Early on, at the beginnings of COVID-19 lockdowns, we arranged a place to talk about how to keep practicing in the midst of life. Starting with our first Online Meeting for an Engaged Sangha on the 25th March we continued for months to regularly invite those interested in embodying Meditation In Action to sit together and talk about our challenges and what was working. These were inspiring, meaningful conversations that were also healing and wholesome to partake in. They were wonderful and timely, yet we’re thinking to move them to a new form.
As a sangha-first organisation SanghaSeva wishes to support a location where you share what works for you, and might work for all of us. We wish to offer into the world an online, easily-accessed, democratic, equally-held, discussion where wisdom is not in the hands of teachers or experts (only).
Wouldn’t it be great to have a safe and welcoming, open yet private, free and easy to use discussion room?
We think so, and we feel it makes most sense to build it up as a sangha. So let’s make it together.
We have started a Reddit community called Meditation In Action with the idea of being very open to all kinds of way we can practice meditation in life for awakening to life. Some of this will involve social and environmental projects and intentions (like are at the heart of SanghaSeva's retreats), but it also can include contemplative arts and music, everyday activities to awaken in like conversations and cooking, or active movement that embody flow-states and bliss like sports and dance…
To read what the community has to say just follow the link above. To participate there you will need an account. “Oh no, not another account!” you may say. But here are two things to consider:
1. It's really quick and easy to get an account, and it is worth knowing you don’t need to give them your email address, yet this is almost a hidden feature, so we wrote more about that below.
2. Reddit is full of vibrant communities to join (not just our Meditation In Action seedling of a community), so more about that also lower down this page.
A lot. Maybe we can share a teaching or meditation that is working for us. Or we can open out a discussion on themes like: how we nourish wellbeing in the midst of life; how we can support the cultivation of real change––both inside our (sense of) self and ‘out there’ in the ‘real’ world for the common good (all those appear in our perception and make up our in-here too––maybe that concept (the emptiness of the inner-outer dichotomy) is a good discussion we can have together on Reddit?).
As we said this is a democratic field: anyone can start or respond to a conversation. For example we already have a few seedlings of conversation we have started and you can participate in. But if what you’re interested in isn’t there yet, anyone (including you) can post something new, and you can do that as many times as you are willing.
Here’s what’s there so far (click the titles as each one links across to each of the discussion on Reddit):
Let us all know what books, talks, teachers, retreat centres, organisations, etc. help you open your conception of meditation or bring a meditative awareness to all of your life.
This could be in your daily life, some significant choices you've made, or projects you've been inspired to start, or maybe there's something else?
One of the most important translations in a meditators practice is probably the word meditation itself. Meditations on subjects used to mean thoughts and musings. But the original word from Buddhism in Pali: 'Bhāvanā' means cultivation––as in bring into being.
When you meditate what are you bringing into being?
One of the ideas that sparked this was to have another place to discuss and develop how we could bring our deeply meaningful worldly events and retreats online and more accessible. This is still something we are interested in exploring, and so there is a discussion there on this theme. But deeper than this, this vision actually goes to the heart of what SanghaSeva exists for: to empower your knowledge and wisdom. So meet our shared need to be creative together. To learn from each other.
One of the ways we know that Reddit is a bit less interested in tracking you (by design) is that you don’t need to use a real name, or email address to make an account. Also you can browse without an account.
Before explaining how to not give Reddit your email address it’s worth saying you might actually want to. It may be useful in case you forget your password or username and need to get in again. But if you understandably don’t want to be tracked in anyway at all here’s how to sign up without giving even an email address.
Go to our Reddit page: www.reddit.com/r/MeditationInAction
Choose sign up. When it asks for an email address (and you don’t want to give one) leave that part blank and click continue. Now choose a unique username and a good password (and save it as you can't get it back if you lose and didn't give your email address, you can just make another account infinite numbers of times).
In case you didn’t know, Reddit communities (called subreddits) are very nice and there are many wholesome communities there already. The first rules of reddiquette is “Remember the human.” And “Adhere to the same standards of behaviour online that you follow in real life.” This feels appropriate for a place that also allows for the exploitation of sensitive or even embarrassing issues.
In addition to joining us at Meditation In Action Nathan would recommend joining many other groups with very wholesome interests like:
reddit.com/r/UpliftingNews for a positive slant on what is happening in the world.
reddit.com/r/Poetry
reddit.com/r/wholesomememes uplifting images.
reddit.com/r/spiderbro because spiders are beautiful allies of the human species.
reddit.com/r/Meditation all about stillness and introspective meditation.
reddit.com/r/Buddhism
reddit.com/r/streamentry for really dedicated practice of awakening in this lifetime.
NOTE: There are more risqué groups (with interests you may even find obscene) on Reddit, but it's unlikely you will stumble into one. Reddit will ask you twice before you enter one of those: “Are you sure you’re into this?” They are marked NSFW (Not Safe For Work). I’ve never entered a community unintentionally.
We look forward to meeting up with you online soon.