Ah, Deepak Chopra. Seems most people love him or hate him.

There’s got to be a middle way!

…The other day we posted a Dharma-Burger item about Deepak’s new “Buddha” comic book, which is coming out soon through Virgin Comics and was developed with his son Gotham. It’s actually one of several stories that Chopra & Son are developing to bring Indian mythology to the world of comix.

The item was sent with a fairly mocking tone by one of the Horse’s readers. That’s cool — he’s got an opinion, and ain’t nothin’ wrong with that. And he’s not alone in thinking that old D.C. is dubious. Chopra may be considered a media heavyweight — what with his zillions of books, his Sirius radio show, and all the other concerns that make up the Deepak Empire. But many in the Buddhist world think of him as a lightweight. He’s a dabbler. A dilettante. He oversimplifies things. Or so the litany goes.

Maybe that’s all true. I personally have never been attracted enough to his approach to actually read one of his books. But I have checked out an interview or two, so it’s not like I have absolutely no idea what he’s about. And last night I got a welcome additional bit of perspective, thanks to the Sundance Channel’s consistently great show, Iconoclasts.

The device of Iconoclasts is that it follows a day shared between two surprisingly like-minded celebrities or otherwise-notables. One pairing from last season, for example, was Dave Chappelle and Maya Angelou. The episode currently running is one featuring Deepak Chopra and… comedian Mike Myers. That’s right:

“Party on, Wayne!”
“Party on, Deepak!”

If you’ve been visiting the Horse for a while this pairing may not come as a total surprise. About a year ago we ran a Link of the Moment that brought readers to a story about Myers’ slightly controversial project, The Love Guru, which was described by Radar as Myers’ “latest racial romp,” featuring his character, the “Dharma” teacher Guru Pitka.

It turns out that, as with most things Myers parodies, this “Dharma” teacher is considered worthy of long hours in the makeup chair not because he represents something that the comedian wishes to belittle, but instead because he represents something that he’s fascinated with. (The incredibly silly Austin Powers films, you may recall, were made in homage to Myers’ dad and the love that both father and son had for British comedy and James Bond films.)

In the Iconoclasts episode, Myers relates that his father’s death started him on a sort of spiritual quest wherein he became interested in “higher states of consciousness,” and started reading Chopra’s books. That is, he started dabbling.

Now, I’m not going to pretend that I can even begin to judge Chopra’s legitimacy as a scholar — though watching him interact with Myers, he did seem to have a lot more off-hand knowledge and general commitment to what he does that many might think. He also seemed to be downright likable and even funny. One thing that’s clear about Deepak is this: scholar or no, he’s the dabbler’s Pied Piper. He delivers his messages about health, spirituality, God, and meditation in a way that’s as simple as can be.

And that’s cool.

Why is that cool? Because you have to start somewhere, and we all, pretty much, start out as dabblers. Example: let’s say you’re a Buddhist (which you may very well be if you’re reading this). Think back to what got you interested in the Dharma. For many people, a major, heavy life event is a big part of what prods them onto the path. That may have been true for you, but it’s not unlikely that something else played a role: Buddhism’s message had somehow been, in one way or another, delivered to you in a way that you could understand enough to want to know more. It might have been a very clear book with a funky, surprising title. It might have been a piece of art, anything from an intricate Buddha statue to an arresting piece of Dharma-graffiti on the street. Hell, it might have even been seeing The Matrix. It’s all okay, as long it helps you to start taking a good, clear look at the content and potential of your mind. Whatever works.

For Mike Myers, what worked was what Deepak Chopra had to say. Maybe he does oversimplify things sometimes. But Chopra’s massive success indicates that what he’s doing does in fact work on at least an introductory level, and it’s cool that there’s someone out there who’s so skilled at talking about the things he talks about in such a clear and friendly way. You may scoff at his recent novel, in which he fictionalized the Buddha’s life, or at his attempt to do the same in comic-book form. But here’s the thing: these things will be bought and read by people who might have never even considered buying anything like them. If they seem too lightweight for you, that’s because they are too lightweight — for you.

But Chopra’s Buddha comic book (for example) could turn out to be, for some, the first dipping of their toes into the stream of Dharma. (It’s not a stretch to imagine a young comix fan reading it and deciding that he or she would like to know more.) And should these folks choose to go deeper, they’ll find that there’s a boundless universe of Dharma teachers, teachings, and scholars out there just waiting for them — each potentially perfect for every new moment and question that arises in their lives.

Some — many, of course — will not choose to go deeper, much to less dive in. But when it comes to the Dharma, it’s better to have dipped your toes into the stream just once than to have never even been told that it’s there.

Isn’t it?