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Perennial Pedagogy PERENNIAL PEDAGOGY by Anne Dhir A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto © Copyright by Anne Dhir 2008 Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-39803-6 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-39803-6 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Plntemet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non­ sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. Canada PERENNIAL PEDAGOGY Doctor of Philosophy 2008 Anne Dhir Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning University of Toronto Abstract "Life presents us with but one book to write, the story of our existence." White, 1999, p. 67 This is a qualitative study that explores the theoretical and practical foundation of an education that is grounded in the perennial understanding. The timeless and boundless perennial understanding, commonly known as 'the perennial philosophy' has been a part of the wisdom traditions for centuries. This philosophy can significantly contribute towards deeper and meaningful lives if brought into the educational milieu. This study is, therefore, an attempt to contribute to developing theories about holistic education, which has perennial philosophy as its philosophical underpinning, and to a growing but still partial understanding of the scope of the perennial philosophy within the educational environment. The study is carried out by examining how such a pedagogy would operate and what the pedagogical consequences for those involved and for society at large would be. In this work I will refer to such an education as 'perennial pedagogy'. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A heartfelt and deep gratitude to Dr. Jack Miller who supervised this work. Along with him, I would like to thank the two members of the thesis committee who crossed my path as a blessing, Dr. Solveiga Miezitis and Dr. Mary Beattie. Each of them guided and inspired me deeply in their own gentle way. This work would not have materialized if it were not for these three great yet humble souls. I would also like to extend my ernest appreciation to Susan Allen who graciously offered her editorial contribution. in I dedicate this work to all beings. IV CONTENTS ABSTRACT II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS III CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 The Study 5 Chapters to Follow 9 Significance of this Work 10 Origin of Interest 13 Encountering a Saintly Figure 17 Conclusion 21 CHAPTER 2: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PERENNIAL PHILOSOPHY 22 The Origin of The Perennial Philosophy 23 Demystifying Mysticism 25 Spirituality/Religion: An exploration 28 The Importance of The Perennial Philosophy Today 35 Conclusion 39 CHAPTER 3: CONCEPTIONS OF THE PERENNIAL PHILOSOPHY 40 The Metaphysical Approach: Aldous Huxley 40 The Transpersonal Approach: Ken Wilber 43 The Wholeness Approach: Anna Lemkow 48 The Transcendental Approach: Ralph Waldo Emerson 51 The Transrational Approach: Jorge Ferrer 54 The Spiritual Approach: Roger Walsh 56 The Personal Approach to Perennial Understanding 60 A Critique of The Perennial Philosophy 64 Conclusion 70 CHAPTER 4: EMBODIMENTS OF THE PERENNIAL EXPRESSION 71 Mahatma Gandhi 71 Mother Teresa 78 The Dalai Lama 82 Conclusion 88 CHAPTER 5: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PERENNIAL PHILOSPOSHY IN EDUCATION 89 The Current State of Education 89 Holistic Education 98 Inspirational Holistic Educators 102 V Maria Montessori 102 Jiddu Krishnamurti 105 Parker Palmer 109 Conclusion Ill CHAPTER 6: PERENNIAL PEDAGOGY 113 The Inception of Perennial Pedagogy 113 The Integration of Perennial Inquiry and Pedagogy: A Literary Review 114 The Characteristics of Perennial Pedagogy 118 Innate Spiritual Realization in Pedagogy 118 Mutual Development in Perennial Pedagogy 122 A Reconceptualization of Pedagogy 127 Life Pedagogy 129 Glimpses of Perennial Pedagogy 135 Conclusion 140 CHAPTER 7: PERENNIAL PEDAGOGY IN PRACTICE 142 Contemplative Pedagogy 145 Storytelling 146 Metaphors 146 Journal writing 147 Listening 148 Questioning 148 Dialogue 149 Arts 150 Nature 151 Visualization 153 Seeing self in others 154 Meditational Pedagogy 155 Exploring Meditation 156 Benefits of Meditation 161 Implementation of Meditation 164 Pauses or Stilling 166 Counting Meditation 167 Concentration Meditation 