Recently, I participated in a challenge called "1-Day Spiritual Detox," based on the teachings of Buddhism, as described in the book The Buddhist Cleanse by Nick Keomahavong. I discovered the author's YouTube channel when I was feeling overwhelmed and lost, struggling to navigate my life. Although I have had an interest in Buddhism for several years, I'm not a very devout or religious person. However, I found this challenge incredibly helpful in gaining clarity about myself and staying grounded. Let me share with you all what the challenge is like and what I've learned through the experience.
The challenge is quite simple, and you basically need to refrain from things that are considered distracting. The things you need to refrain from are:
1. Refraining from destroying living creatures.
2. Refraining from taking that which is not given.
3. Refraining from all sexual activity.
4. Refraining from false speech.
5. Refraining from intoxicating drinks and drugs that lead to carelessness.
6. Refraining from eating after 12 pm.
7. Refraining from dancing, singing music, entertainment, wearing garlands, using perfumes, and beautifying the body with cosmetics.
8. Refraining from lying on a high or luxurious sleeping place.
As you can imagine, what concerned me the most before starting the challenge was not being able to eat after 12 PM and refraining from intoxicating drinks -- in my case, a nice chilled glass of wine after a long day. To be honest, these two things are some of the best parts of my daily routine.
During the day, I shut myself off from any social media platform, including Twitter, which is my favorite. I refrained from listening to music, browsing my PC to shop, or trying to beautify myself by putting on makeup and fragrance, which are my other favorites. Instead, I tried to focus more on staying in the moment, being calm, and seeing myself more clearly, and doing good things like organizing the house and cleaning the bathroom. Other than that, I practiced meditation several times at different times throughout the day, read a book, took care of my dogs, and cooked lunch -- this time, I made a slightly better and more elaborate meal as I knew that could be the last meal of the day, and I had plenty of time anyway!
At the end of the day, I successfully went through the process without getting distracted by those temptations, and the time I spent being isolated from the outside world gave me a longer and more meaningful time than I have ever experienced in my life.
The most influential of the eight things may have been the digital detox. Getting away from internet entertainment, especially social media and online shopping, meant I had more time for myself. The feeling that I have an abundance of time has given me the space to do one thing at a time with more care and attention.
The experience of living a day carefully and thoughtfully was very enriching. I participated in this challenge only once, but I will try to join it from time to time in the future so that I can learn and gain more through the experience.
I've heard of families having a 'digital Sabbath' where they put away all their devices for just one day a week. They say it leaves space to discover other sources of interest, pleasure and community.
@Barbara
Great to hear from you! I'm glad you read my article about the 1-Day Spiritual Detox challenge. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the 'digital Sabbath' concept - that's an interesting idea. It's amazing how much space and time we can create for ourselves when we unplug from technology and focus on other things that bring us joy and fulfillment. :)