Effect of Technology on Modern Day Buddhism

[groovemaster]

Hey guys, I had a few question that Ive found very difficult to answer for myself... Being a buddhist through internet research, i was curious to see if anyone else went through the same path..

Do you feel like your use of the internet has affected your ability to practice buddhism?

how would your buddhist practice be different without being on the internet/on this forum?

[David N. Snyder]

I was a Buddhist long before the internet.

But personally I love the internet. It is a useful tool that makes information and teachings very accessible. Like anything it is how you use it; you can use it in a wholesome or unwholesome way. This is the information age and more information is better than less, to make an informed decision.

Many Buddhist teachings are available online, for free, including Sutras / Suttas. You can do word searches, subject searches, etc. rather than get in your car, drive to the nearest library, look through the card catalog, and then hope that the book you are looking for is not checked out already or more likely the library doesn't even have it (life prior to the internet).

[ground]

Hey guys, I had a few question that Ive found very difficult to answer for myself... Being a buddhist through internet research, i was curious to see if anyone else went through the same path..

Do you feel like your use of the internet has affected your ability to practice buddhism?

how would your buddhist practice be different without being on the internet/on this forum?

Without internet I wouldn't have had opportunity in this life. My life could not be validly called "precious" without internet.

All initial informations as to study, teachers, teachings I got I got through the internet.

The internet provided me with precious study material.

Some debates on forums were very inspiring (middle-term and long-term) although sometimes kind of painful at the time of "being involved".


Kind regards

[Thug4lyfe]

Internet got me addicted to lolcat, rageguy, om nom nom etc

[Kyosan]

I was a Buddhist long before the internet.

But personally I love the internet. It is a useful tool that makes information and teachings very accessible. Like anything it is how you use it; you can use it in a wholesome or unwholesome way. This is the information age and more information is better than less, to make an informed decision.

Many Buddhist teachings are available online, for free, including Sutras / Suttas. You can do word searches, subject searches, etc. rather than get in your car, drive to the nearest library, look through the card catalog, and then hope that the book you are looking for is not checked out already or more likely the library doesn't even have it (life prior to the internet).

That's for sure.

Before the Internet it was much harder to find the sutras and if you did find them they were sometimes very expensive to buy. I was living in San Fransisco in the late 70's and the main library there, which was huge, had some of the Wisdom Perfection Sutras but didn't have the Lotus or Mahaparinirvana Sutras. Later, I found the Mahaparinirvana Sutra by Kosho Yamamoto at a bookstore in Japan Town but it costed I think around $250 US which was a lot of money at that time. There was a Buddhist bookstore in San Fransisco and I found the Lotus Sutra there at a reasonable price, I think around $20.

Now there are several versions of the Lotus Sutra that can be downloaded for free over the Internet. Now the Kosho Yamamoto/Tony Page version of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra can be downloaded for free. It's the same as the Kosho Yamamoto version but has been edited by Dr. Page. I have both versions and the edited version is easier to read; the English is better.

[padma norbu]

Internet got me addicted to lolcat, rageguy, om nom nom etc

I waste a lot of time entertaining my brain and information overload online. But, that's my fault. When I am on vacation and there's no internet connection for me, I noticed I am way less distracted and feeling unfulfilled all the time.

Just recently, I realized information overload is the problem that affects other areas of life. It's weird how I can learn all kinds of entertainment trivial details and never forget them, but some programming stuff I need for work seems impossible to remember. I feel this would not be an issue if I wasn't overloading my brain with internet humor rewards for ever half hour or so of difficult real work. But, whatever.

[Thug4lyfe]

Internet got me addicted to lolcat, rageguy, om nom nom etc

I waste a lot of time entertaining my brain and information overload online. But, that's my fault. When I am on vacation and there's no internet connection for me, I noticed I am way less distracted and feeling unfulfilled all the time.

Just recently, I realized information overload is the problem that affects other areas of life. It's weird how I can learn all kinds of entertainment trivial details and never forget them, but some programming stuff I need for work seems impossible to remember. I feel this would not be an issue if I wasn't overloading my brain with internet humor rewards for ever half hour or so of difficult real work. But, whatever.

