The Dangers of Wisdom 2.0

This year, I chose to not attend the Wisdom 2.0 conference, but I watched from afar, and glanced at a few of the live streams. Wisdom 2.0 always inspires me to reflect on technology and its impact on mindfulness, and vice versa. While a heavy user of tech, I am also very skeptical, and somewhat concerned about what it's doing to me, and the billions of other social media enthusiasts. And here's why . . . 

It is so easy checking my Facebook or Twitter. Feeling bored, restless, annoyed? Rather than sitting with the feeling, I find myself reaching out for the black thingy, typing in the secret code, and going straight for the four familiar icons, one after the other, the white envelope, the green bubble, the little bird that never stops tweeting, and the big 'f'. Past the transient relief, the initial feeling is still there, and the mind has grown even more agitated. That stuff is bad. Same addictive qualities as smoking, or drinking, or eating junk, with one major difference. The addiction is more subtle, and hardly recognized by the outside world. We live in a hyper connected world that demands workers to be in touch 24/7, and encourages friends to text rather that talk live.

Many times before, including on this blog, I have sworn to placing limits on my habit, and it has not worked. The reason: I have overestimated my willpower. Fast reward 2500 years, to the Buddha's teachings back then, about the need to give up "the taking of liquors and intoxicants, of that which intoxicates, causing carelessness", and also "singing and dancing, the playing of musical instruments and the watching of entertainments, which are stumbling blocks to that which is wholesome". It is easy seeing how those instructions directly apply to our tech obsession. Social media is addictive, it also dulls our ability to be mindful. And if we are really intent on the path, we would do well to abandon it altogether.

It's been interesting watching contemporary dharma teachers and monastics. Some have refused to touch Facebook and Twitter. Others have eagerly jumped in with both feet, at the risk of embarrassing themselves with sometimes unskillful public displays. Yet others have let their students manage their social media presence so they don't have to be tempted. The bottom line is we are all struggling to find our way through this revolution. As with everything, the key is to fumble with awareness, and to not underestimate the risks, nor our vulnerability to this new form of intoxication and entertainment. The role of monasteries becomes even more important, as places of ultimate refuge where the mind can be left alone, without the threat of uninterrupted chatter from our various 'networks'.

What is your relationship with social media? Are you hooked? Or are you able to use those tools without unhealthy clinging? If so, please share. 

How Technology Can Really Help Me Stay Mindful

Almost every week now, a new mindfulness app comes out, with the goal to use tech to get me to practice more. I love mindfulness, I love tech. And I also think tech people have not yet figured out how to best serve people like myself. As with any new technology, the first thing is to figure out the psychology of the user. What is it that I need as a practitioner?

I will tell you first what I don't need. I do not need another fancy timer, the one in my iPhone is good enough. I do not need another website to go to, to find other fellows to sit with. I've got Twitter and #wannasit or #OMCru with the advantage of flexibility and simplicity. I do not need a counter to keep track of how many minutes I spend meditating. This is not a competition. I do not need tech to tell me when, where, how much, and with whom to practice.

Where tech can be helpful, though, is in mitigating the potential hazards from tech use itself. What I need are built in mechanisms for all the online worlds I visit, that remind me when I have gotten lost.  I want a google app that 'knows' and can warn me when I have been surfing mindlessly for too long. I want a Facebook app that lets me know when I have been spending a bit too much time looking at my friends' pages, or visited the site too many times in one day.  I want a Twitter app that keeps my visits to a predetermined (by me) number every day . . . Of course, there is a glitch. My intention to use tech more wisely goes in the face of advertisers' goals to keep me online longer, and outside of my habitual realms. 

What are your thoughts on mindfulness and tech?

Why Thoughts Matter So Much

Found in Twitter stream, this morning:

What we think or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only thing of consequence is what we do.~John Ruskin

I had to respond with a vehement no:

What we think has big influence on state of our mind and happiness, regardless of followed or not by actions.

Case in point, as I watched earlier the effect of a few unwholesome thoughts on my overall state. Mind darkening, stomach constricting, and increased unpleasantness. Each contributing to unnecessary suffering.

And why, it is so important to guard the mind, and clean it up whenever the hateful or angry thoughts sneak in:

Found a few unwholesome thoughts upon waking up - putting a halt and replacing instead with wise ones, taking care of mind.

Oh! the happiness of a purified mind . . .

