Self-Enquiry Internet Style

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Florian, modified 12 Years ago at 9/6/11 7:49 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 9/6/11 7:45 AM

Self-Enquiry Internet Style

Posts: 1028 Join Date: 4/28/09 Recent Posts
There are quite a few approaches to using internet technology as a means for insight practice, for example chat and voice chat, multi-user conferences, podcasts, and the Dharma Overground and related sites.

Here's a suggestion how to take it a step further: use the way you use the internet as an object for insight practice.

First a bit of background: a few months ago, google's new social network went on-line. After a couple of weeks, it became apparent that one of the requirements to play there was that you had to sign in under your real name - no nicknames or pseudonyms allowed. Facebook seems to be following a similar course. The controversy that arouse around this point became known, slightly hysterically in my opinion, as the nymwars. Sites such as My Name Is Me went online, and a large number of blog posts were written.

Here's my idea: if you find yourself interested or even passionate about either side of the issue of who gets to decide what to call yourself on the internet, then that's great fodder for Self Enquiry style insight practice. Find out why names are important to you, what part of "you" your names consitute, and so on. Ponder the name of the site My Name Is Me and the many testimonials on there. Is that true? Am I actually my name? What does that make me? What am I?

You could do this in writing, because writing has the property that it puts the (admittedly content-heavy) practice out where you can actually see it on paper or on-screen. It doesn't have to be polished writing either - the more immediate the better, and if you can keep up being mindful of writing raving opinion-pieces - that's great! That's strong practice.

If you try this, I'd be very interested in what you have to report.

Cheers,
Florian

P.S. as the Dharma Overground also advocates posting under your real name, you can use your initial reaction to that, if you are not interested in G+ or Facebook.