Are we at a new form of Sukha or Dukkha?

The Buddha taught that the mind is the forerunner….

And, understanding the nature of the mind is the key to freedom from Dukkha and to our innate reservoir of Sukha. Today, as we extend our minds through technology, that understanding has never been more crucial.

In the present digital age, streams of data flow like river and our presence in virtual realms bloom like lotuses. The human being is at the unique crossroad of human consciousness. Imagine, if you will, the Buddha seated before a glowing screen, navigating the complexities of our hyper-connected world with the same profound insight that the Lord Buddha brought to us 2500 years ago. This is not something in the future. At the time of this writing, there are already many reported sources of attempts of bringing timeless wisdom to our modern techno-reality. In fact, last year, in a forum that I attended, there were talks of bringing back the ancient Buddha and some of his disciples of the past in the forms of holograms to continue disseminating the teachings. The question that begs to be answered is an exploration of how we can awaken amidst the digital realm.

But then you may wonder, do we really need such a fusion? In the 21st century, the age of generative AI and data transformation - our lives have become inextricably intertwined with technology. We wake to the chime of our smartphone alarms, navigate our days through heaps of emails, text messages, and social media notifications and for many of us, we fall asleep after spending some “down-time” bathing in the blue light of our devices. We are now in an always-on, always-connected realm where the boundaries between our physical and digital selves have blurred.

Is this a new form of Sukha or Dukkha?

Do we need a new pathway(s) to liberation?

Here is the tentative Part 1 layout of TekNoetics - the intersection of technology and the study of mind/consciousness through the lenses of Buddhist philosophy.

Introduction: Awakening to Our Techno-Reality

Part I: Foundations of Mind

1. Untangling the Virtual Self (anatta/non-self)
2. Befriending the Monkey Mind (mindfulness)
3. Finding Flow in the Blur (unitive awareness)
4. The Analysis of Mind in the Digital Age (Cittanupassana)
5. Cognitive Science and the Buddhist Mind (bridging ancient wisdom and modern research)

Other Parts - soon to be announced.

Note:

1. The Dhammapada Verses 1 and 2:

   All mental phenomena have mind as their forerunner; they have mind as their chief; they are mind-made. If one speaks or acts with an evil mind, 'dukkha' follows him just as the wheel follows the hoofprint of the ox that draws the cart.

   All mental phenomena have mind as their forerunner; they have mind as their chief; they are mind-made. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness (sukha) follows him like a shadow that never leaves him

2. dukkha: In this (Dhammapada) context, dukkha means suffering, or physical or mental pain, misfortune, unsatisfactoriness, evil consequences, etc., and rebirth in the lower planes of existence or in the lower strata of human society if born in the human world.

3. sukham/sukha: in this context, happiness, satifactoriness, fortune, etc., and rebirth in the three upper planes of happy existence.

This article is the introduction to an on-going book titled TekNoetics. For more information, visit TekNoetics Site