A Very Angry Man

"soon, swimming #meditation at the Y - just being with experience of body moving through water, lap after lap after lap"

My swim started just as I had tweeted. Nothing like a fast swim to ground one in the present, registering the deafening noise of body kicking and slapping the water, being aware of taking in air in between strokes, and being with the subtle pain from back and shoulders stretching, stretching . . . meanwhile keeping track of the number of laps. 

Then, in the midst of  a turn, a sharp pain at the right ankle that brought me to an immediate stop. A big man had grabbed me forcefully, and was shouting at me that I did not know the rules, and that I should have stopped for him as he entered the lane. I recognized him from another similar interaction two years ago, and I reacted with a firm "You are so rude! You cannot do this." The man continued with his angry rant, and aggressive gestures. I remained calm, and was comforted by the rally of support from fellow swimmers and the lifeguard. I was told "This is not his first time. He is a very angry man. He's done the same thing with other people." I moved to the next lane, and resumed swimming. 

The energy of the interaction was still with me. I realized I was not done with my aggressor. Being mindful does not mean turning the other cheek. It means, standing for what is right, and in this case, taking measures so he would no longer spoil the safe sanctuary of the Y pool. Still swimming, I started to plot filing a report. A crowd assembled as  I wrote down my complaint by the side of the pool. The man was watching from behind his goggles. I looked at him 'in the eyes', and in silence wished him to find peace. 

Now, I have to be careful. To not fall into self-righteousness, and the illusion that I am so much better than 'him'. 

Wanna Sit?

Using Twitter and Facebook for Improv Sitting Meditations.

Something quite beautiful has been happening on Twitter, and Facebook also. Several times, I have let people know when I am about to sit, and invited them to join me. To my surprise, each time, one or several of them did just that.

Thanks to @WesternNovice, @espritrelax, @surfacebuddha, @Miko57 (and his two daughters, one age 6), @WalkingAwake, for joining via Twitter.

Thanks to Lori Wong, Alicia McLucas, Maia Duerr, for joining via Facebook.

A gift of impromptu sangha that has warmed my heart, and has given an extra boost to my practice, and hopefully my friends' practice also. 

Following @surfacebuddha 's nudge, 'Sitting is so much stronger when you know you're not alone. Let's keep it going, you inspire others', I would like to invite you to expand the ripple further. Next time you sit, don't keep it to yourself. Instead, tweet it, facebook it, and send out an invite. Suggested hashtag on Twitter: #wannasit?

Of course, you can also join the Online Meditation Crew and heed their daily calls. 

7 Ways to Scope Out a Good Buddhist on Twitter

Part of my morning ritual, is checking out new followers @minddeep, and deciding which ones to follow back. I have become pretty good at figuring out tweeples in a few seconds, just by taking a look at:

The picture:
Don't weird me out. Don't look too sexy. Smile. Even better, dress as a Buddhist monk (or nun) :)

The bio:
No new age-ish linguo, please. Instead sprinkle one of the magic words like 'meditation', 'Vipassana', 'zen', 'Buddhist', 'Dharma', etc

The website:
I prefer you don't sell stuff. I love it when you blog about the Dharma.

The ratio of 'followers' to 'following':
Greater than one usually tells me you've got something to say. But there are exceptions!

How recent is the activity?:
At least within the past month, and fairly frequent. Otherwise, how can I have a conversation with you?

List titles:
'Dharma', 'Buddhist', 'zen' lists tell me you are interested in the stuff.

The first page:
Do your tweets ooze mindfulness, loving kindness, authenticity, and Dharma intelligence?

Here is what I mean:

Any other ways, people use to discriminate who to let into their Twitter community of Dharma brothers and sisters?

Spiritual Quotes on Twitter, Anyone?

Here are the results of mini-survey I conducted on Twitter, regarding the use of spiritual quotes in tweets:

@NellaLou: No context. A bit like gorging on jelly beans. Momentary delight but lacking nourishment. 

@iamwun: yes, spiritual quotes help me enormously. Reminders that help me in staying tuned into the Main Current.

@tomotvos: I think there are enough "quote" services on Twitter. I look to my friends to give me more meaningful content.

@Thrine: they remind me of what is important and of letting go, most of the time.

@sharingair: don't help much. Personal experiences in everyday life are more what I look for on twitter.

@craftivista: I like Buddhist/spiritual quotes because they ground me throughout the day as I randomly catch them on my feed.

