Second Life Buddhism

There's been a lot of people writing about a virtual zendo called Kannonji in the online game "Second Life." Included are this post by Dosho Port, who plans to give a "talk" there, and this commentary on Open Buddha. The double virtualness of it all is a bit dizzying in my opinion, but it certainly points to a key issue we humans have: our heavy reliance on constructed stories about our lives. In a way, much of what we believe is "true" is no more true than this virtual zendo is real. And yet, at the same time, more than one teacher has said "You have to take care of your stories, too." In other words, even though the stories aren't really true, if you try and exclude them, you're missing the mark.

I'm not really one for role playing games, which is what Second Life basically is. But I love a good experiment, especially when it has to do with our "spiritual lives." So, good luck Second Life zendo! May you jolt a few minds out of their slumber.