Nowadays,
as social network is the worldwide connectivity, many people around the world
are using social network in order to communicate with each other. Some Buddhist
monks are also active users in social networking. With the wider knowledge of
using social networks, monks could build up a sizable expat community interested
in exploring meditation and Buddhism. But using social network for the purpose
of flirting with young girls, playing games, watching movies and spending too
much time on it would be wasting the time and useless.
Ven. Pannyavaro (BuddhaNet's Webmaster) said “what is happening now is that we have
new tools and more sophisticated ways to spread the Dhamma. So now monks, who
have always had the role of teachers and scholars, are becoming increasingly
computer literate. So it is the cyber monk, skilled in the new medium of the
internet, who will take the Buddha-Dhamma into the twenty-first century and
beyond.”[1]
Monks
are just ordinary people with a more visible moral framework to live by. If
monks are going to be leaders in society, they should have an education equal
to the people in that society, rather that someone who doesn’t know how to use
a computer or talk about history or math. An education and familiarity with
modern tools are necessary, Phra Pandit said to CNN ASIA.[2]
But
"Instead of using the Net to flirt with young girls, monks should find
ways to preach Dharma and lead them in the right direction," said Ladda
Thangsupachai, head of the Cultural Surveillance Centre.[3]
Based
on these comments above, Ven. Pannyavaro and Phra Pandit positively point out
that monks can lead the community to preach Dhamma and to propagate Buddhism
using tools such as blog and social network, while Ladda Thangsupachai mentions
that monks should use the Net in the right direction.
So
in conclusion, using the Net will be helpful to society only if the monks use
it in the positive way for Buddha’s teachings. If not so, Buddhist Dhamma and
Sangha community will be dishonored.
Nyanissara,
ID: 5701403004
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