Should online Bikkhus disclose their identity?

[SarathW]

Should online Bikkhus disclose their identity?

[SarathW]

I voted yes.
There is no reason for a monk to hide their identity.
However, I do not expect this to be written to the terms of Dhamma Wheel.

[DooDoot]

I elected "no" because there are bhikkhus who are very confused about the Buddha-Dhamma and their disclosure of identity can cause a loss in faith in the Sangha. Also, certain bhikkhus, particularly certain Western bhikkhus, are extremely dogmatic and have not received the proper training that a bhikkhu should maintain appropriate "boundaries" towards laypeople. These untrained bhikkhus tend to get into fights & quarrels with laypeople on forums, which again is improper conduct for a bhikkhu. I imagine the history of DW has seen a number of problematic bhikkhus posting on this forum, including bhikkhus being declared by other bhikkhus to be renegades or outside of the training (such as a certain bhikkhu from Finland or a well-known "samana"). If a bhikkhu is confused, it is probably best they post here anonymously and engage in discussions without any social pressure.

[SarathW]

I see your point DD.
However, we should not expect Bikkhus to be expert in Sutta.
There could be an Arahant who does not have much knowledge in Sutta.
An ounce of practice is much better than the tons of knowledge.
I am sure there a lot of knowledgeable lay people in these forums.
But they lack practice.
So we should pay respect for the monks irrespective of their knowledge.
There are badly behaved monks so they will reap their own karma here and now.
We should encourage Sanga participation in these forums.
Perhaps Bikkhus learn from lay people as it happens in Buddha's time.
It is good if we have an environment a Bikkhu asking question from lay people.
I have seen some down to earth monks are not afraid to ask questions in this forum.

[dharmacorps]

I don't think its reasonable to ask anyone to disclose their identity online, even if it is just their dhamma name.

[Volo]

I said "yes", at least I would like to know who is bhikkhu, who is lay. Whether they disclose their names is less important.

[rightviewftw]

i have to go with no because there is no "if they want to" option. I do think they should do as they see fit.

[bksubhuti]

lay people and monks should disclose their Identity. They should own up to what they say. especially those who attack others. They do that because there is no moral shame and no moral fear. That is how it flame and trolling happens.

[JamesTheGiant]

lay people and monks should disclose their Identity. They should own up to what they say. especially those who attack others. They do that because there is no moral shame and no moral fear. That is how it flame and trolling happens.

Yes, I totally agree with this. In fact, I'm super authoritarian on this issue. People should need to tie their online identities to real world identities such as passports or ID cards, use their full name as their username, and a passport photo as their avatar, so those people are legally responsible for everything they say and do online, and so the police can arrest anyone who leaves threatening comments on Twitter or Facebook.
But I know my view is an extreme outlier, shared by very few, and will never happen, that's okay.
It happens this way on one internet forum I am a member of, but it only has about 50 active members.

[SarathW]

as passports or ID cards

James the Giant is your name in the passport?

[rightviewftw]

I used to frequent a forum where members could post in anonymous mode, it was a popular feature and led to people expressing opinions they would not have expressed publicly. I think there is a definite value in anonymity and nobody should be forced to reveal anything they don't want to reveal in general.

[DooDoot]

I'm super authoritarian on this issue. People should need to tie their online identities to real world identities such as passports or ID cards, use their full name as their username, and a passport photo as their avatar, so those people are legally responsible for everything they say and do online, and so the police can arrest anyone who leaves threatening comments on Twitter or Facebook.

is threatening to call the police a threatening comment?

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

"Should online Bikkhus disclose their identity?"

1) Yes
2) No
3) Let them decide for themselves

Metta,
Paul.

[StormBorn]

I voted 'No'. Because it's everyone's personal preference, not only bhikkhus'. However, I kind of like WT's color code idea mentioned here. Color codes can be done without revealing the actual names, and might solve certain issues raised by the OP of that thread.

[xofz]

Bhikkhus are kind of holy. If a person is actually a Bhikkhu, it is important to have Bhikkhu in the name to devote the ultimate trust to.