http://www.buddhistgeeks.com/2011/06/the-core-features-of-pragmatic-dharma/
[This article is part of a currently-in-progress resource
for meditation practitioners entitled Pragmatic Dharma : A
Digital Guidebook]
Pragmatic Dharma is a modern
approach to the path of awakening. It pulls from the time-tested
teachings and practices of the Buddhist tradition, but is
simultaneously infused with a modern mindset that isn’t afraid to
tinker with the traditional formulation. Pragmatic Dharma, at its
core, is about asking the question: What works?
If something doesn’t work, then it’s relinquished. If it works,
it’s used. If something else works better—at certain times or for
certain people—then we go with that. In that way Pragmatic Dharma
is a completely practical way of approaching the spiritual
path.
That said, this approach begins with the Buddhist tradition as a
starting point. Buddhism has one of the most exhaustive collections
of theory and practice to help enact spiritual transformation. It’s
built upon thousands of years of individual experimentation,
trial-and-error, and success. Many people have used this system to
train their minds, awaken their hearts, and manifest deep wisdom.
For this reason we use it as a starting point, respecting the deep
streams of knowledge that our own exploration rides upon.
The Relationship of Theory and Practice
Pragmatic Dharma includes a collection of helpful theories and
practices. At the same time it is a particular way of approaching
theory and practice. If we look at the word “pragmatic” we see that
it stems directly from Western philosophy. This is a description,
from
Wikipedia, of one of the defining features of pragmatism in the
Western tradition:
The pragmatist proceeds from the basic premise that the human
capability of theorizing is integral to intelligent practice.
Theory and practice are not separate spheres; rather, theories and
distinctions are tools or maps for finding our way in the
world.
If we look at what theory is, it’s essentially an abstraction,
or representation, of direct experience. It’s a way for us to take
our understanding and transmit, through the medium of ideas, the
same understanding to another person. Language is such an important
innovation, because it allows us to do this.
Because theory is an abstraction or representation, without
directly experiencing, or really understanding what these things
are pointing too, abstractions can remain just that. We all know
people who confuse concepts about reality with reality itself. One
need only bring to mind a know-it-all scholar or nerd to see living
examples of what happens when we emphasize theory over
practice.
The flip side of emphasizing theory over practice, is in
emphasizing practice over theory. Many people conclude that all you
need to do is practice and you’ll figure out everything by
yourself. But how do you understand why you’re practicing or learn
to practice?
If you emphasize practice too much you can get what Tibetan
meditation master Chogyam Trungpa called “dumb meditators”—people
who don’t understand what they’re doing or why. They never really
got what they were supposed to be looking for, so they spin out
endlessly doing a practice, which leads to something interesting,
but not to what was intended.
Another pitfall of leaving out theory is that we find it
difficult to integrate the experiences we’ve had into their lives.
We have trouble because we are rejecting the importance of the
thinking mind. Our complex mental abilities and highly developed
brains are what make us distinctly human. Without complex thought
it’s unlikely that we’d even be able to ask ourselves the important
spiritual questions. Homo sapien is latin for “knowing
man” or “wise man.” It can be a disaster if we throw out the “wise”
part of our evolutionary heritage.
What’s encouraging is that if we can these helpful theories
into practice, using them as maps to help us find our way,
then we get into the business of having direct experiences
ourselves. Through doing this we become internal scientists, and
can begin to confirm, reject, and even build upon the theories
we’ve been handed. Theories are alive and open-ended when we can
test their validity. They are not the end point but rather the
starting point for an incredible journey.
Awakening is Possible
At the center of this whole approach is the shining gem of
Awakening. Awakening is often experienced as a process—sometimes
rapid and sometimes more progressive—by which the sense of personal
identity is radically transformed. Identity begins as a small,
separate, and localized phenomenon that is always in reference to
my body, my emotions, my perception, and
my self. Through questioning the very assumptions this
sense of identity rests upon it transforms to a more expansive,
open-ended, and constantly changing situation, one that can
simultaneously include us, but which goes beyond us as well. This
shift brings an incredible sense of internal freedom,
expansiveness, and well-being.
