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Cutting through spiritual materialism in virtual reality?

By Yönten, on February 26th, 2012

I’m really not sure what to say about this…

The Second Life Marketplace lists the following items for sale (or for free):

821 items under the search term: Buddhism

1184 items under the search term: Buddha

2439 items under the search term: Zen

118 items under the search term: Tibet

2376 items under the search term: Meditation

60 items under the search term: Tantric

 

 

Buddhism around the World, Buddhist Psychology, Publishing in a digital world   , ,  
  • Bph33

    It just appears that people in general including many Buddhists seem to think earning money by the selling and promotion of Buddhist items is wrong. It’s only wrong if there’s greed involved.

    I think the selling of such items in the virtual world is the real world. The idea that people create a second life in the virtual world is true and that those people are very much pathless to a large degree. Although they may claim otherwise. They are confused with real life.

    I realize though, that attaining right view is a process too. For many it is hard to let go of those illusions and for the most part VL is an illusion as most people don’t present themselves as they are in flesh and blood. They are basically interacting with many others in the same illusive manner. 

    Yes, I think that Right Livelihood should be practiced whether in VL or the real world. I also believe that Right Effort should be applied as well and that may be the problem with those that have have slim Buddhist credentials.

    In other words, it takes a fair amount of effort to walk the Eightfold Path in order to attain those credentials. Or, to walk the walk, and not simply spouting talk that isn’t put into practice. Many people that quote the Buddha don’t even understand the Eightfold Path. As a result they miss the intention behind the teachings.

    Hope this makes sense.

  • http://www.sumeru-books.com Yonten

    Good point. So are you saying that virtual reality is/should be a mirror of how one practices Right Livelihood in the real world?

  • Bph33

    Or, maybe Right Livelihood is a good thing?

  • http://www.sumeru-books.com Yonten

    The advent of massively multi-player online environments has allowed us to launch avatars in virtual reality who are essentially the beings we dream ourselves to be. Like any other digital advance, it has enormous implications. Most of these environments are violent (WoW, CoD, Halo, etc.), but Second Life is not. Its “adult” rated section is promoted as focused on sexuality/relationships rather than violence.

    While the case could be made that time spent “in-world” is a poor substitute for real life, or at best merely mirrors the samsaric nature of real life, it also offers the potential to explore alternate personas and futures that may be difficult to take on in the flesh. One of those opportunities is in spirituality. Whatever you may choose to believe, the fact is that many many people spend many many hours living in Second Life. Consequently, a virtual economy has arisen to meet the “needs” of that culture.

    Buddhist scholars have taken scant note of this development. Most of the “Buddhist” presence in Second Life is created and fostered by people whose Buddhist credentials are slim (as can be seen if you follow the money). However, there are some Buddhist teachers and communities who have embraced Second Life and seek to offer valid teachings, practices and community for SL denizens.

    My reference to Chogyam Trungpa’s book “Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism” was meant to highlight the pitfall of mistaking the trappings of a spiritual life for real personal growth. Noting that the amount of items for sale is greatest for Zen (greater even than meditation in general), one can ponder whether the meaning of Zen has become so diluted as to mean very little. The whole thing has the aroma of one giant dharma-burger, but it’s not going away so we had better figure out the best way to transform it.

  • Bph33

    What are you not sure about?

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