Terms of Service or ... The Rules!

[Admin]

TERMS OF SERVICE

By accessing this web site, dharmawheel.net (hereinafter “Dharma Wheel” or “DW”), you (User) are agreeing to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree with any of these terms, you are prohibited from using or accessing this site. We reserve the right to exclude individuals and remove/edit content.

If you find yourself unable to access your account or wish to challenge an account suspension, please e-mail [email protected]

PRELIMINARY STATEMENT

The aim of dharmawheel.net (“Dharma Wheel” or “DW”) is to provide an online forum to discuss Buddha Dharma, particularly Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, in a friendly and supportive environment. Right Speech should be practiced at all times on DW.

RIGHT SPEECH

PLEASE READ THE POSTING RULES BEFORE PROCEEDING. CLICK HERE

The name "Dharma Wheel", with the accompanying wheel image on the banner is a reference to the Noble Eightfold Path, one of Shakyamuni Buddha's principal teachings. As the main activity at Dharma Wheel is communication, we wish to emphasize the importance of the third spoke of the wheel, "Right Speech".

The Buddha was precise in his description of Right Speech. He defined it as “abstinence from false speech, abstinence from malicious speech, abstinence from harsh speech, and abstinence from idle chatter.” In the vernacular this means not lying, not using speech in ways that create discord among people, not using swear words or a cynical, hostile or raised tone of voice, and not engaging in gossip. Re-framed in the positive, these guidelines urge us to say only what is true, to speak in ways that promote harmony among people, to use a tone of voice that is pleasing, kind, and gentle, and to speak mindfully in order that our speech is useful and purposeful.

“Right Speech is a mindfulness practice. By undertaking this practice, we commit to greater awareness of our body, mind, and emotions. Mindfulness makes it possible to recognize what we are about to say before we say it, and thus offers us the freedom to choose when to speak, what to say, and how to say it. With mindfulness, we see that the heart is the ground from which our speech grows. We learn to restrain our speech in moments of anger, hostility, or confusion, and over time, to train the heart to more frequently incline towards wholesome states such as love, kindness and empathy. From these heart states Right Speech naturally arises.
~ Beth Roth, Right Speech Reconsidered

In conducting ourselves at DW, we also remind users of the Six Perfections (Paramita), specifically the perfection of Ksanti - patience/tolerance/forbearance/acceptance/endurance. If in the course of discussion one feels anger or enmity rising in response to the posts of others, consider taking time to respond until emotions have calmed and reason and civility prevail.

In additions to the general guideline of Right Speech and all the other ideals of conduct that the Buddha taught, all communication at Dharma Wheel, including posts, private messages, and chats, must comply with the Posting Rules.

The staff at DW is not able to review each and every post on the forum and we rely on Users to report violations of the terms of service. If you see a violation, please let us know by flagging the post which can be done by clicking the Report this Post (!) button in the top right corner of the message.

REGISTRATION AND MEMBER ACCOUNTS CLICK HERE
MODERATION AND REPORTING PROCEDURES CLICK HERE
POSTING RULES CLICK HERE

MISCELLANEOUS

Dharma Wheel and related sites of the site owner are owned and operated out of U.S.A. and as such come under the guidelines of 47 US Code Section 230(c)(1), including the Communications Decency Act, which provides owners, administrators, moderators, and posters immunity from any content in here posted by someone else. Each is responsible for their own post and the team has no liability even if administrators and/or moderators fail to remove an alleged offending post. Therefore, any poster who makes legal threats against anyone on this forum will be grounds for immediate banning. The administrators, moderators, and owners are not responsible for the actions, views, and opinions of individual posters. Use of this forum is at no membership fee and voluntary.

Posters have no ownership of any information they post here and do so at their own choice. We do not delete accounts nor delete posts as it disrupts the conversation. Each poster is responsible for carefully crafting their posts and one should avoid making statements that will be regretted. This is a voluntary forum with no membership fees. Except as provided in furtherance of moderation, DW will not alter information posted nor use the information for commercial purposes. DW shall have no responsibility to protect information posted on DW. Each poster is responsible for carefully crafting their posts due to this and again, this is a voluntary forum with no membership fees.

For more info related to this law see:
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act