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.
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".
It 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.