{"id":2781,"date":"2012-04-30T11:00:18","date_gmt":"2012-04-30T10:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/integrationtraining.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2781"},"modified":"2012-04-30T11:00:18","modified_gmt":"2012-04-30T10:00:18","slug":"how-buddha-would-facebook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.integrationtraining.co.uk\/blog\/2012\/04\/how-buddha-would-facebook\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Buddha would Facebook"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is a tendency to see spirituality and technology, and health and work as in opposition. We escape to \u201cnature\u201d to \"\"<\/a>rejuvenate, have a \u201cjob\u201d and \u201cplay\u201d and bemoan the time we spend on e-mail and social media. This is problematic as I would like the time I send on such technology to not be wasted or harmful, but beneficial. It is part of modern life so why not make it into a healthy, even spiritual experience? I\u2019ve blogged before about how work can be a spiritual practice<\/a> and now I\u2019d like to playfully ask, \u201cHow would the Buddha use Facebook, Twitter and e-mail?\u201d If you prefer another spiritual tradition to Buddhism simply replace \u201cBuddha\u201d with \u201cJesus\u201d, \u201cthe tao\u201d, \u201cmother earth\u201d etc, as while these are not the same, they do tend to point in a very similar direction – the perennial philosophy. Here\u2019s the update. Forgive my wild presumption here these are just some guesses as to how the Buddha might Facebook, tweet and e-mail were he alive today, and some suggestions for making our own online activity more in keeping with this:
\nMindfully<\/strong>
\nIt all starts with awareness. You can\u2019t change what you are not noticing so bringing some more attention to our online activities is a good beginning. This may simply mean pausing for a breath before pressing send or posting \u201cnooooobbbb fail\u201d or whatever.
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Compassionately<\/strong>
\nFor a day why not try making everything you write online either compassionate o at least harmless. Sometimes it\u2019s easier to be mean when we can\u2019t see the effects of our actions or have embodied empathic resonance with our victims. This was less of an issue in Buddha\u2019s time when most communication<\/a> was face-to-face, and I\u2019m curious how he may have addressed this.
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Embodied<\/strong>
\nThe information-heavy modern world is very different from 500BC when most people were engaged in manual labour. These conditions create a disembodied state where most office-workers have lost contact with their bodies and therefore themselves. Regular brief body scans<\/a> or centring<\/a> while on the computer can be one solution.
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Ethically<\/strong>
\nSometimes described as \u201cenlightenment in a box\u201d ethics have sadly become almost old-fashioned sounding which is a shame as they are a powerful tool. What would it be like to e-mail according to Buddhist ethics or perhaps the ten commandments for example? (do not covert they neighbours\u2019 broadband\u201d may be an addition).
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Beautifully<\/strong>
\nSpirituality and ethics go hand in hand. What might a beautiful tweet be like? Haiku are a similar length and letter writing was once considered an art – how can we make<\/p>\n

…..
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Conclusion<\/strong>
\nI have a little heart sticker on my Macbook to remind me to be kind when I type, and the current Dali Lama said simply that \u201ckindness is my religion\u201d. And \u201chow can we be kind online\u201d is a major question for me? These are some ways we can start to bring technology and spirituality together and I look forward to hearing more at Wisdom 2.0<\/a> Business shortly, and sharing some of these ideas at an upcoming workshop I\u2019m co-leading with a Buddhist teacher in London<\/a> in the near future too.
\nIf you liked this video you may like to look at the following:<\/p>\n