@Lalizlatina: spiritual quotes help to remind and ground me. I often forget to be mindful & practice loving kindness.

@AnthonyLawlor: Spiritual quotes help when they seem conscious. Mindless, mechanical quoting is numbing and not helpful.

A mixed bag, showing once more the multicolored nature of Twitter crowd.  Personally, I am more interested in Twitter as a channel for personal sharing. I draw much inspiration from others' heartfelt direct experiences, and rarely from random quotes, thrown in without any personal context to anchor them.

If you have not participated in survey, I would love to have you share your take here, in form of a comment.

In the Footsteps of the Elder Nuns

I have spent a lot of time lately, immersed 'In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon', by Bhikkhu Bodhi. This morning was the part where The Blessed One addresses householders, meaning lay folks like you and I. An interesting smorgasbord of patriarchal rants, mixed in with some good Dharma talk, which then led to an interesting thread on Twitter between @crazywisdom, @josephzizys, and myself:

minddeep: Continuing reading of 'In the Buddha's Words' - interesting to note Buddha's dated views on gender roles . . .

crazywizdom: although, to be fair, we don't know what the #Buddha said. We just have "the echoes of echoes" - as one C.19th #tibetan lama said

minddeep: I wish I could go back in time & hear firsthand what Buddha actually said, minus filter of male transcribers

crazywizdom: interesting #Buddhist text to be aware of is the therigatha - thought to be the songs of realisation of the 1st female arhats :-)

josephzizys: Here is the whole thing translated by one of the greatest Buddhist scholars of the Victorian era http://bit.ly/4x2MT4

josephzizys: And it is a fantastic and harrowing collection of real, humble and courageous womens experience of enlightenment.

Needless to say, I had to leave the Buddha, and spend some time in the company of the Elder Nuns, instead. And what a spiritual feast it was! Joseph was right. Ubbiri, the grieving mother,  Baddha Kapilani, the old woman, Vimala, the ex-prostitute, Mittakali, the wanderer, Canda, the homeless, Anopama, the millionaire's daughter, Gotami, the Buddha's stepmother, Gutta, the childless one, Punnika, the servant, . . . and my favorite, Mutta, the one who leaves her crooked old husband behind:

So freed! So thoroughly freed am I! 

from three crooked things set free:

from mortar, pestle,

and crooked old husband.

Having uprooted the craving  

that leads to becoming,

I'm set free from aging and death.

Women, young and old, rich and poor, single and married, with or without children . . . Women from all walks of life, who touched me with the rawness of their honest tales about their liberation, all told straight from the heart.  Ordinary women, just like me, who make the path to enlightenment, seem so much more approachable.

Mental Noting During Meditation, a Double Edge Sword?

Just found this gem, from Marie Turco, on Twitter:

@mvturco i set out to see. I realize that i see what can be, not necessarily what is. i see color, angles, lines not walls, ceilings and tiles.

I was reminded of a story from Sylvia Boorstein, I read a while ago, in which her teacher asked her to let go of mental noting, and be instead with direct experience, unmediated by words. While noting can be an extremely useful tool towards moment to moment mindfulness, it is not without dangers. I saw for myself, during this morning's meditation:

Sitting, basking in gentle acceptance of now, I feel at one with each breath. Body, relaxed. Love feeling. Liking, not holding on. Sound erupts. Loud, of leaf blower. Gardener is back. Image of gardener outside. Leaf blower stops. Silence. Liking, again not clinging. Grateful for ease with breath, and body. Gentle, rhythmic sound comes in. Of rake. Gardener raking the leaves. Rake against sidewalk. Insight. Layer of thoughts on top of pure sounds. Gardener, leaf blower, rake, not part of now. Rather, results of thinking mind. Another sound, very close. From cleaning lady taking vacuum cleaner out of closet. Associations ensue, of similar times before. With resulting anticipation of future noise, from vacuuming, and possibility of feelings, from hearing vacuum. Thinking, naming mind at work again, making it harder for self to stay present. Surprise from silence. Breathing, that's all. For a while. Then noting familiar pain. Pain. Word itself causes retraction in body, and aversion in heart. Insight. To stay away from naming experience as pain. How about neutral? A thing in my side. Relaxing, breathing into tingling, sharpness, soon turns into tickling, interesting, pleasure, intense, dancing, alive . . . Thing dissolving. Attention back on the breath.

