Why Eclectic?

Let me tell you a short story . . . Once, when The Buddha was out walking, he came to the town of Kesaputta of the Kalamas.   Now the Kalamas of Kesaputta had a burning question.  They had been visited by many preachers.  One would come and preach then then "disparage, debunk, revile and vilify the doctrines of others."  This preacher would be followed by another who would teach a different doctrine and attack the teachings of the others . . . and the cycle kept repeating itself over and over.  I live in a town where there seems to be a church on almost every street corner, and sometimes there are four, one on each corner.  M many of my friends feel like the Kalamas of Ksaputta.  They don't practice shamanism.

After describing the situation the Kalamas of Kesaputta said to The Buddha, we are perplexed, "which of these good ascetics speak the truth and which speak falsehood?"   The Buddha proceeded to give them a couple of tests that are just as valid today as they were at the time of The Buddha.  First, The Buddha told them what to avoid:

• Don't go by oral tradition.  Just because "they" say it is true, don't believe that it is really true.
• Don't go by lineage of teaching.  Just because something has been around for a long time and has been passed from person-to-person doesn't make it true, it just makes it old.  In fact, as it was passed from person-to-person it probably was changed and the original message was corrupted.
• Don't go by hearsay.  Just because someone's best friend's father said that it is true doesn't make it true.
• Don't go by a collection of texts.  Just because someone wrote it down in a book, even if the book is really, really, really old, doesn't make it true, it just means that it has been written down.
• Don't go by logical argument, inferential reasoning, or reasoned thinking.  Just because someone can build a good logical argument about something doesn't mean that it is true or that it works. Think about all of the "good" logic that went into proving that the world was flat.

If we can't use all of the "traditional truth tests" then how do we decide what to do?  

The Buddha (above) told the Kalamas of Kesaputta what not to rely on.  In essence he told them not to rely on blind faith.  Rather, he told them to rely on personal experience; try it out, see if it works.  He told them, "But when you know for yourselves, 'These things are wholesome; these things are blameless; these things are praised by the wise; these things, if undertaken and practiced, lead to welfare and happiness,' then you should engage them."

Did you notice what The Buddha didn't say to the Kalamas of Kesaputta?  He didn't say, "My way is the only way.  My way is the right way.  Ignore the others and follow me!"  He said to try it out and see if it works.  Make an evidenced-based decision, not a faith-based one.  I like that. I can live with that.  And, that is why I practice eclectic shamanism.  If a practice or concept makes sense to me and it works consistently (for me) then I add it to my tool kit.  If it doesn't make sense, or doesn't give consistent, expected results then I discard it.

What makes sense to me and what works for me may not be the same for you.  I do think that there are some core ideas and practices that seem to be pretty universal.  However, I encourage you to practice, try new things out, and find what works best for you.  I don't want to you practice my shamanism, I want you to practice yours so explore, have fun, and make it yours.

And that, my friends, is why I practice eclectic shamanism,

Dr. Dave