To Social, or not to Social?

In light of the most recent of seemingly endless revelations of the unethical business practices employed by Facebook’s corporate management, members of our sangha recently engaged in a discussion as to whether or not we should continue to use Facebook’s rather unwholesome platform to accomplish our mission. In short, the discussion centered around the question “does the end justify the means?”

As with most discussions within our sangha, there were thoughtful opinions that had merit regarding multiple aspects, yet we were able to have this debate and arrive at a consensus in a calm, respectful manner. This should come as no surprise to anyone in our sangha, although it does stand in sharp contrast to the way such differences of opinion commonly play out on the platform in question, which is one of the many reasons the question arose.

I would like to examine here a couple of key aspects of this discussion, not to kindle any arguments, but rather to use it as an example of a modern-day koan for us all. I sit uncomfortably astride the horns of this very dilemma in the juxtaposition between my personal and professional life, so I feel I can evenly represent both sides of the question.

Personally, I chose to discontinue participating in Facebook and deleted my account a few years ago. My reasoning at the time is spelled out in a blog post I wrote, which still rings true to me years later. My zen practice figured heavily in my reasoning, as articulated in the post. For the purposes of this exercise, suffice it to say that I consciously looked upon leaving Facebook as a way to practice an aspect of retreat – to give myself space for clarity of mind and to support my meditation, as well as to avoid doing harm.

I found this step very beneficial to my personal life and have not regretted my decision. In the recent discussion, I became aware that others in our sangha have made a similar decision, which doesn’t surprise me. Many of us find avoiding Facebook to be a clear benefit. Therefore my knee-jerk reaction, when the question arose, was to promote leaving the platform.

However, there is a very significant “on the other hand” to consider.

Professionally, I work in software and website development and deliberately advise clients of the benefit of leveraging internet technologies, including social media platforms. I do this because they are effective, and thus I would be failing in my fiduciary responsibility to my clients not to facilitate their use of social media, no matter how distasteful I may find aspects of that realm personally.

Living our Vow

For the ASZC and the STO, the impact can be easily summed up in the statement from one of our priests: “when I ask newcomers how they found us, most of them say ‘on Facebook.’” Given this reality, using Facebook as a method of outreach has been a clear benefit to our sangha in facilitating our Bodhisattva vow.

How do we resolve this dilemma? How do we choose the correct course of action? Well, whenever we find ourselves using words such as “dilemma” or “correct”, it’s a strong hint that we need to consider it a koan and follow Dogen’s admonition to “investigate the matter deeply.” Perhaps seeing it as a dilemma is more the result of our dualistic thinking than it is a statement of reality.

I find the Ten Oxherding Pictures to be a useful metaphor for examining this question. For those not familiar, the ten oxherding pictures describe the Zen training path to enlightenment. They depict a young oxherder whose quest leads her to tame, train, and transform her heart and mind, a process that is represented by subduing the ox.

Though the process is represented in a sequence, I like Martine Batchelor’s description (the linked article refers to her commentary) that “it is more like a spiral, we go back to different stages but with more understanding.” To jump to the punchline, the tenth, or “last,” image in the series is titled “Entering the Marketplace with Helping Hands.” Yes, the enlightened sage leaves quiet repose and rejoins the hustle and bustle of daily life to benefit others. To quote Martine Batchelor’s commentary:

“We adapt freely to high and low places. We find spirituality everywhere. Meditation and realization do not make us passive but active. We are deeply connected to the world, we feel its suffering and we want to respond and help… We do not help only people we like and who are easy to be with but also people who are difficult and grumpy. However, we do not force our ideas – our opinions, what works for us – on others. We do not take it all so seriously.”

https://tricycle.org/magazine/ten-oxherding-pictures/

My referencing the tenth picture and this commentary alone would seem to indicate that I have come down firmly on one side of the “dilemma,” to engage in the world fully even on platforms like Facebook. Indeed, I do endorse our use of effective means to accomplish our mission. However, I also endorse doing it appropriately. So, what do I mean by that?

This is where I come back to the cyclic nature of the oxherding pictures – they represent a continuous circle as well as a linear sequence – the earlier phases of the cycle support the later ones, which then reinforce the earlier ones. In order to be able to enter the marketplace as a Bodhisattva, we have to have developed our compassion, understanding, lovingkindness, wisdom, and skillful means through our practice.
To continue examining that half of my original “dilemma”, I would compare my personal decision to “retreat” from Facebook to the fifth picture “Tending the Ox.” In this picture:

“The oxherder is gently tending the ox and the ox is not wild anymore… we are not fighting with our body and mind anymore. We can concentrate for a certain period of time. We have gained some quietness and clarity which helps us in our daily lives.”

https://tricycle.org/magazine/ten-oxherding-pictures/

All phases of the cycle are needed to develop and nourish our practice, this is just the one that resonated for me in terms of my personal decision to leave Facebook as a way to gain some quietness and clarity. For you, it may be something different.

Another way to look at it would be as a delicate balancing act, on the razor’s edge – choosing when not to engage with the world in order to support your practice, to build your compassion, understanding, lovingkindness, wisdom, and skillful means – and when to engage with the world when you are needed, ready, willing, and able. I see this as an example of Dogen’s practice-enlightenment writ large – the one can not be separated from the other. However, this is not always initially obvious; note my initial knee-jerk reaction above. Therefore I suggest that whenever we find ourselves making judgments or struggling with a dilemma, we use that as a signal to remind us to treat it like a koan – investigating it deeply and practicing with it diligently can help us, and others, along the Bodhisattva path.