The
Core Features of
Pragmatic
Dharma
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.
