The Arrow Metaphor
& the GAIA Initiative
The seeds of Pragmatic Buddhism began in early Buddhist philosophy and align with the holistic message expounded by the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. In the Madhyamagama Sutra the Buddha answers why one takes the Buddhist path when it does not answer many of the kinds of "metaphysical" questions answered by other popular worldviews and religions. In his answer, he also gives us an important insight into the direction we should point our minds, that we should avoid arguing over questions that have nothing to do with our current world and human situation, and questions that, because of their personal, subjective nature have no answers at all.
To establish the context, the Buddha has been asked about several "metaphysical" questions, which he refuses to answer, and not because he has a secret knowledge of them--he denies he has any "privileged" knowledge-but because these particular questions are fundamentally unknowable by human beings and our limited minds. The questions pertain to the origin of the Universe, the existence of a soul, and what happens to a person after death. The Buddha's pragmatic message is simple, he says that we could waste our time arguing over the answers to such questions, but that since they are unknowable by the human mind, we would ultimately die before any resolution would be agreed upon. Instead, says Siddhartha, we should look at what is in front of us and deal with the real problems at hand--social and political problems that can be remedied through our mindful action in this lifetime.
The Arrow Metaphor
"Suppose, Malunkyaputta, a man were wounded by an arrow thickly smeared with poison, and his friends and companions, his kinsmen and relatives, brought a surgeon to treat him. The man would say: 'I will not let the surgeon pull out this arrow until I know whether the man who wounded me was a khattiya, a brahmin, a merchant, or a worker.' And he would say: 'I will not let the surgeon pull out this arrow until I know the name and clan of the man who wounded me;...until I know whether the man who wounded me was tall, short, or of middle height;...until I know whether the man who wounded me was dark, brown, or golden-skinned;...until I know whether the man who wounded me lives in such a village, town, or city;...until I know whether the bow that wounded me was a long bow or a crossbow;...until I know whether the bowstring that wounded me was fiber, reed, sinew, hemp, or bark;...until I know whether the shaft that wounded me was wild or cultivated;...until I know with what kind of feathers the shaft that wounded me was fitted--whether those of a vulture, a heron, a hawk, a peacock, or a stork;...until I know what what kind of sinew the shaft that wounded me was bound--whether that of an ox, a buffalo, a deer, or a monkey;...until I know what kind of arrowhead it was that wounded me--whether spiked or razor-tipped or curved or barbed or calf-toothed or lancet-shaped.'
"All this would still not be known to that man, and meanwhile he would die."
(from "In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon" Ed. by Bhikkhu Bodhi)
What we can learn from this today
Pragmatism and Buddhism converge to point us to the issues in front of us. Both worldviews ask us to stop arguing over questions that really have no meaning, that are purely subjective, or that cannot be answered at all. Instead, as the GAIA Initiative hopes to show, there are serious issues that we can help fix through simple awareness, a reality check, and the willingness to extend our altruistic hand to our neighbors.
The seeds of Pragmatic Buddhism began in early Buddhist philosophy and align with the holistic message expounded by the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. In the Madhyamagama Sutra the Buddha answers why one takes the Buddhist path when it does not answer many of the kinds of "metaphysical" questions answered by other popular worldviews and religions. In his answer, he also gives us an important insight into the direction we should point our minds, that we should avoid arguing over questions that have nothing to do with our current world and human situation, and questions that, because of their personal, subjective nature have no answers at all.
To establish the context, the Buddha has been asked about several "metaphysical" questions, which he refuses to answer, and not because he has a secret knowledge of them--he denies he has any "privileged" knowledge-but because these particular questions are fundamentally unknowable by human beings and our limited minds. The questions pertain to the origin of the Universe, the existence of a soul, and what happens to a person after death. The Buddha's pragmatic message is simple, he says that we could waste our time arguing over the answers to such questions, but that since they are unknowable by the human mind, we would ultimately die before any resolution would be agreed upon. Instead, says Siddhartha, we should look at what is in front of us and deal with the real problems at hand--social and political problems that can be remedied through our mindful action in this lifetime.
The Arrow Metaphor
"Suppose, Malunkyaputta, a man were wounded by an arrow thickly smeared with poison, and his friends and companions, his kinsmen and relatives, brought a surgeon to treat him. The man would say: 'I will not let the surgeon pull out this arrow until I know whether the man who wounded me was a khattiya, a brahmin, a merchant, or a worker.' And he would say: 'I will not let the surgeon pull out this arrow until I know the name and clan of the man who wounded me;...until I know whether the man who wounded me was tall, short, or of middle height;...until I know whether the man who wounded me was dark, brown, or golden-skinned;...until I know whether the man who wounded me lives in such a village, town, or city;...until I know whether the bow that wounded me was a long bow or a crossbow;...until I know whether the bowstring that wounded me was fiber, reed, sinew, hemp, or bark;...until I know whether the shaft that wounded me was wild or cultivated;...until I know with what kind of feathers the shaft that wounded me was fitted--whether those of a vulture, a heron, a hawk, a peacock, or a stork;...until I know what what kind of sinew the shaft that wounded me was bound--whether that of an ox, a buffalo, a deer, or a monkey;...until I know what kind of arrowhead it was that wounded me--whether spiked or razor-tipped or curved or barbed or calf-toothed or lancet-shaped.'
"All this would still not be known to that man, and meanwhile he would die."
(from "In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon" Ed. by Bhikkhu Bodhi)
What we can learn from this today
Pragmatism and Buddhism converge to point us to the issues in front of us. Both worldviews ask us to stop arguing over questions that really have no meaning, that are purely subjective, or that cannot be answered at all. Instead, as the GAIA Initiative hopes to show, there are serious issues that we can help fix through simple awareness, a reality check, and the willingness to extend our altruistic hand to our neighbors.
