About AwakeNetwork

Since 2011, AwakeNetwork has been enabling practice-oriented conversations between serious meditators. It was created as a safe place outside of traditional social networks to have these conversations, but also in response to other communities where interactions were somewhat less "civil".

While initially hosting conversations between practitioners that dubbed themselves the "Dharma Forum Refugee Camp", AwakeNetwork has always been envisioned as a place where different groups can co-mingle and learn from each other, accepting that there is no "right way", no single path up the mountain. Thus you will find conversations about Christian prayer along side of Tibetan dakinis, and everything in between.

Photo by Simon Migaj on Unsplash

AwakeNetwork is also host to the popular (at one time) Kenneth Folk Dharma forum, where a lot of motivated practitioners were pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the 21st century using practices developed 2000 years earlier. This, in part, became the genesis of the "pragmatic dharma" movement which continues to thrive today.

 The vision of AwakeNetwork is to be the central hub where all discussions of awakening to an examined life take place. 

This "network of communities" is founded on several key principles (which are documented more fully in our Terms of Service):

1. Privacy of discussions is paramount, because some of the things that come up in practice can be very sensitive or personal.

2. Data won't be shared outside of the community beyond well-defined boundaries. This includes avoiding indirect sharing through "shared infrastructure", like using Google or Facebook groups.

3. While communities can have their own "rules of engagement", AwakeNetwork as a whole respects the principle of "right speech".

Photo by Chris Petrow on UnsplashIt is inevitable that meditation practice, and discussions around it, tend to have a Buddhist leaning. But you are not required to be a Buddhist to have meaningful conversations here. That is, indeed, the point of "pragmatic dharma": that there is a fundamental wisdom that transcends the trappings of specific religions.

We hope that by being a member here, you can find that wisdom that you are looking for.

AwakeNetwork Donations

damir spanic JFl QLawHX4 unsplashAwakeNetwork depends, in part, on the donations of its members. While this site is free to join, it is not free to run.

In many wisdom traditions, "dana" is a donation offered in gratitude for what has been received. It is entirely optional, based on the value you received and your means. Your donations contribute to offsetting hosting costs, as well as funding the on-going maintenance and development efforts to make this a high quality resource that is available to anyone who needs it.

If you would like to make a regular contribution to AwakeNetwork, please use this Patreon page:

Contribute

 Thank you.

Awakenetwork.org Forum Rules

The purpose of these guidelines is to provide basic information and a code of conduct for the use of the forums operated by awakenetwork.org on the Internet. 

You may use the forums for lawful purposes only. You may not post messages that are threatening, abusive, defamatory, vulgar, obscene or otherwise objectionable. You may not post messages that encourage conduct that constitutes a criminal offense or that infringe upon the publicity or privacy rights or any other rights of any person or party. Awakenetwork.org may remove your postings and/or cancel your access to these boards at any time. Awakenetwork.org, at its sole discretion, shall have the right to determine whether messages are in violation of these guidelines.

These forums are for discussion purposes and meant as a way to exchange ideas and communicate among people with similar interests. You may not use the forums to post or transmit advertisements or commercial solicitations of any kind.

You may not post or transmit any material of any nature, including, text, audio, software, animation, or photographs, belonging to any person or party other than yourself, without the prior, written consent of the owner. Simply because material is available on the Internet does not mean it is in the public domain. The vast majority of material on the Internet is protected by copyright and trademark laws. 

Awakenetwork.org has the right, but not the obligation, to monitor the content of these forums, and may retain the services of independent contractors or volunteers to perform these functions. Awakenetwork.org maintains the right, in its sole discretion, to edit, refuse to post, or remove any material submitted to or posted on the forums which awakenetwork.org believes is in violation these guidelines, or is stale, or to free up storage space and/or bandwidth usage.

In selecting a name to use on awakenetwork.org's bulletin boards you may not choose a username (or e-mail address) with the intent of impersonating another person or belonging to another person without his or her consent, in violation of the intellectual property rights of any person, or that awakenetwork.org deems to be offensive. Also, please note that once your user name has been selected, it cannot be changed except by a site administrators. This is primarily to ensure continuity of conversations and to avoid the confusion that results from someone being known by one name and then suddenly "becoming" someone else.

Awakenetwork.org collects no personally identifiable data about you, except thast which is specifically and knowingly provided by you. Personally identifying information provided by you will be used only in connection with the awakenetwork.org site or for such other purposes as are described at the point of collection. Such information will not be transferred to any other parties unless otherwise stated at the time of collection. If you are a minor, awakenetwork.org assumes you have received your parents' approval before providing any personally identifying information. Awakenetwork.org will only use such information collected from children for the editorial participation and feedback purposes described at the point of collection and will not transfer such information to third parties.

Either awakenetwork.org or you may elect to terminate your participation on the Awakenetwork.org bulletin boards at any time, with or without cause. 

 

Privacy Policy

Privacy policy

Awakenetwork.org respects your right to the privacy of the personal information you provide us. Unless you designate otherwise or we state otherwise in this policy or at the time information is collected, any personal information you provide to awakenetwork.org will be known only to two parties: you and the staff of awakenetwork.org. Your user name will be available to other members for purposes of community participation. However, we will not disclose the fact of your membership by name to non-members without your permission, except in specific situations such as to law enforcement agencies as specified in this document.

