiative symbol on the video of the night of the Monster Attack of New York.

Trivia

The DHARMA Initiative closely resembles the NICE (National Institute for Co-ordinated Experiments) from That Hideous Strength, the final volume of C.S. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy. Both were scientific societies whose members lived and worked together, whose lower recruits believed their aims were purely noble and scientific and whose upper echelons seemed to have knowledge of secret matters (In Lost, the energy beneath the Orchid, in Lewis's book, the Macrobes) which they intended to exploit. Both groups did experiments on bears, which escaped captivity when the groups' activities collapsed, when purged by a group of people hostile to their aims, who defended nature and objected to scientific exploitation. The names of both societies are acronyms, which hint toward applied science.
The acronym for DHARMA is similar to DARPA, the acronym for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency which funds classified and often quite exotic research for the United States government. [6]
During DJ Dan's 7/05 podcast, a listener by the name of Anthony called in saying that in the 70s his grandmother joined what he thought was a cult. He said that the cult was called the "KARMA Imperative", although he probably meant to say the DHARMA Initiative but simply misspoke the name. According to Anthony's story, his grandmother joined the "KARMA Imperative" while attending the University of Michigan and was taken to an unknown location in the South Pacific and was never seen again, declared dead.
- In DJ Dan's First Live Podcast of August 11, 2006, Dan identified Keith Strutter as the guitarist and founder of Geronimo Jackson, and noted that Strutter's previous band was called The Karma Imperative.
Capitalization: Since DHARMA is an acronym (source: The Lost Experience), its proper spelling is in all capital letters. However the canonical exceptions using "normal caps" have been the welcome sign at the submarine arrival dock in "The Man Behind the Curtain", as well as ABC press release for that episode that lists the three characters, Dharma Welcomer, Dharma Rep. 1 and Dharma Rep. 2.
The backs of the Official Jigsaw Puzzles revealed that the "D.I.H.G." notations on the blast door map stands for DHARMA Initiative Hanso Group.

Unanswered questions

Unanswered questions
Do not answer the questions here. Keep the questions open-ended and neutral: do not suggest an answer. More details...

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: DHARMA Initiative/Theories

Why have the DHARMA food drops continued after the Purge?
Why did DHARMA study the particular fields that it did?
How many stations and other facilities did the Initiative build?
Why couldn't DHARMA coexist with the island's original inhabitants?
Why did they label most of their food, and other supplies, with the Swan station logo?
When did DHARMA find the Island?
Why are there four DHARMA logo "pyramids" on the Ajira Airways boarding pass?