Simply Divert Your Gaze… (The Social Media Sutra, Part 3)

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Simply Divert Your Gaze… (The Social Media Sutra, Part 3)

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Simply Divert Your Gaze… (The Social Media Sutra, Part 3)

In this series of six posts, I use teachings from early Buddhist scriptures to explain how we can free ourselves from the addiction to social media. These teachings are found in the Vitakkasanthana Sutta, which outlines five strategies for overcoming persistent thoughts and urges.

One important thing to note is that the Buddha advises working through these tools in order. If redirecting the mind to what’s positive doesn’t help, we should try seeing the drawbacks of addiction. If that fails as well, the next tool is simply to “ignore and forget” what we’re obsessed with. That’s the focus of today’s discussion.

The discourse itself is brief on this tool, suggesting that:
If a practitioner’s mind is filled with bad, unskillful thoughts connected to desire, hate, and delusion, they should ignore and forget about them.

You might think this is easier said than done, which is a fair point, especially given the simple example provided:
If a person with good eyesight sees something undesirable, they would just close their eyes or look away.

While this sounds simplistic, it becomes practical and useful advice upon closer examination, as it boils down to reducing temptation.

Let’s explore this in two areas: external activity and internal experience. First, we’ll discuss how to literally ignore and look away from social media by changing habits. Then, we’ll dive into how we relate to our experiences internally, which has deeper implications for how we use our attention habitually.

A simple shift in how we notice our experience can profoundly improve our wellbeing.

To manage your attention, consider this: If you want to lose weight but struggle with eating potato chips, having a big bag at home makes it hard to resist. If you can’t see the foods you crave, they’re out of mind. Similarly, avoiding the chips aisle in the supermarket helps.

The same principle applies to online addictions. We access these mostly through our phones — those multifunctional devices we carry everywhere, leading to constant temptation.

You probably keep social media apps on your phone’s main screen because you use them often. But you likely use them often because they’re easily accessible there. Try moving these apps to the second or third screen so accessing them requires more effort. Turn off the red notification badges and audible alerts, so apps don’t interrupt you. Instead, you’ll check them during your chosen time, putting control back in your hands and helping you focus better.

It’s useful to keep your phone out of sight and out of mind sometimes. Don’t keep it at your bedside at night. Charging your phone across the house prevents you from feeding your addiction first thing in the morning or during the night. You might object, saying you need it to know the time. An alarm clock can do that without offering access to Facebook.

Turning off your phone while it charges overnight takes advantage of our natural laziness. The minute it takes to boot up creates a barrier between you and the internet, making it easier to avoid temptation.

Charging my phone in the living room encourages me to meditate or read a Dharma book in the morning, rather than diving into social media. Reading a book in the morning feels healthier. With our online reading habits skewed towards short posts and articles, books train our minds to focus and concentrate deeply. Physical books, especially, don’t have hyperlinks, making them better for absorbing content. Moreover, Dharma or personal development books nourish the mind in ways the internet rarely does.

You can create phone-free opportunities, like keeping your phone away during meals with family or friends. Some even suggest putting all phones in a pile during a meal, with the first person to touch their phone covering the bill.

Meditation retreats offer another great opportunity to disconnect from the internet and reconnect with direct experiences. On some retreats, you might have to hand in your phone. If not, leave it in your car or switch it off at the bottom of your suitcase. Sealing it in an envelope with a motivating message like “simplicity and presence” adds another layer of deterrent.

These strategies help us “look away” from our phones, creating addiction-free spaces in our lives.

Internally, we can also avoid getting swept up in thoughts about our addictions. This practice might even change your meditation approach.

There are two ways we can use our eyes. One focuses narrowly on a specific point in our visual field, like when reading. The other lets us relax and become aware of the entire visual field. This broader, softer gaze is less intense and more relaxed.

Try this broader gaze while walking or talking to someone. It often leads to a relaxed body and a calmer mind.

Interestingly, how we use our eyes also affects our inner perceptions. A narrow focus leads to a narrow field of internal attention, causing boredom and distraction. We shift focus between small bodily sensations and disruptive thoughts.

With a soft gaze, we can be aware of many sensations in the body, like the entire breath. The mind feels nourished and less drawn to disruptive thoughts. This helps us let thoughts and urges pass without getting caught up in them.

This internal shift aligns with the concept of “urge surfing.” Like waves, urges rise and fall. Observing the urge without acting on it allows it to peak and then decline.

By adopting these strategies and shifting the way we use our vision, we can ignore and forget unproductive thoughts, reducing our social media addiction. We create spaces free from these distractions and let thoughts pass without getting hooked, freeing ourselves from addictive patterns of behavior.