I’ve had a lot of requests recently about my meditation and Buddhist practices in Second Life (SL). Of course, you don’t have to be Buddhist for the meditation aspect. But my interactions in SL with meditation and the places I go have piqued the curiosity of more than a few, so I thought I would blog about it.

Second Life has a thriving community of Buddhists, and ongoing group meditations. There are a lot of great places one can go in SL to learn how to meditate, and to learn about full-fledged Buddhist practices from all the various sects and non-sectarian Buddhist schools. I’m sure there are many I have not yet discovered, and the places I cover here are but a small sampling of my favorites. Don’t hesitate to email me or comment on some of your favorite meditation centers or Buddhist temples in SL.

The picture above was taken at the Zen Retreat in SL. You can find the center by using the links I’ve provided here, or by doing a Search on Places, and typing in Zen Retreat. In this place, like most of the centers and temples I’ve been to, there are meditation instructions posted somewhere within the vicinity of the sitting cushions. In this place, you can get detailed Zen sitting instructions by touching the small white can sitting in front of me. At the Zen Retreat, there are also tai chi mats, and information placards placed throughout the property. You can attend daily Zen meditations for twenty minutes each day at 6 PM PST.

One of my favorite places is the Skeptical Buddhist Temple. Here you can be a part of group discussions that cover the various aspects of Buddhism, Buddhist culture, and practices. Buddha was big on being skeptical and questioning everything, so in the same vein these group discussions ask us to be open minded yet never just accept information as it is dealt to us. For the past few months, we have been getting together weekly to discuss the book Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Bachelor.

In addition, you can read the slides on the board in the main discussion room that currently have quotes from the book. These slides change with each discussion. After each discussion, we sit in silent meditation for twenty minutes, and instruction is given to those who need it.

This brings me to a common question people frequently ask: “How do you meditate with people in Second Life?” Obviously, our avatars sit quietly on the cushions provided. In real life, people often need chairs, but here everyone is comfortable cross-legged. The person running the meditation tells everyone when the meditation is beginning. In real life, you sit in front of your computer, close your eyes and meditate until you hear the gong. The leader of the group rings the gong at the designated time. So, it’s no different from meditations in real life, except the occasional coughs and sneezes you hear in real life are absent. Also, meditations tend to be a bit shorter than you might expect at a land sangha.

At Osho Island, you can also watch videos in various places on the island that are of past recorded Osho talks. In addition, various types of Osho meditation classes are held.

Osho would not have labeled himself as Buddhist or any other religion. But he was very big on Buddhist teachings as well as Taoism, Confucianism, many different Indian philosophies.

If you’ve not read any of Osho’s books, I highly recommend them.

Osho Island is beautiful and has many different areas to explore, and information you can read and save.

Whenever you find a place in SL that you really like be sure to check if there is a Group you can join. That way whenever there are events, discussions, or courses going on, you will be notified inworld when they are occurring.  Some will also send out daily sayings or quotes if you want them.

In addition to attending talks, group discussions, and meditations, I also had the pleasure of conducting a talk and meditation at Itsari Buddhist Temple. This is one of my favorite places, as it was one of the first Buddhist places I found, but it has also grown a great deal over time. The owner is very friendly, approachable, and also attends our Sun talks in Second Life. When he asked me if I’d like to conduct a meditation at Itsari I couldn’t resist. I hope to do more in the future.

The pix on the right shows but a very small area of Itsari Temple. This is one meditation area, and it has improved greatly, including the kneeling benches! Also, on this island are other land owners who also conduct various types of meditations and talks.

I hope this explains just how rich and full the meditation and Buddhist experience can be in a virtual world like Second Life. Like anywhere else, you can make friends with people on similar spiritual paths, and have insightful and rewarding conversations about how much our practice can enrich our lives. Second Life Buddhist temples bring people together from all over the world who would not otherwise be able to practice together, and we can enjoy the beauty and sounds of these temples just as we would in the real world. Most places provide beautiful trees, ponds, chirping birds, the breeze rustling chimes, and the sound of the surf rolling onto a beach. It’s soothing just to visit these places.

Hope to see you at the next sangha get together!

Tags: Buddhism, Meditation, second life

This entry was posted on Monday, January 12th, 2009 at 12:07 am and is filed under Buddhism, Meditation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.