Dharma Art's Influence on Social Presencing Theater
A Personal Account
Today I want to share a story with you—one that has deeply influenced my work as a facilitator of Social Presencing Theater (SPT) and, I believe, will resonate with many of you on your own journeys. It's a story about the profound impact of the Dharma Art Program, an extraordinary body of work provided by Arawana Hayashi.
My personal journey with Dharma Art began in the spring of 2019 during some inspiring days of a gathering of advanced SPT practitioners in Denmark. Under Arawana’s guidance, I gained my first glimpse into the “threefold logic of heaven, earth, and human” and the “four energies” of Dharma Art. This initial experience opened up an entirely new field for me—a way to explore and understand Social Presencing Theater from a deeper, more artistic perspective.
This profound new insight, combined with my work teaching SPT at the Alanus Campus, sparked an idea that felt both inspiring and essential: I had to invite Arawana to hold a multi-day Dharma Art program there. My aim was not just to bring a program to Europe, but to anchor SPT more firmly in an artistic environment. Arawana shared this vision, and soon, we started co-creating a new path.
The History and Evolution of the Dharma Art Program
Following these foundational insights, the formal journey of the Dharma Art Program, though initially envisioned as an in-person experience, unexpectedly began online in 2020. This shift was a direct response to the emerging pandemic and the enthusiastic feedback from participants of an introductory session. Faced with the necessity of postponing the physical program twice, participants expressed a strong desire to keep their engagement alive, spontaneously asking, "Why can't we have more of these online sessions? They are so enriching." Thus, the first "Coming to Our Senses" session launched in November 2020. These online sessions truly proved to be a wonderful enrichment during the pandemic, helping us stay connected in a deeply moving way.
We launched the program with 90-minute online sessions. We quickly realized, however, that the work required more space, more time to go in-depth. The program was extended to two hours and has since evolved over several seasons and modules, both online and in-person at the Alanus Campus in Alfter, Germany. Each session is unique because it's not a rigid curriculum; it’s a living, breathing experience where different people and social fields immerse themselves in Dharma Art.
The content of the sessions was born out of Arawana’s strong experience with Dharma Art, which is rooted in the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. He saw art not as mere self-expression, but as a vehicle for cultivating a more human and flourishing society. It’s this very vision that lies at the heart of the program.
Dharma Art: A Deeper Source for SPT
For those of you familiar with SPT, we know it is an "awareness-based social art form." Dharma Art, in my experience, provides the fundamental groundwork for this practice. It teaches us to bring forth the "basic goodness of individuals, relationships, and society" and to cultivate a nourishing society through art that fosters "basic sanity, basic health, and basic wisdom."
I’ve found that SPT contributes to this vision by emphasizing "collective creativity" and the "cultivation of social fields." But Arawana’s teaching goes even further, highlighting a crucial insight: art is not just self-expression but a mirror of the artist’s inner state and mindfulness. The Dharma Art Program has given me the tools to cultivate these fundamental qualities, which are, for me, essential for genuine social transformation.
Three Key Concepts that Deepened My Practice
Engaging with the Dharma Art program has transformed my facilitation, personal practice and day-to-day life. Three concepts, in particular, deeply enriched my perception and understanding:
1. Non-Aggression: Releasing the Struggle
Dharma Art defines non-aggression as a core principle that goes beyond the mere absence of anger. It's about a "release from struggle" and letting go of a "dissatisfaction with this moment of experience.” As change-makers in SPT, we naturally want to see change, but this desire can often lead to a subtle feeling of impatience or dissatisfaction with the current moment. Cultivating non-aggression through Dharma Art has strengthened my ability to enable "fresh innovation" and emergent wisdom by accepting the moment as it is, without trying to force an outcome.
2. Ma (Space or Gap) and Isness
The Dharma Art Program has been invaluable in deepening my understanding of the concepts of Ma (間)—"space or gap"—and Isness—"all-pervasive awareness in the present moment.” Ma is the emptiness or the space between things, a place of awareness and openness. These concepts have helped me to facilitate from a state of "not knowing" and to allow "something to arise from spacious possibility." The practice of Isness reminds me that whatever I do, “something is happening,” and there is no separation between the medium and me—whether it's cooking, washing dishes, or facilitating a workshop. It’s all part of the creative process.
3. Loyalty to Sense Perceptions
Dharma Art cultivates "loyalty and faithfulness to sense perceptions", teaching us to “experience the world without preconceptions.” For an SPT practitioner, this sharpened sensory awareness—which involves “suspending or letting go of everything we think”—is crucial. It has enhanced my "Level Four Listening," allowing me to more accurately perceive the "social body" or the openness of the space without immediate conceptual filtering. The goal is simple yet profound: to distinguish sensory knowing from what we think about it or how we interpret it.
