Hello and welcome!
My name is かげ (ka ge), and this is the gateway to a digital Refuge where all beings are welcome!
This Refuge currently takes the form of a SimpleX chat group.
SimpleX is an app that you can run on your iOS or Android phone, or on Windows, Mac, or Linux.
SimpleX provides the ability to chat securely with End-To-End Encryption (E2EE), and optionally to chat anonymously using "Incognito" profiles. You may be familiar with Signal, another E2EE chat app. SimpleX differs from Signal in two major ways: no phone number is required, and it does not require central servers. Anyone can create a SimpleX server and help the network relay messages!
The purpose of this Refuge is to provide a safe space for people to talk about anything that may be weighing on their minds, or to simply share joy with one another! The community has a collective wisdom, waiting to be shared.
Ideally, we would want to create refuge and share joy in person, but sometimes distance and time can create a physical chasm between us and our relationships. This Refuge serves to bridge that gap. We can check messages and respond when time allows, or have a lively chat when distance is too great to meet conveniently.
I want to be clear: this is not a substitute for real face to face conversation and heart to heart talks. To help facilitate face to face communication through the group, I've imagined a game called The Chain Of Trust. I hope it brings you joy!
Let's talk about what it means to be "safe" in this chat group.
To facilitate safety, first and foremost, behave compassionately toward everyone in the group. Please refrain from criticizing others. Remember, all beings are welcome. If you disagree with someone, find the wisest words you can to express yourself and enlighten others.
What about keeping yourself safe from others?
The link to this chat group is publicly accessible; it is posted on this website, and you may have seen it posted publicly in your community. Anyone can join the group using this link, whether you know them personally or not. A stranger online should be treated no differently than a stranger on the street: with compassion and respect, but also healthy boundaries.
Some people will choose to join the group anonymously. This option is meant to keep people safe: people who want to avoid negative social stigma about certain topics, people who have been victims of religious persecution, people who have been victims of domestic violence or stalking... Joining the group anonymously means that no one will be able to connect their online persona to their public self. However, it may be possible to identify people based on the content of their messages. If you want to stay safe, please refrain from sharing personally identifiable information about yourself or about others.
Enabling anonymity also carries risk. A con-artist could join anonymously to manipulate members of the group without risking exposure. Be wise about the difference between needs and desires, and be wary about transactional interactions. If you're unsure about a person's intent, check in with others whom you know and trust. This may be challenging, but avoid paranoia and accusations. Keep yourself safe without harming others; the easiest way is to simply stop interacting with someone you don't trust. Try to have compassion even for people you do not like.
If you feel threatened, please report the interaction to me, Kage. Also inform people you know and trust.
What about trust?
If you know someone from your community who uses this chat group, you can "verify" their chat identity. Meet in person, and share your "Security Code" with each other to add an individual to your private contacts and share private messages with each other. These private messages will not be visible to the group; they are between you and the recipient, just like SMS text messages. Unlike SMS, E2EE means no one else can see the message at any point along its path through the internet!
Step 1: Meet in person. If you have not already started private messaging, one of you will tap "New 1-time link". The other will scan the code.
Step 2: Both of you tap your contact's name at the bottom of their private chat.
Step 3: Both of you tap "Verify security code".
Step 4: Take turns scanning the security code.
You should now see a shield icon next to your contact's name!
You could simply copy and paste a security code, or just tap "Verify Code" to give the contact the shield icon, but this undermines the purpose of the verification. It is unwise to place too much trust in someone you have not met in person, especially if they are using an anonymous profile.
You do not have to verify contacts in order to send private messages to one another, but I encourage you to meet people face to face when you have the opportunity. How many shields can you collect?!
The Chain of Trust Game
As you verify more security codes, the number of personal connections you've made will grow, but will you be able to meet everyone in the group? A person I'm connected to may be connected to someone who I am not, who may be connected to someone else my connections and I have never met, and so an and so on. Try sending an image of something joyful to one (and only one!) of your connections, and tell them to pass it on. Don't share with the group who you sent it to, and tell your connection not to share either. Will the image return to you someday? Like links in a chain which form a necklace, may this joyful game touch your heart!
Hmm... Reminds me of karma.
Now try meeting two new people: the person your first connection sent the image to, and the connection of the person who finally returned it to you! May your trust in the community continously expand!
Be patient as the chain takes shape. It may take awhile for your image to come back to you. And if it never does? That's okay, you still have a community out there who cares in more important ways. This is just a game.
Although Refuge was not created with anonymity in mind, it is an inherent feature of SimpleX that cannot be turned off. I encourage you to use your real name or Dharma name to talk with others in your community, but if you feel safer being anonymous, you may do so.
To join the group anonymously, first click or scan the link to the group. Tap "Open new group", then--Wait! Wait!--before you tap "Join group", tap your profile name to reveal "Incognito" and select it.
Now tap "Join group" and you're in! The app creates a random chat name for you of the form "AdjectiveNoun". No phone number, no email address, just this random name.
You are now anonymous! Please be responsible! Stay safe!
Is this Refuge only for Buddhists?
No, all beings are welcome! This Refuge was created with Buddhist values in mind, but it is not limited to Buddhists.
You may see people discussing Zen practices or sharing koans.
You may see people talking about the differences between various Buddhist schools and traditions.
You may see people talking about other religions, or people from other religions who are curious about Buddhism.
You may see people talking about personal struggles, asking for life advice, gardening tips, all sorts of things!
Above all, please be compassionate to everyone. It is okay to ask questions to develop understanding, but do not criticize others or their beliefs. Remember, this is a Refuge for ALL beings!
If the topic of discussion diverges into a niche interest, participants may be asked to form their own group or continue discussion through private messaging. If people are laughing and talking with friends while another person is expressing a need for help, please pause and be kind to those in need. We cannot be truly liberated until all beings are liberated!