169 Last Call Meditation 170 Body Scan Meditation 171 Eating Meditation 172 Walking Meditation 172 Loving-Kindness Meditation 173 Deep Meditative Awareness 174 Some noteworthy points of clarification regarding meditation 174 Mindfulness 177 Mindfulness meditation for all day 182 Silence 185 Conclusion 187 VI CHAPTER 8: TRANSIMMANENCE OF PERENNIAL PEDAGOGY 188 Humility 189 Compassion 194 Humor 203 An Awakening World 206 Global Transformation 207 Living it 209 Eternal Now 212 Conclusion 222 CONCLUSION 223 BIBLIOGRAPHY 230 GLOSSARY 263 VII IF THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS, CEWNHtf, \ WS THE I REMT AK1 QUESTIONS FRMKU, I'D LAKE TO HNfE. VtE'U. MOVE ON TO WE NEXT CA.LMIN. I POINT OF NSCWT TUE SUBAtCI AT UNAO TUE VS5UE RESOWED BEFOfcE CUJtfTER WUW \S IT?/ HOMW I EXPENO /W MORE ENEBS^ EXVSTCNCE? ONTW5. \y ^^L vm CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION "If we were lucky enough, we would find the right question, rather than the right answer." Macy & Rothberg, 1994, p. 25 This chapter introduces this study in terms of its conceptual framework, importance, and how it emerged as a result of my grandfather's inspiration of many years. My grandfather's embodied teachings of the perennial philosophy, even though he did not refer to it as such, transformed my whole being, which in turn, opened a venue for exploring my understanding within an academic setting. Ponderings like "Who am I" and "Why am I here" have stirred the human psyche since the dawn of human existence. In such a universe of uncertainties, ambiguities and complexities, one travels a path 'to understand'. On this path, one first becomes aware of the very existence of these complexities, and then perhaps tries to understand the origin and underlying processes of these complexities. Here it is important to note the difference between just knowing and understanding. " Zeno Vendler (1984) contrasts knowing and understanding. "To understand," he posits, "it may not be enough to know" (p. 204, cited in Wolcott, 1990, p. 147). Understanding may be considered a humble attempt at grasping matters in comparison to claiming to know matters. Sam Crowell (2003) notes, "Understand is such a humble word. Under - Stand, standing under something" (Crowell & Reid, 2003). I am one such traveler, who has, like many others, deeply embraced the passion to humbly understand the mysteries of existence. It is this passion 'to understand' which is the driving force behind my in depth research inquiry and its validation. Hirsch (1976) supports, "The process of understanding is itself a process of validation" (p. 33). l 2 Popkewitz (1990) adds that the debates about discovery versus verification often obscure more than they clarify matters (cited in Paul & Marfo, 2001, p. 528). Understanding the phenomenon of existence may perhaps be the key of being. We all journey through life trying to find our way. Sometimes it seems that all we do is coast along. Sometimes we feel the struggle of wondering which way to go. But whatever the nature of our wandering, this journey is ultimately a human struggle that has been present since the dawn of our history. Even if we are raised in a particular tradition, at some point it is likely that we will question its substance and application to our life. This process can't be done by anyone else. We stand alone as we measure the course of our lives (Sam Crowell cited in Miller & Nakagawa, 2002, p. 13). There is, however, an ancient collective stream of thought that encompasses the essential core of the world spiritual wisdoms that addresses questions of existence. Here, it is imperative to explain my interpretation of the terms 'religion' and 'spirituality'. When the teachings of spiritually awakened beings become institutionalized, they usually become the core teachings of 'religion'. Spong (2005) calls religion "a security symbol". "The spirituality that emerges spontaneously at a certain stage of experiential self- exploration should not be confused with the mainstream religions and their beliefs, doctrines, dogmas, and rituals" (Grof, 1988, p. 269). In other words, sacredness in its theoretical form is religion, and in its experiential form, is spirituality. Roger Walsh (1999) confirms: The word religion has many meanings; in particular it implies a concern with the sacred and supreme values of life.
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