An unusual WordCamp talk where I teach you the basics of Buddhism as a frame for improving your WordPress development.
Honestly, it focuses more on Buddhism than on WordPress development!
See on WCMTL.org: https://2018.montreal.wordcamp.org/session/a-buddhist-guide-to-wordpress-development/
See on my blog: http://simianuprising.com/2018/08/11/buddhist-guide-to-wordpress/
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
A Buddhist Guide to WordPress Development - WCMTL 2018
1. A BUDDHIST GUIDETO
WORDPRESS DEVELOPMENT
2600 year old advice on accepting & letting go
🕊 Jer Clarke • jerclarke.org
Creative Commons Share Alike
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Download these slides:
http://jerclarke.org/buddhist-guide-to-wordpress
2. JER IS AN EARTHLING WEB DEVELOPER
• Communications Studies at Concordia
University.
• HTML+CSS since 2003
• Code Unicorn for GlobalVoices since 2006
• Founded WordCamp Montreal in 2009
THEY
THEM
THEIR
4. JER & BUDDHISM
• "If any religion is right, it's probably Buddhism"
• Visited Sri Lanka in 2017, needed help with life
• Joined Refuge Recovery, Buddhist sobriety fellowship
• Meditate 30+ minutes every day
• 170 days in a row on InsightTimer
5. ON PĀLI &THERAVĀDA
• Theravāda ("School of the elders") based on earliest
Buddhism, found in Sri Lanka,Thailand etc.
• Source for modern movements likeVipassana,
Insight meditation, Secular Buddhism
• Contrasted with Mahāyāna ("GreaterVehicle"), a
diverse branch found in China, Japan etc.
• FYI:Words here are in Pāli (Theravāda) not
Sanskrit (Mahāyāna)
6. RELIGION OR
PHILOSOPHY?
• Buddhism is both metaphysical and pragmatic
• Most teachings apply directly to material life
• It’s an ancient science, and got a lot of things right
• Ancient Indian cosmology is weird and a bit crazy,
but metaphorically it has a lot to teach us
• Mainly: Buddhism is a series of very useful lists
7. ĀNĀPĀNASATI
BREATHING MEDITATION
• Breathing in, know you are breathing in
• Breathing out, know you are breathing out.
• Breathing in and out, experience your body
right here in this place
• Breathing in and out, experience your mind
right here in this moment
8. PAÑHA
CONTEMPLATIONS
• Is there anything in this world that can fully satisfy you,
that will never let you down?
• If you could have no expectations about how things
should be, accepting things as they are, would life be
harder or easier?
• When you do things you know are wrong, how does it
feel? How does it feel to do what you know is right?
9. TILAKKHAṆA
THREE MARKS OF EXISTENCE
• Everything is impermanent
• Everything is stressful
• Everything is lacking in essential self
• Ignorance about these causes clinging and suffering
10. ANICCA
IMPERMANENCE
• "Whatever is subject to origination is subject to cessation.”
• Everything either changes or ceases and we are all going
to die
• Everything we have is borrowed; sickness, death or
WordPress updates will take it all away
11. DUKKHA
STRESS
• Dukkha means suffering, pain, and dissatisfaction
• Nothing lives up to our hopes, so everything brings
disappointment and stress
• Unpleasant things are dukkha because we can’t avoid them
• Pleasant things are dukkha because we can’t hold on to them
12. ANATTĀ
LACK OF ESSENTIAL SELF
• There is no inherent meaning or essence (soul) in
objects or beings
• Everything and everyone are “conditioned phenomena”
arising from causes, impersonal, and dependent
• Our sense of “I am” is a delusion that holds us back
• Your body is not you, your thoughts are not you, your
opinions are not you and neither is your code
13. THREE FEATURES OF EVERY
CMS, PLUGIN ANDTHEME!
✅ Impermanent: This shit won't last forever!
✅ Unsatisfying: Guaranteed to disappoint!
✅ Essence-Free: Just a bunch of code!
Accept these things and let them go!
