A big shout - out to our Mods!

The Watercooler
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I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for the incredible work our @moderators do in managing and moderating D&D, our online Buddhist forum. I invite everyone to do the same. :bouquet: :lotus:

Views are by their very nature, divisive. A forum dedicated to discussing them will invariably face its fair share of challenges. Moderators serve as umpires - and it is but natural that moderation decisions might leave some participants feeling dissatisfied. It is not possible to please all the people, all of the time - even the Buddha couldnā€™t do that! Despite such difficulties, the dedication of our Mods to upholding the values of respect, understanding, and harmony within our community has remained unwavering.

Friends, our unpaid Mods slave tirelessly round the clock to maintain a safe and supportive space for discussion, learning, and growth! They are regular people, just like you and me. They carve time out of busy professional and personal lives to render this service. I, at least find their commitment to fairness and impartiality in enforcing the forumā€™s guidelines truly commendable.

Moderating an online platform, especially one centered around such deeply personal and profound topics as Buddhism, is a challenging task. Our Mods bring immense patience and wisdom to the table each and every day - their compassionate approach shines through every decision they make.

Dear Mods, please know that your contributions are deeply appreciated by many of us who value the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue and exchange of ideas within this forum. Your dedication to fostering a sense of community and mutual respect is what makes this space truly special.

As we continue on our individual paths of spiritual growth and understanding, let us all remember to extend our gratitude and support to those who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that our community remains vibrant and enriching. If that means accepting the occasional decision we donā€™t personally agree with - so be it.

Thank you, dear @moderators , for all that you do. Your efforts make a positive difference in the lives of us all, and for that, we are truly grateful.

:pray: :slightly_smiling_face:

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Iā€™m curious if - given the timing and importance of its content - I should consider this hitherto unrefferenced threadā€¦ as significant context for your shout? Or perhaps I consider my comment in that threadā€¦ overly significant?

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Thank you for making this clear. I am lay practitioner aspiring to stream entry. As such, the site is antithetical to my needs. Iā€™m clearly ā€œout of my league.ā€

I will take ownership of the erroneous assumptions I have made concerning it. Iā€™ll read the statement of purpose more clearly in the future.

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Speaking as another ā€œout of his leagueā€ lay practitioner just trying to do his best and not cause too much harm in the process, Iā€™d say take it easy on yourself and be gentle. Training to be gentle with oneself can also lead to gentleness with others or so my teachers would have me believe :slight_smile: :pray:

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Sādhu, well said! The moderators on this forum, both now and historically, have been truly excellent. And that includes you, @faujidoc1! They often lead by example in the practice of right speech, especially in challenging circumstances. A big thank you from me too. It is inspiring to see you at work! :pray:

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Blessed are the peacemakers for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, yeshe. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Umm ā€¦ No??? I had not even read your comment in that thread when I was writing mine! :rofl: I was simply responding to the general atmosphere on the forum in the past few days.

As far as that referenced comment of yours goes (having read it now), may I submit that in a way, you are indeed right in what you say. Views can lead to division and to the formation of factionsā€¦ if we focus on our differences. But discussion of views can also lead to personal and spiritual growthā€¦ when we focus on the ways in which apparently divergent views converge on the Truth (DN29).

That means that you are indeed a serious practitioner - and (Edited: potentially) a Noble One (the first of the first pair of eight noble persons - DN33)! SC and D&D was built for people like you - for those who are devoted to discerning the true teachings of the Buddha through the Early Buddhist Texts. That is exactly why we discuss varying views- though admittedly, we do get out of hand sometimes when we donā€™t see the entire elephant! (Ud 6.4). :grimacing:

Thatā€™s why we need our devoted Mods - to pull us all into line when weā€™ve all gotten a bit too hot under the collar! :slightly_smiling_face: :joy:

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Perhaps donā€™t pass judgement so quickly?

Itā€™s not as simple as just wishing to become a stream enterer, or practicing for it.

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yes, thanks so much to the moderators, and thanks to faujidoc for reminding us of them. Effective moderation is the single most important factor in any online discussion. It is so important to ensure that those who are vulnerable and regularly exposed to abuse and threats should know that this is a safe place for them. :pray:

Empathy, curiosity, and wonder are the sparks that make a spiritual practice come alight. And that fire can be carefully nurtured with the oxygen of clear knowledge and insight. Okay, Iā€™ll stop with the metaphor now!

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