User's Guide for the UUBF-L (The Email List of the Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship)

Details

Changes — a diary of modifications to the UUBF-L, or to this Guide

UUBF — our parent organization

A Code of Courtesy and Kindness >

Writing as Practice

Paying attention to how you use language is a mindfulness practice, and essential to Right Speech.

The following basic writing skills are fundamental to appropriate email communication:

  • Focus and clarity about your agenda
  • Refraining from putting a burden on readers — with attention, for example, to...
    • Spelling, punctuation, and paragraph spacing (If you have a spelling checker, use it even if you don't think you need it.)
    • Limiting the number and size of your postings, so as not to overwhelm
  • Attention to peculiarities of email
    • Including only the relevant portions of a post you are responding to, never forwarding the entire post again to the list at the bottom of your response to the post.
    • Not flaming, not reading too much into what's there — see Electronic Right Speech
  • Speaking from your own experience.
    • Dominick Spirelli recommends talking in the abstract about spiritual practice rather than from a personal point of view.
    • However, abstract language sounds pretentious and phony in comparison to direct reporting.
    • Making "I" statements is taking responsibility for what I say. If I don't own my thoughts and feelings this way, I'm more likely to sound like I'm telling others what to think or feel. Worse yet, I may be slipping into really doing that: speaking only for myself keeps me honest, and encourages mindfulness.
  • Respect for copyright, with proper citation so people can find originals

These human relations skills facilitate any communication:

  • Compassion, tolerance, considerateness, civility
  • Fostering safety to facilitate deep involvement
  • Sensitivity to others' viewpoints and styles of communication
  • Pausing in your conversation so that others may speak. Listening twice as much as you speak.
  • Trying to discover the truths and experiences of others, and finding skillful ways to communicate yours to us.
  • Witnessing your experience mindfully

Skillful attitudes toward yourself help you communicate, keep you honest, and help you on your path.

  • Mindfulness / paying attention
  • An interest in learning about yourself, from your interactions on the list
  • Listening to what's uncomfortable

For more infomation relevant to Our Code of Courtesy and Kindness, see...