Realizing the difficulty of bare attention, and the power of words, no matter how well intentioned, to get in the way. At same time, thinking is also very much a part of awareness, and insight. Both points, noted . . .

Indian Wedding or Vipassana Retreat?

For weeks, I had been looking forward to upcoming 9-day End-of-Year retreat with Gil Fronsdal at Spirit Rock. Since I was going to be gone, Prad made plans to attend his nephew's Indian wedding in Singapore, during the same time. Going with his children. My daughter would enjoy time at home meanwhile. I would have plenty of time to see her before and after the retreat. It all worked out.

A few days ago, daughter decided to go to the wedding also, and join the rest of the gang. Things were different now, past tipping point where retreat made complete sense. What if I bagged the retreat, and joined them all? I started to look into other later retreat alternatives that wouldn't conflict with the wedding. It has been two days now, of tossing and turning idea in my head, and feeling torn, between pull from family ties, and urging from spiritual self.

Caught in a maze of conflictual intentions, and emotions, I put question out on Twitter:

dilemma: to go to Indian wedding w/ whole family, or attend 9-day Vipassana retreat w/ Gil Fronsdal? feeling torn . . .#buddhism

and got answers from Twitter sangha friends, Tetsubishi and TravisE:

Tetsubishi @MindDeep Gil does retreats several times a year. Your family's friends are only going to get married once (one hopes!) - why torn?

@Tetsubishi why torn? spiritual craving, that's all - craving, hmmm . . . #buddhism
Tetsubishi @MindDeep Many who benefit from GF's teachings never sit with him in person at all, whereas you do so almost every week. Craving? #tsk ;-)

TravisE @MindDeep They will hold other retreats. ;)

Yes, another lesson in not clinging, even to plan of Buddhist retreat. Going to the Indian wedding seems like the right thing to do . . .

Taking Mindfulness Vow, on Twitter

Was it the awareness several times during last night's party, of my lack of mindfulness throughout most of the event? Or the effect of my reading of Kamala Masters' coming into natural mindfulness with her teacher Anagarika Munindra? Or a slow unfolding into a new place of realization? All I know, is I woke with this morning with the firm determination to no longer be complacent about my mindfulness practice, outside of regular sittings. To make it even more binding, I made this declaration, about 8 hours ago, on Twitter:

"today, I publicly declare I shall pay attention to my breath more, and to the moment, no matter what time of day :) #mindfulness"

Not saying that I will be mindful 24/7 - got to sleep some of the time too! - , but at least, I am spelling my intention out loud, and that's big. Kind of like taking vows, in front of Twitter sangha community. @digitalzendo and @GeneManuel even retweeted my proclamation, so I have two witnesses at least, to hold me accountable.

Drinking afternoon tea, with new appreciation, from paying attention to the whole experience. Cup hot, cold hands, surprised by heat, all around, happy. Eyes, delicate steam, from milky surface, cross, for first time. Slow sips, stretched, lifting cup, meeting with lips, brew, swished, sweet. Deep inhale, bitter after taste, sweet. Exhale, grateful.

Do Not Cling, Even to Sitting

What is slight discontent growing inside, I wondered? Something about being displaced, away from familiar home environment. Missing my office, little Buddha smiling next to stick of incense, door that can close and protect the sanctity of daily sitting. The weekly visits to IMC sangha, and the teachers' talks. My interviews with Gil. There are also the temptations right here, in Hawaii, where life's lazy and slow. I find my usual determination to sit, waning, as I wake every morning, to the sounds of tropical birds, and the sight of the distant ocean. My senses have taken over, and I feel at a loss. This morning, I tweeted to my twangha*:

"finding it a bit more challenging to practice while on vacation #meditation"

Quickly, @myMeditation and @Dhammagirl fired back in unison:

"myMeditation @MindDeep the vacation is the meditation. enjoy"

"dhammagirl RT @MindDeep: finding it a bit more challenging to practice while on vacation #meditation Let your vacation BE your practice...DG"

and helped me realize the true nature of my malaise. In one word, clinging.

* twangha = cyber Buddhist community on Twitter

Spiritual Friendships on Twitter

Gil's talk today was about friendship. I paraphrase: "Good spiritual friendship is most important foundation for Buddhist practice". Gil quoted from the Buddha, the five conditions for a successful practice:

1. to have good spiritual friends
2. to be virtuous
3. to be able to have Dharma discussions easily
4. to be able to monitor one's states of mind
5. to have deep appreciation of impermanence

Until Gil's talk, I never gave much thought to spiritual friendship, and I certainly did not expect it to be at the top of the Buddha's list . . .

