Characteristic vices or degenerations of practice

The way of Reasoned Inquiry

Basic description: The rational, dialectical struggle to transcend conventional patterns of thinking in the effort to attain understanding of, and consciousness-transforming insight into the ultimate what, how and why of things-that is, to bring together and unite, so far as possible, mind with the ultimate Mind and thereby acquire a portion of divine wisdom. It typically involves systematic study of a tradition’s scripture and previous attempts to articulate what is ultimately the case.

Characteristic virtues Characteristic vices

or excellences of practice or degenerations of practice

1. Competence: Knowledgeable and learned; master of authoritative scripture and traditional commentary; accomplished in intellectual concentration and analysis; patient and skillful in reasoning; adroit in intellectual debate; able to explain things well and simply to others.

2. Balance of finitude and infinitude: Wise; both theoretically and practically thoughtful; keenly sensitive to the larger picture (comprehensiveness of vision) coupled with appreciation for detailed structure; appreciative of depth, importance, and mystery as well as of the breadth, detail and rigor; sensitive to one’s own limitations and ignorance coupled with a passion to seek out understanding of the greatest truths; sensible that the deepest truths may transcend straightforward articulation and call for personal transformation to be apprehended and understood rightly.

3. Selflessness: Intellectually sincere; ready to change and develop one’s own thinking further when reason indicates; committed to the pursuit of truth and to making it known for its own sake, even at risk and cost to oneself; self-critical and open to taking in the sound criticism of others; committed to thinking things through for oneself and respectful of the need of others to think things through for themselves; hospitable to others’ ideas; patient with the pace of others understanding.

1. Shadow side of competence: ready to treat all problems as calling for an intellectual resolution; intellectualizing without heart.

2. Incompetence: Ignorant and ready to speak out of ignorance; reliant upon secondhand teachings (that have not been reasoned out and comprehended for oneself); possessed of unreasoned understandings (lacking in mental discipline, inconsistent, prone to logical mistakes, and sloppy in reasoning); inadequately acquainted with the authoritative sources and insufficiently learned in traditional commentary.

3. Imbalance: Loss of finitude: passionately preoccupied with the present focus of one’s intellectual quest, one’s own ideas, or one’s own perspective in a way that eclipses all other concerns, ideas, and perspectives (e.g., in intense intellectual debate); unable to distinguish one’s own idea of ultimate reality from ultimate reality itself; unaware and out of touch with one’s own limitation and ignorance.

4. Imbalance: Loss of infinitude: Lacking in passion for ultimate truth; unready for personal transformation in the quest for wisdom; unable to distinguish the heart of the matter from insignificant details; unable to distinguish genuine explanation from rationalization; intellectual heartless; pedantic; characterized by intellectual nit-picking and hair-splitting; tending to repeat and rehash existing ideas.

5. Egoism: Intellectually pretentious, intellectually hypocritical, or intellectually dishonest- i.e., using intellectual talent and understanding, or the appearance thereof, to conceal egoistic motivation or pursuit of material advantage; unready to own up to one’s own ignorance; overly defensive about one’s own ideas and thinking ( or those of one’s group), or unnecessarily aggressive towards those of other persons or groups.

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