Feb | 26 | 2008

How to Blog Like a Buddhist

Posted by Andrew G.R. as Blog Tutorial, Writing

This blog entry is not looking to convert anyone to anything. Rather, we are going to briefly explore several fundamental Buddhist principles that can help take your blog to the next level. Or, at the very least, earn you some good karma.

The Five Precepts are the basic ethical requirements of Buddhism. Here’s how you can apply them to blogging.

1) Do not take life.

This one is pretty easy. Simply put, do not kill anyone today. Preserve human (and animal/plant) life and you’re 20% of the way home.

2) Do not steal.

Do not take words, images or ideas from others. You are a unique individual. Stop spending so much time trolling other blogs and write from your heart. Never take what is not freely given.

3) Do not engage in sexual misconduct.

This blog entry is operating on the premise that your blog content does not revolve around sex, gossip, drugs or any other topic that even the lay Buddhist would find unacceptable. Society is already drenched in enough sex, try your best to keep your blog free of innuendo and foul language.

4) Do not speak mistruths.

Your blog, regardless of topic, must be 100% honest. The biggest problem with lying is that you cloud other people’s perceptions, in turn, clouding up the foundation of Buddhism - mindfulness.
Included in this precept is avoiding slandering others or gossiping.

5) No drugs or alcohol.

The goal is to free our minds from unnecessary confusion. You might thing a drink or two gets the ideas flowing, but in reality, your best work will be written when you are of a clear mind.

These five precepts all sound like instructions, “don’t do this” and “don’t do that.” But don’t look at them negatively. View them in a positive way and try to incorporate them into your life - starting with your blog.

The beauty of Buddhism is that you can rely on these precepts regardless of your religions’ beliefs.

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7 Responses

moon
27|Feb|2008

Very meaningful post. I couldn’t agree more^.^
做一个虔诚的blogger | 后80花园
28|Feb|2008

[...] 前两天看到一篇非常有意思的文章：《How to Blog Like a Buddhist》，中文意思是：《如何像佛教信徒一样写博客》，我觉得很有哲理。在这里意译成了中文并加入了一些自己的观点，跟各位博友分享一下，希望也能给你一些新的启发。 [...]
Le ultime notizie più succulente dal mondo dei blog - Edizione del 5 marzo 2008 | MondoBlog
05|Mar|2008

[...] How to Blog Like a Buddhist [...]
amituofo
16|Mar|2008

Interesting article on the 5 precepts of blogging the buddhist way.

And I couldn’t agree more that those precepts can be applied regardless of any religion’s belief.
How to Blog Like a Buddhist : The Blog Herald
17|Mar|2008

[...] weeks ago I posted How to Blog Like a Buddhist on Blog-Tutorials. Since I believe it’s valuable information, I’d love to continue the dialogue with a [...]
How to Blog Like a Buddhist | Blogging Newbies
18|Mar|2008

[...] weeks ago I posted How to Blog Like a Buddhist on Blog-Tutorials. Since I believe it’s valuable information, I’d love to continue the dialogue with a [...]
Internet. » Blog Archive » How to Blog Like a Buddhist
20|Mar|2008

[...] weeks ago I posted How to Blog Like a Buddhist on Blog-Tutorials. Since I believe it’s valuable information, I’d love to continue the dialogue with a [...]

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