To say that Awakening is possible is to say that we acknowledge
from the beginning that this transformation, which has been
described and taught by people for millennia, is a real possibility
for us. It isn’t something that happened to someone else a long
time ago, or happens only for special people, but is a living
potential for us. If we don’t believe it’s possible, than it’s
highly unlikely we’ll be able to marshal the resources to begin the
journey, let alone to arrive at the “destination” of abiding
awakening.
Maps are Helpful
Along with recognizing that awakening is possible, another key
feature of Pragmatic Dharma is that we recognize that there are
helpful maps which describe some of the underlying patterns of
spiritual development. The specifics of our experience can vary
quite a bit, but the underlying pattern of spiritual development
appears to be hardwired into our biology and psychology. These deep
patterns form the basis for the maps which describe the Stages of
Concentration and the Stages of Insight and Awakening.
At the same time, we hold these maps as useful pointers only,
not as ultimate truths. It’s important to not completely give over
our authority to someone else’s theory, as convincing as it may be,
but to verify for ourselves what is true, what works, and what does
not. This is another way in which Pragmatic Dharma stands apart
from more traditional faith-based approaches.
Reality-Testing is Crucial
What happens if we’re willing to question and test the various
assumptions and ideals that we bring to the spiritual path? What
happens if we question the ideals and models that come from the
spiritual traditions? Reality testing is the constant commitment to
holding in question our own beliefs and theories, and those of
others, until we can test and verify things for ourselves. Even
once we’ve done so, reality testing invites us to continue holding
open the door for new information or experiences to transform our
understanding. Reality testing is a way to live in concert with
change.
A wonderful example of reality testing comes from the Western
scientist and philosopher Galileo Galilei. Often referred to as
“the father of modern science” Galileo was well-known for turning
the geocentric view of the earth on its head—the belief that the
earth is at the center of the universe. By using a high-powered
telescope and observing the movement of various celestial bodies he
discovered that the sun was at the center of the observable
universe. This became known as the heliocentric view, and serves as
the basis for what we now refer to as our “solar system.” Galileo
used direct observation to discover something new. And by doing
this he completely upended the theories of his day.
Reality testing doesn’t happen just on a personal level, but
also happens within a community of peers. There is much we can
learn alone, but we can’t ultimately do it by all ourselves. Even
Galileo was standing on the shoulders of hundreds of years of
scientific exploration and developing technology. So we use
everything that has come before us, as well as our peers and
mentors to help refine our own observations and understandings. Or
to put it in a more humorous way, as Kenneth
Folk once did, we recognize that “enlightenment is a team
sport.”
Openness & Transparency For the Win!
The final principle of Pragmatic Dharma is that openness and
transparency beat out secrecy and dogma every time. When
information is accessible we don’t have to reinvent the wheel
ourselves. We can quickly learn from others and build upon that
learning. And instead of relying on some special empowerment or
secret instruction we have all the information we need to begin. We
treat each other like adults, who can handle complexity, rather
than like children, who often need information pre-digested for
them.
An environment of openness and transparency can also allow us to
reveal things about our experience that we might not otherwise
reveal. Often our cutting edge lies in the areas that are most
difficult to explore or see. When we value openness and
transparency we don’t have to be as afraid of going into those
areas. There is an incredible power that gets unlocked through
doing this.
Another thing that happens, especially as a community, if we
preference openness and transparency, is that authority begins to
become more widely distributed. Instead of authority only being at
the top of a hierarchy, with the founders of a tradition, or the
senior teachers or lineage holders, authority also rests in the
hands of regular people. Everyone who can realize something for
themselves and share what they’ve gleaned is a source of spiritual
wisdom. And this massively distributed authority is not a flat,
“everyone is equal” point of view. Rather it’s a naturally flowing
hierarchy of knowledge and skill, which is inherently dynamic and
flexible.
When everyone in a community is more empowered to learn and
share it creates an incredible positive feedback loop of
enthusiasm, skill, and energy. People become more invested in what
they’re doing and more empowered to embody their own wisdom. And
because we haven’t thrown out a recognition of varying levels of
depth there’s a constant stream of checks and balances throughout
the system, which if set up properly can become self-regulating. Of
course, this is the ideal, and with all ideals reality-testing
again becomes important. But these principles have been enacted
well in other systems and we can learn a lot from them. Indeed, I
would say that if we ever want to have a shot at modernizing the
path of awakening, we’ll have to.