The Free Mind: Finding Clarity in a Digitally Distracted World

The tech-obsessed can use Buddhist principles to live more mindfully, according to this lucid guide from Tibetan Buddhist teacher Kilung (The Relaxed Mind). In the author’s view, people are driven to apps and websites for relief from “emotional undercurrents” of loneliness, anxiety, and depression, but gain only temporary relief and intensified “craving” for further distraction. To break those habits, readers can practice mindfulness via meditation or, more broadly, by harnessing Buddhism’s “Six Transcendent Perfections” (generosity, patience, diligence, discipline, concentration, and wisdom) in their daily lives. For example, readers can show generosity by performing a “random act of kindness” like paying for a stranger’s coffee. According to Kilung, the transcendent perfections help practitioners to “free ourselves from negative conditioning” and create a more balanced, present life in which one’s energy can be directed to more fulfilling pursuits. While readers seeking more immediate strategies for cutting down screen time may be frustrated with the author’s slow and holistic approach, they’ll appreciate Kilung’s succinct distillation of Buddhist principles and the balance he strikes between recognizing technology’s drawbacks and acknowledging its benefits, such as facilitating connection with family, friends, and collaborators. Those looking to put down their iPhones will want to give this a shot. (Aug.)