Terms of Service for the World Interbeing Sangha Online Forum

Introduction

Welcome to the World Interbeing Sangha Online Forum. These Terms of Service are designed to ensure a respectful, mindful, and compassionate space for all members, in line with the principles of Engaged Buddhism.

Guidelines for the Practice of Dharma Sharing for Our Online Forum

Welcome to our Sangha’s online forum, a space designed for us to continue our practice of mindfulness and Dharma sharing in a digital setting. This forum allows for more flexibility, including informal chats and responses, while maintaining the core values of respect, mindfulness, and meaningful connection. Here are our adapted guidelines to ensure a harmonious and supportive online community:

1. Embrace Mindful Communication

  • Mindful Posting: Before sharing, take a moment to reflect on your words, ensuring they come from a place of kindness and mindfulness. Imagine taking three breaths before typing, to allow for a mindful transition between thoughts and responses.

  • Respectful Interactions: While responses and “cross talk” are more permissible here, engage with others’ posts in a way that honors their experiences and perspectives. Approach every interaction with empathy and an open heart.

2. Share From Personal Experience

  • Focus your contributions on personal insights and experiences related to mindfulness and Dharma practice. This forum encourages sharing from the heart, fostering a deeper understanding and connection among community members.

3. Encourage Informal Dialogue

  • Open for Interaction: Unlike in-person Dharma sharing, responding directly to others is appropriate, at times, here. However, we ask that you try to include the Sangha generally, and maintain a respectful and considerate tone, keeping the conversation constructive and supportive.

  • Use of Multimedia: Feel free to express your thoughts and experiences through text, images, and links that resonate with your practice, as long as they are consistent with the practice of mindfulness and mindful communication.

4. Privacy and Confidentiality

  • Treat shared experiences and personal insights with confidentiality and respect. Avoid sharing forum discussions outside this space without explicit permission from the individuals involved.

5. Practice Loving Speech and Deep Listening Online

  • Constructive Feedback: Offer your insights and experiences as shared wisdom, not advice. Use “I” statements to express your own journey, respecting the uniqueness of each member’s path.

  • Engagement Etiquette: Balance your contributions to ensure diverse voices are heard. Encourage and welcome members who might be hesitant to share, making the forum a space for all to benefit from collective wisdom.

6. Navigating Intense Emotions

  • Should discussions stir strong emotions, we encourage pausing and reflecting before responding. This digital “bell of mindfulness” can help us return to a state of calm and clarity, ensuring our responses contribute positively to the community.

7. Questions and Collective Wisdom

  • Feel free to pose questions to the group, keeping in mind that immediate responses may not always be possible. Trust in the collective wisdom of the Sangha to address queries in time, fostering a space of mutual growth and understanding.

Guidelines for the Practice of Dharma Sharing in WIS Meeting Sessions:

For reference, here are the guidelines that we try to follow during Dharma sharing during our WIS meeting sessions. We bring the spirit of these meeting guidelines to the forum as well.

  • Dharma sharing is an opportunity for us to learn from each other by speaking and listening about our own personal experience. It is not an intellectual discussion or debate. It is a wonderful opportunity to practise deep listening and loving speech.

  • We make a simple gesture to request to speak and the same gesture when we have finished speaking. That gesture is usually joining the palms. Joining the palms means we are connecting ourselves to ourselves and to the whole group. If we prefer to make another gesture such as laying our hand on our heart, then we may make that gesture.

  • We speak about our own experience - the joys and difficulties that are our practice.

  • We do not want to react to, deny or negate what someone has just shared, nor do we want to give advice to another unless they have asked for it. When listening to someone sharing, we follow our breathing and when they have finished everyone breathes in and out three times before the next person requests to speak. We never interrupt someone before they have shown that they have finished speaking.

  • We do not want to debate, argue, or prove our point. We just want to complement what another has said by recounting our own experience.

  • We want to share with the whole group, so we do not direct our words or our question to one person but to the whole group.

  • Some of our sharings are very personal and deep so we practice confidentiality, not sharing outside of the group what we have heard within the group sharing. Nor do we come to the person who has shared later and expect them to share further on a one-to-one basis, without first asking them if they are willing to do that.