Next, Gil went through the Buddha's description of qualities to look for in a spiritual friend:

1. gives what is difficult to give
2. does what is difficult to do for other
3. can endure difficulties
4. reveals personal secrets
5. does not despise other because of loss or reversal of fortune

The Buddha considers two types of spiritual friendships: with peers, and with friends who are further along the path. Yet another list from the Buddha, this time aimed at lay people, categorizes loyal spiritual friends as follows:

1. is a helper
2. is same in happy and unhappy times
3. points out what is good for you
4. is sympathetic

Gil shared his own list of qualities to look for in a friend:

1. acceptance
2. warmth
3. interest and care
4. listens

As I listened to Gil's talk, I could not help but think of Twitter, and the spiritual friendships I have formed there, and how many of the exchanges I have had with my Twitter spiritual friends, meet most, if not all of the criteria from the Buddha and Gil's lists. I have come to rely on these tweets back and forth, with the folks in my 'twangha' Twitter list, as a source of steady support for my practice. Sure, the physical presence is missing, but that's not necessarily bad. The lack of physicality and historical context, helps keep our friendships focused on task at hand, that is, to stay on the path.

I am just wondering, for those of you with a Buddhist practice, who are also on Twitter, how has your experience been? Have you found Twitter beneficial to your practice? Have you made spiritual friends, of the kind described by the Buddha?

PS - 'twangha' = sangha, or spiritual Buddhist community on Twitter

Twitter Tales of Awakening

I have been wondering, what is it that draws a person to follow the Buddha's path? According to the Dharma, one has to first become aware of their personal suffering, and be willing to see it as the beginning of a sacred journey. It certainly was true in my case. Only after feeling that there was not way out but in, was I moved to further explore the teachings. I knew enough, from prior explorations, to have a sense that there, maybe lied the solution to my misery.

Last night, when I asked the question on Twitter, I was surprised by the the flurry of answers:

We, who have had the blessing of conscious suffering, should rejoice . . .

The Buddha Would Approve: "No Self-Reference Practice"

It started as a tweet:

@Minddeep: noticing how hard it is to communicate without using 'I', 'me', 'myself' :)

Followed by responses from:

@Juliasnz: The tweet cloud at tweetstats is real good for external feedback on your most common words : )

@Kwansahn: Not possible yeah? But possible not to buy into it and use it to help others :-)

@ookiee: I now try to edit out as many personal pronouns as possible from communications. Oops - there's one there - at the beginning...

How about, once in a while practicing writing, talking, tweeting, blogging, without using any self-reference? How about that? It would be great to hear back from you . . . :)

Twangha, for Community of Buddhists on Twitter

Man, I love Twitter! Tonight, I felt moved to express my gratitude towards the many folks there, who are supporting me in my meditation practice, and wrote this simple tweet:

Next thing I know, I get this back from @iDharma:

Don't you love that name, Twangha! Carrie's brilliant.

So, next time you tweet about meditation, and the Buddhist community on Twitter, make sure to use the #twangha hashtag

PS- Actually, searching for #twangha, it looks like the word had other prior inventors somewhere in the Netherlands . . . Still love the word, and my impromptu exchange with iDharma!

10 Tips for Buddhists on Twitter

From my previous incarnation as a green blogger, I know numbered lists are big in the blogosphere. Here's my shot at 10 tips for skillful tweeting . . . inspired by a whole morning spent checking out the Buddhist crowd on Twitter:

1. When referring to yourself, tweet in the first person. No one's that important.
2. Hold your fingers back before firing a tweet. Is your intention pure? Is your tweet self-serving, or is it for the greater good? Might it cause harm?
3. Be grateful. Let people know when you have benefitted from their tweet, and make generous use of @s.
4. Share the goodies. When you find an awesome tweet, make sure to RT (retweet).
5. Keep personal complaints to yourself. Why spread the misery?
6. Only tweet when you have something worth sharing.
7. Practice compassion, and engage in random tweets of kindness.
8. Be a real person, warts and all. That's what makes you interesting.
9. Use Twitter in moderation. This stuff's addictive!
10. Exert care in the way you build your 'Following' list. How many folks can you genuinely keep up with? Are they being mindful in their tweets?

Of course, tips are meant to not be followed . . . Have fun and tweet away, mindfully. :)