Maybe look at this website will help scare you straight homes!!!
http://forums.punkas.com/

I still can't help but look at that place from time to time though, but I am trying dammit! sucks you can't get nicotine patches for this sort of stuff

[padma norbu]

Internet got me addicted to lolcat, rageguy, om nom nom etc

I waste a lot of time entertaining my brain and information overload online. But, that's my fault. When I am on vacation and there's no internet connection for me, I noticed I am way less distracted and feeling unfulfilled all the time.

Just recently, I realized information overload is the problem that affects other areas of life. It's weird how I can learn all kinds of entertainment trivial details and never forget them, but some programming stuff I need for work seems impossible to remember. I feel this would not be an issue if I wasn't overloading my brain with internet humor rewards for ever half hour or so of difficult real work. But, whatever.

Maybe look at this website will help scare you straight homes!!!
http://forums.punkas.com/

I still can't help but look at that place from time to time though, but I am trying dammit! sucks you can't get nicotine patches for this sort of stuff

It seems like you keep referring to me as if I am interested in the punk scene for some reason. Where did you get that idea, exactly?

[Thug4lyfe]

I thort u's a punk?!

[padma norbu]

I thort u's a punk?!

and I asked you where you ever got that idea.

[Thug4lyfe]

I thort u's a punk?!

and I asked you where you ever got that idea.

I thort on ya old posts u said u is wid da punk and metal scene? Not Padma norbu?!

[Heruka]

ha ha , our very first online stalker!

[Thug4lyfe]

Use my celestial eye to spy on changing rooms

[padma norbu]

I thort u's a punk?!

and I asked you where you ever got that idea.

I thort on ya old posts u said u is wid da punk and metal scene? Not Padma norbu?!

The only thing I ever said was that when I was a young teenage kid, I went from punk/metal kid with a bad attitude to a guy with a positive outlook literally overnight after taking acid. That was more than half my lifetime ago and I've also clearly stated that I'm anti-drug, so I'm not a hippy, either.

I also agreed with you about music being like a kind of "cocaine" and pointed out I really don't care much at all about music anymore and certainly not enough to pay to watch people act like clowns on stage. I am a very ho-hum normal-looking guy with no tattoos or piercings and short hair.

For the most part, if I listen to music, it is mellow, instrumental background music that I am not even that interested in. If I'm really going to try to be entertained by music by actually focusing on it, which is exceedingly rare these days, it is usually classical music or jazz.

[Thug4lyfe]

Okay, you sound like a good as homeboy then!

[padma norbu]

I am also in USA, not New Zealand.

[Thug4lyfe]

I am also in USA, not New Zealand.

jeez, calm down! Just trying to show you some New Zealand hospitality!

[padma norbu]

I am also in USA, not New Zealand.

jeez, calm down! Just trying to show you some New Zealand hospitality!

Did that statement seem quite upset to you? How about this one?

You know what's funny? Somehow I just remembered this various artists compilation from Peaceville Records I had on cassette in 1990....

EDIT: I had some stuff here about how I was liking it (it's a punk/metal comp), but that was short-lived. Once I started hearing the lyrics a little clearer, I lost interest pretty quick. I do kind of like warm, sludgey, slow guitar, though. Wish someone would start a band with that sound that wasn't always complaining and being miserable. It's a powerful sound, not necessarily evil. At first, it put me in mind of wrathful deities.

[gregkavarnos]

I do kind of like warm, sludgey, slow guitar, though. Wish someone would start a band with that sound that wasn't always complaining and being miserable. It's a powerful sound, not necessarily evil. At first, it put me in mind of wrathful deities.

Check out Kyuss then!

[padma norbu]

I have been checking out Kyuss since about 1993.

If you like Kyuss, you might like this one song that was on the Peaceville compilation I was talking about. I like it because I have no idea what they're singing about. Probably disemboweling children. EDIT: actually, I just found the lyrics and they're not bad! Sounds like they are talking about samsara.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5ZkCZE0xb0

It has some neat changes, gets a nice gallop going. To me, it doesn't sound horrific at all. Is that weird? I can see how it is supposed to, but it just makes me feel good. Quite unlike most of the stuff like this that came later. I guess the cool thing about crustpunks is they were antiviolence and pro-animal rights. That's about as close to Buddhist outlook as I'm going to get in a heavy duty sound.