The Buddha never had Wi-Fi.
But he still understood exactly what we’re going through.
Craving.
Clinging.
Suffering.
The endless chase for something to make this moment feel better.
Sound familiar?
Social media may be modern, but the suffering it amplifies is ancient.
That’s why the Four Noble Truths still apply, even to your feed.
Let’s break it down:
1. There is suffering.
Yes, even in the scroll.
That dull ache when you compare yourself to someone else’s perfect post.
The anxiety that creeps in after too many reels.
The loneliness that deepens after you watch everyone else’s life play out in curated snapshots.
It’s real.
And it’s valid.
The first truth says:
Don’t look away.
Suffering is here.
2. The cause of suffering is craving.
On social media, craving wears many masks.
We crave validation, likes, shares, comments.
We crave escape, from boredom, from pain, from our bodies.
We crave identity, something to belong to, someone to admire, someone to become.
We chase dopamine, and the algorithm is happy to oblige.
But no amount of likes will satisfy what only presence can heal.
3. The end of suffering is possible.
Not by deleting the apps (though sometimes that helps).
Not by pretending you’re above it all.
But by seeing through the craving.
When you pause mid-scroll and ask, What am I hungry for right now?
You interrupt the trance.
You wake up inside the loop.
And presence returns.
4. The path out is mindful living.
In this case, mindful scrolling.
The Eightfold Path might look like:
Right Intention → Before you post.
Right Action → How you respond.
Right Speech → How you comment.
Right Effort → Logging off when you need to.
Right Mindfulness → Noticing when you’re gone.
You don’t need to renounce your phone to walk the path.
You just need to bring your breath with you when you scroll.
Applied Zen doesn’t shame your habits.
It illuminates them.
Social media isn’t the enemy.
Unconscious engagement is.
And once you see that?
You’re free.
Enlightened Life Fellowship 