Bringing Artistry into Everyday Life Through Practice
The beauty of Dharma Art is that it's not about a separate set of practices; it’s about integrating its principles into our everyday lives. The exercises in the online program make these principles tangible and embodied.
For example, the "Coming to Our Senses" practice, where participants engage with an object through smell or taste, allows a spontaneous gesture to arise, and then express a word that emerges, brings the body into conversation with the sensory experience.
Another powerful exercise is "Art in Everyday Life," which demonstrates how seemingly ordinary experiences like mindfully preparing tea become a continuous creative process.
In the "Heaven, Earth, and Human" session, participants learn to create both calligraphy and flower arrangements that embody these three principles: Heaven representing vision and space, Earth for groundedness and practicality, and Human as the integrating heart. This exercise perfectly illustrates how to bring harmony to our work and life.
And finally, the "Limitations of Self-Expression" practice, which involves brushing simple calligraphic marks, teaches us to distinguish between our "small s self" (limited by ego and concepts) and a "big S self" (emergent and fresh).
A Deeper Motivation: My Invitation to You
In a world full of global challenges, engaging with Dharma Art offers unique benefits. It’s a source of resilience, sustainable creativity, and personal well-being. Practices that emphasize "patience" and "open space" are a source of strength and courage. They help us pause and simply dwell in the here and now.
For me, the Dharma Art Program offers "additional learning" that goes beyond methodology. It's a way to explore the "mind-heart basis" of my practice and to recognize that any transformation starts with a fundamental shift in being.
I warmly invite all of you to participate in our future Dharma Art Programs. Module 2 begins in September 2025 with "The Limitations of Self Expression" and will continue with "Discipline and Spontaneity" and "Heaven, Earth, and Human.” All details can be found on Eventbrite. If you like to know more about the Dharma Art in-person program you might read my article about the 2024 program.
Now that I've shared my personal journey with Dharma Art, I'm very much interested in hearing about your experiences. I warmly invite you to reflect on your own insights and share them in the comments section below with our community:
What was a key insight or a "shift in being" you experienced during a Dharma Art program, perhaps through practices like the "Smell/Taste and Gesture" exercise or Calligraphy?
How has Dharma Art influenced your "artistry into everyday life" or deepened your capacity for "expression from openness" in your work or personal life?
I look forward to hearing your reflections!
Finally, I would like to give the floor to Arawana Hayashi once more, who has summarized the significance of Dharma Art as follows.
"In times of increasing global uncertainty, both socially and environmentally, Dharma Art offers an essential groundedness. These teachings provide a vital vision for the flourishing of all beings and society itself, by fostering basic sanity, health, and wisdom. It's about recognizing and celebrating everyone's innate creativity and cultivating a sense of clarity and warmth in our perception of the world. What I consistently find so profound and inspiring is the articulate and engaged participation in these programs. The collective journey and the deep insights that emerge truly bring these principles to life."
This content can be found on my website www.dirkbraeuninger.de in German
Participating in the Dharma Art course last year with Dirk Bräuninger and Arawana Hayashi was a deeply meaningful experience for me. The embodiment of the Five Buddha Qualities offered a profound lens into my own creative process and understanding the life’s philosophy. What struck me most was the power of differentiation—the subtle yet clear perception of change. Its like rearranging objects in a room and noticing how the energy and focus shift with each movement.
Moving collectively from intuition during the course felt like a shift in consciousness, a shared body poetry that opened new perspectives that are not yet to describe in words. I especially loved the group practice with the large natural brushes—connecting through MA, the space between, and then let the words emerge that matched the energy of our brushstrokes. That was poetry in motion.
The ink and calligraphy practice stayed with me the most. In the stillness, I could feel MA—pause, presence, and perceive my own rhythm. I learned that self-awareness is the true foundation of expression. If I’m not ready, I’m not ready. That realization was powerful, even as my impatience asks in everyday life sometimes, “How long will this last?”
Since the course, I’ve noticed myself speaking less and observing more. I still love words, but now I wait until they feel right. In moments of inner struggle, I return to MA and listen. It’s not always comfortable, but it’s real.
We often forget the beauty of isness in our adult lives. Watching a child draw freely reminds me of the importance of creative emergence. I try to return to that empty paper—tabula rasa—and reconnect with my source. It feels like aliveness.
I’m currently in a time of transition, and while it brings uncertainty, I’ve chosen to approach it differently. Instead of tirelessly searching for the next step, I pause and listen. That, too, is Dharma Art.