Teachings are accessible via Dharmaseed, YouTube, teachers’ websites, eBooks; online journals and databases provide research in the area.
Teachings are often free and portable. I carry dharma ebooks and talks with me every where my tiny ipod goes and listen to talks on cd in the car. This allows me to get little droplets here and there.
It helps place the teachings into the everyday.
Teachers I will likely never meet, I can see giving a talk, I may be able to email them or iChat.
Technology opened up access. Students around the globe can access helpful teachings that can help them help themselves. Providing insights and skills for creating more love and happiness and ways of working with suffering. I am really grateful to technology. It truly is a gift. We are freer to ask all our questions, with a hope that we can get answers.
I try to stay awake to the addictive and unskillful uses and abuses of technology. I went camping recently with some friends and I was shocked at how deeply relaxed I was after having had time away from screens. It was almost as relaxing as my last mindfulness retreat happened to be.
So why not see our time as valuable during and away from screen-time? How do we ensure our screen time does not take away from filling other important needs? Our technology requires maintenance like a car does, which can be time consuming and stressful. We have to carefully maintain how much time we spend using it. It’s an issue if blogging to communicate with people around the world keeps you from communicating mindfully, clearly and carefully with people in front of you.
What works to help you in the practice? If you are in a place where sitting in meditation is as frightening as sitting in the middle of the road, then take more time for the teachings! Of course in person whenever it works (joining a weekly sangha, meeting a teacher, meditation classes, yoga classes, etc).
How much screen time is a question I have to ask myself often. Is it interrupting a conversation? How does that leave space for open, clear communication? Are some times and places better than others? How much time is too much time? It is a moving target as technology changes. Try to see what is useful in this moment. Try to be honest. Ask those around you for their experience.
Maybe we can ask: is this screen getting in between us right now? or are these screens getting in between us right now in a negative way? We are in the middle of a revolution, we can’t expect ourselves to know all the answers.
Smile, enjoy the flinging electrons; and use the power button skillfully. LOL