Announcements and spam

At the time of registering for their membership, awakenetwork.org  members may receive orientation emails from awakenetwork.org. From time to time, members may receive notification of new services, changes to policies or other relevant site adjustments. We will not send you other email at the address you provide, except for infrequent communications to resolve issues that may arise with your own awakenetwork.org account. 

We will not sell, rent or give your email address to any third party. You are free at any time to substitute an alternate e-mail address if you wish to keep the one you initially registered private. 

Traffic data

Each time a visitor comes to Awakenetwork.org's servers, including the shell host or our web sites, our servers — like most on the web — collect some basic technical information, including, for example, the visitor's domain name (e.g., whether the user is logged on from aol.com or whitehouse.gov), referral data (e.g., we may record the address of the last URL a user visited prior to clicking through to an awkenetwork.org web site) and web browser and platform type (e.g., a Chrome browser on a Windows platform).

We also count, track and aggregate each visitor's activity into our analysis of general traffic flows at our sites (e.g. tracking where traffic comes from, how traffic differs within forums, etc.). To these ends, we may merge information about membership levels and activity into group data, which may then be shared on an aggregated basis with investors or the public; but we will not disclose your individual identity as an awakenetwork.org member nor discuss your personally identifiable data without your permission. When we do present any form of aggregated information to outside parties, no one will be able to identify you or contact you. We do not release aggregated data for individual awakenetwork.org online sanghas.

Use of cookies at Awakenetwork.org

A cookie is a small amount of data that is sent to your browser from a web server and stored in your computer's memory or written on your computer's hard drive. Our cookies do not contain any of the personal information you have provided to us. We use cookies for our web forum interface.

We do not use cookies to track usage on our site, but the forum software itself tracks what you have seen in order to show you new material when you return. This information about when you were last present is available to other members of the system in the forums to which you have mutual access so that it is easier to tell who is up to date in a group conversation. We never provide this information on your activity to non-participants.

Participants

Awakenetwork.org members are expected to comply with our rules, but we cannot control third parties' use of information you may choose to provide via awakenetwork.org forums or your user home page, nor can we vouch for the integrity of the participants you may communicate with, including but not limited to participants in private forum areas. Sharing information with other awakenetwork.org members is a matter of individual choice and judgment. If you choose to take part in any of our forums, whatever you may disclose in those discussions is made known to others who may read the forum.

Our commitment to children's privacy

Protecting the privacy of the very young is important to us. For that reason, we do not collect or maintain information at our sites from those we actually know are under 13, and no part of our sites are structured to attract anyone under 13.

Other disclosure of personal information

Awakenetwork.org will not otherwise use or disclose your personal information without your consent except (i) as described in this privacy policy, or (ii) as required by law. Any subscriber whose information is sought in accordance with this policy will be advised of the inquiry as soon as practical. Notification of such inquiries will be emailed to members before disclosures are made, unless notification is prohibited by law.

This privacy policy may not protect information you voluntarily disclose to others via a post to any online conference, email list, chat or send tool or any other communication environment within or from our service.

Cancellation and data removal policies

If you would like to end your membership and to delete any data we are not required to retain for accounting purposes, you can close your account and request data removal from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

If you wish to delete any of your own posts before ending your membership you may do so.

 

Other sites

Awakenetwork.org contains many links to other Internet sites. We cannot control and are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of other web sites, even if those sites are produced by awakenetwork.org.

Contact Information

If you have questions or need clarification in regard to this privacy policy please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Landing page

Welcome to AwakeNetwork, a community of meditation practitioners from a wide variety of traditions whose goal is simple: to awaken in this lifetime. In this community you will find people from all walks of life, young and old, modern and traditional, bound by a common thread to figure out what it means to live "happier".

Membership is free.

Join AwakeNetwork

 

Why should I join?

We hope that by creating a placePhoto by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash to foster the communication and sharing of practical wisdom, we will all end up in a better place, and leave a legacy to pass on to future generations. By joining AwakeNetwork, you can help with that legacy. But equally importantly, you will learn to live a fuller, happier life by understanding yourself better.

If you reached here, you probably already have a meditation practice, possibly through one of the well-known apps that promise to help you focus, or to sleep better. But, if you reached here, you have also discovered that there is something else...missing. Let the other members of AwakeNetwork, seekers like you, help you find that missing piece.

 

Photo by Mario Purisic on Unsplash

A network of communities

AwakeNetwork is a true network of communities (or sanghas, if you prefer the traditional term). Your membership is linked to one or more of these communities, to allow you to discuss your practice with like-minded individuals. At the same time, you can participate in discussions that span communities to benefit from the network effect, making your membership here more valuable.

 

 

Our pledge to you

Your contemplative practice is private, very private. And we take that privacy very seriously. So whatever you share on AwakeNetwork in private forums will remain private to the groups you post to, and will not be indexed by search engines. Also, your personal details like name or email addresses will never be sold or shared outside of AwakeNetwork, unless you give us explicit permission to do so. And if you ever want to erase all record of your being on AwakeNetwork, we will comply immediately, no questions asked.

We hope you find AwakeNetwork a kind and helpful community.

Join AwakeNetwork