CONTEMPLATION OF THE PARTS OF THE DIGITAL SELF

back to direct awareness and contemplation

The contemplation of the parts of the digital self involves looking at pictures, posts, messages, profiles, likes, and all online and digital activity that you can possibly identify with and contemplating the nature of these parts. 

Let's take as example a contemplation of a picture you have posted of yourself. To begin with, set aside 10-30 minutes to contemplate the picture, set a timer, and pull up the picture on your screen. Take a few moments to ground yourself in your breathing (see the liberating effort section for this exercise) and just experiencing the picture as a visual input. After a few minutes, proceed to the three lines of inquiry below. 

The first line of inquiry about this picture is this: Is it permanent or impermanent? Did this picture of you always exist? Will it always exist? Do viewers always have the same interaction with it, or will it appear and disappear in their feed? Your only job is to contemplate the picture according to these questions and any questions that come up for you about the permanence or stability of the picture. 

The second question is this: Is this picture you? Is it your self? Is it your identity? If it is your self, what part of it is your self? If you cover the face, is it your self? If you show just the face, is it your self? Are there parts of self that are not the picture? If the picture is part of self, is it essential to self? If it is not essential, is it self at all? If it is you, how could it be you? If it is not you, what is it? Contemplate the picture relative to this question: Is this you? 

The third line of inquiry is: Does this picture provide lasting satisfaction or completeness? Or is it incapable of providing lasting satisfaction? Do your feelings about the picture stay the same, or do they change over time? If people like it today, will they like it tomorrow? Does the picture express you in all you are? Is it a complete representation of you? Contemplate the picture relative to the idea of satisfaction: Does it provide lasting satisfaction? 

Extend this exercise to all aspects of the digital self. With each meditation, you can focus on just one component or focus on all of the components. It's helpful to alternate between these approaches to the meditation.