14. CATTĀRI ARIYASACCĀNI
THE FOUR NOBLETRUTHS
1. Dukkha - Stress is inevitable
2. Samudaya -The cause of stress is clinging attachment
3. Nirodha -The end of stress is freedom from clinging
4. Magga -The way to freedom is the noble eightfold path
15. DUKKHA
STRESS IS INEVITABLE
• Problems are going to come up and there will be bad
surprises
• Having what you don't want, not having what you do want
• Aging, illness and death all bring dukkha
• Updates are dukkha, spam is dukkha, browser compatibility
is dukkha
16. SAMUDAYA
THE CAUSE OF STRESS IS
CLINGING
• The reason it hurts so much is our clinging to expectations
• When we try to control the world, we suffer pointlessly
• “The second arrow” is the one we shoot ourselves
• Both desire and aversion hold us in this cycle of clinging
and disappointment
• It's when we imagine that WP won't challenge us that it
makes us crazy
17. NIRODHA
THE END OF STRESS IS
FREEDOM FROM CLINGING
• If we accept everything, without clinging to good and bad,
we don’t have to suffer
• Notice the impermanence of situations and relinquish the
illusion of control
• Letting go of expectations, roadblocks become
surmountable and failures become survivable
18. MAGGA
THE WAYTO FREEDOM IS
THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
• We end clinging and achieve enlightenment by following
The Noble Eightfold Path
Wisdom
RightView
Right Intention
Virtue
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Mindfulness
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration
19. DHAMMA
TRUTH
• "Dhamma" means the teachings, the truth, "Buddhadhamma"
• It also refers to all phenomena, the way things are, and things
themselves
• Buddhism tells us to know things as they are: impermanent,
conditional and impersonal
• To live at ease, we accept all "dhammas", without judgement
or preference
20. KAMMA
CAUSE AND EFFECT
• Kamma (karma) refers to cause and effect; how our actions
determine our future
• The word means “action” and “intention”, not ethical score
• Kammic “fruition” are the effects of your karma
• Intention is key, as long as we know our intentions are truly
good we can live with peace of mind
21. SAṂSĀRA
REBIRTH
• Saṃsāra is the cycle of being reborn over and over,
always suffering
• Buddha:We are reborn as new people, but keep our
kamma (good or bad) which continues to impact us
• Jer: Rebirth happens each day and in each moment as
you are affected by past intentions
• Accept that your past actions lead to the present, but
we can change and grow for the future.
22. SAṂSĀRA WP
REBIRTH WP
• We are reborn when we return to old themes, plugins,
code and content
• We inherit the decisions of our past selves, good or bad
• Learn from the challenges you’ve passed on to yourself
• See clearly how your current decisions will determine
your future
23. SATI
MINDFULNESS
• Being aware of yourself, body and mind, in each moment
• Remembering, over and over, to see things as they really are
• Frees you from false perceptions, wakes you up to the truth
• Let go of delusions and distractions, investigate honestly
• Learn how to use the debug.log, and check it every day
24. SAMĀDHI
MEDITATION
• Samādhi means “concentration” as well as “meditation”
• We meditate to develop focus and control our minds,
practicing active mindfulness without distraction
• Set aside time just for this training
• Meditate on wholesome states to develop altered traits
• Like any skill (e.g. web dev), regular focused practice is how
we get better
25. • When we understand things
as they are (impermanent,
painful, impersonal), we
understand that compassion
and love are the only
appropriate reactions
• Compassion for others and
compassion for oneself go
hand in hand
• The four brahmavihāras
(“divine abodes"):
• Mettā - Kindness
• Karuṇā - Compassion
• Muditā - Compersion
• Upekkhā - equanimity
METTĀ
LOVINGKINDNESS
26. PAÑÑĀ
WISDOM
• All experience is created in our minds, we are what we think
• Accept things as they are and let go of what's painful
• A clear conscience and open heart can do any task with joy
• Be mindful of your thoughts, cultivate wholesome traits
• Meditate as much as you can, and all of this will be easier
28. INSIGHTTIMER
• Free, simple meditation
timer with various bells
• iOS+Android
• Thousands of free
guided meditations (look
for "Buddhism" category)
• Social network and stats
for motivation
(add @jerclarke)
RECOMMENDED "TEACHERS"
• Andy Hobson
(esp. "Accept & Let Go”)
• Bodhipaksa
• Josh Korda
• Tara Brach
https://insighttimer.com/
29. VIJJĀ
KNOWLEDGE
• Wikipedia - Dig into each teaching’s article
• Doug's Secular Dharma - AccessibleYouTube channel (secular)
• SuttaCentral - Read the original texts and compare translations
PODCASTS
• AgainstThe Stream - Accessible, modern talks and meditations
• Joseph Goldstein - Great teacher w/ tons of talks
• Dharmaseed - Advanced talks from meditation retreats
30. SAṄGHA
COMMUNITY
• True North Insight - Weekly meditation and multi-day retreats
(paid & by donation)
• Refuge Recovery - Weekly addiction recovery group
(by donation)
• Vipassana Québec - 10-day intensive meditation retreats
(by donation)
• Secular Buddhism Association - Online meditation group
(by donation)
31. A BUDDHIST GUIDETO
WORDPRESS DEVELOPMENT
2600 year old advice on accepting & letting go
🕊 Jer Clarke • jerclarke.org
Creative Commons Share Alike
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Download these slides:
http://jerclarke.org/buddhist-guide-to-wordpress