  • We share in a way that also gives ample opportunity for others to share, especially if we find it easy to talk in a group, being aware of the time we are using.

  • The facilitator may invite the bell from time to time to remind to come back to our breathing.

Conclusion

This online forum is an extension of our Sangha’s practice of Dharma sharing, adapted for the digital age. By following these guidelines, we create a space that honors the principles of mindfulness, deep listening, and loving speech, nurturing our community’s connection and growth, even across the digital divide.

Community Guidelines

  • Age Requirement: Participants must be at least thirteen years old.
  • Respectful Participation: Engage in discussions with mindfulness, respecting the diverse views and practices within our community.
  • Account Use: Members should use only their accounts and respect others’ identities.

Content and Interaction

  • Mindful Sharing: Share content that aligns with our values of compassion and understanding.
  • Intellectual Property and Privacy: Respect others’ rights and privacy. Do not share content you do not have rights to.
  • Community Moderation: We rely on self-moderation. Please report any content that violates these terms.

Your Account

  • Registration: Provide accurate registration information and update it as necessary. Use the same name as you do in meetings.
  • Security: Keep your account details secure and be responsible for activities under your account.

Content Guidelines

  • Ownership: You own the content you post, but by sharing, you allow its use within the forum.
  • Content Removal: If you or a moderator removes your content, it will no longer be used by the forum.

Responsibility and Community Support

  • Community Approach: As we are not a legal entity, we rely on each member to contribute positively and uphold our values.
  • Resolution of Issues: Attempt to resolve disputes amicably among members, following the principles of mindful communication.

Updates and Feedback

  • Adaptability: These terms may be updated to reflect the evolving needs of our community.
  • Open to Suggestions: We welcome feedback to improve our forum.

General Principles

  • No Legal Entity: As we are not a legal entity, these terms are guidelines for community conduct rather than legally binding rules.
  • Global Community: Our members span various legal jurisdictions; these terms do not cater to any specific legal system.
  • Contact: For any queries or concerns, please contact any of the Care Taking Council members.

Role and Authority of the Caretaking Council (CTC)

  • The World Interbeing Sangha is supported and guided by the Caretaking Council (CTC), a self-governed body dedicated to upholding the integrity, harmony, and principles of our community. The CTC oversees the maintenance of the Sangha, ensuring it remains a space conducive to our collective practice and growth in accordance with the Plum Village tradition.

Authority to Make Decisions:

  • The CTC holds the authority to make decisions on behalf of World Interbeing Sangha, especially in matters that affect the community’s well-being, the direction of our practice, and the management of the online forum. Decisions by the CTC are reached through consensus, reflecting a mindful deliberation process that embodies the values and teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh.

Responsibilities Include:

  • Addressing issues that may arise within the Sangha, ensuring they are handled with compassion, understanding, and in a manner that promotes reconciliation and peace.
    Implementing policies and guidelines for the Sangha’s online forum, aiming to foster a respectful and mindful environment for discussion and sharing.

  • Overseeing the administration and moderation of the forum, including the appointment of moderators, to maintain a safe and supportive online space.

  • Making decisions on the development, features, and functionalities of the forum to enhance the Sangha’s virtual practice and engagement.

Community Engagement:

  • While the CTC operates with autonomy in decision-making, it remains deeply committed to transparency, inclusiveness, and engagement with the Sangha community. Members are encouraged to share their insights, feedback, concerns, and suggestions, which the CTC will consider thoughtfully in its deliberations.

Amendments and Changes:

  • The WIS CTC may amend or update the Terms of Service, privacy policy, and any other guiding documents of the Sangha’s online forum, ensuring they remain aligned with our evolving practice and the needs of the community. Members will be informed of significant changes and encouraged to review and understand them.

  • By participating in this Sangha’s online forum, members acknowledge and respect the role of the Caretaking Council, committing to contribute positively to our collective practice and community well-being. It is one of the functions of the CTC to remind members of the guidelines in order to protect the sangha.

Acceptance of Terms

  • Use of Forum: By using this forum, you agree to abide by these terms and contribute to our shared mindful practice.