Adaptation and authenticity

Impermanence and 'dependent arising' (the cause and effect of things) are two key principles that run through the dharma. This alone should be enough to lead us to be wary of anyone peddling 'the one true way' of practising dharma, including the prescriptive practices of Theravadin monks - themselves arising from a culture that differs to ours (especially in its value of lay practice and of women's practice in particular). Winton urges us to be alert to the subtle influences of values-laden traditions and, without losing the core principles, to adapt them to apply to the 'whole catastrophe' of our existence in the modern world.