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it provide opportunities like never before networking sites are popular because they his teachings on audiofile. Therefore, for promote their research works. These
for us to understand, practice, and realise are interactive and allow users to share us to propagate Buddhism effectively, we platforms give them diverse audiences
the Dharma? I believe this is an era where ideas and exchange information quickly, need to access these media regularly and from within and outside the academy.
we have ample opportunities to tap into and are also enjoyable and entertaining. make them available to the community. For Buddhist academics, it allows them
the vastness of the Buddha’s teachings Thus, if a monk or lay speaker were to give Thus, can Buddhism survive in the digital to share their research on Buddhism with
for our benefit and the benefit of the world a talk on Buddhism, they are expected to age today, in what is called the Fourth interested fellow Buddhists as well as
through the use of modern technology. use audio or visual aids to make their talks Industrial Revolution? Indeed, Buddhism non-Buddhists. An additional impact is
Therefore, for Buddhism to remain more interesting. Merely reading from is resilient and can adapt and survive any the broadening of access to high-quality
relevant in the 21st century, the way it a text would not capture the audience’s changes as it has done for the past 2,600 scholarly resources beyond the academic
has been traditionally communicated has attention as effectively. The audience, years. Buddhist leaders can utilise modern community to the monastic and lay
to change and adapted to present-day especially newer Buddhists, would expect technology to propagate the Teachings Buddhist communities. Buddhist leaders
norms. We have to reflect and determine the speaker to give the Dharma talk using to the people. For instance, technology in Malaysia should tap into such immense
whether teaching the Dharma through visual aids such as short video clips or at today can support large scale translation resources for the benefit of the community
lectures by monks and lay speakers least power point slides where they can of the Buddhist scriptures from Pāli and in the country.
sitting cross legged in front of an pick up the key essence of the talk quickly Sanskrit into contemporary languages
audience or by distributing free Dharma and easily while leaving the speaker to that people can understand more easily. Technology plays a big role in globalising
books the only or most effective way to explain the details. And with Podcasts, There are also attempts to translate not Buddhism. Buddhist teachings are
propagate Buddhism. An ever-increasing many people have been able to listen just the canons of the various Buddhist transmitted through digital media and
percentage of people today receive to the Dharma by their favorite teachers traditions but also the collected works of the Internet. Many Buddhist TV channels
their information in digital form, through while they are jogging in the park, driving great masters who have passed away run by various Buddhist organisations
the Internet. Likewise, anyone seeking to work, or even when they are cooking or such as Ledi Sayadaw, Mahasi Sayadaw, are running 24 hours programmes which
knowledge on Buddhism, can either turn washing dishes. So they need not go to Ajahn Chan, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, are directed towards disseminating the
to computers or, increasingly, their smart Dharmasala to be in front of His Holiness Master Sheng Yan and Master Hsuan Buddha’s teaching in Taiwan (BLIA TV, Da
phones or tablets. the Dalai Lama to listen to him expound on Hua into English which is fast becoming Ai TV), Nepal (Bodhi TV), Sri Lanka (The
emptiness or the Madyamaka philosophy the lingua franca of the modern world. Buddhist TV), and Thailand (DMC TV).
The media have also changed - they can easily get them from Youtube. The importance of AI or neural machine In South Korea, Buddhist organisations
spectacularly. Traditionally, communication com or podcasts. And more recently, the translation (NMT) by google brain in have responded to the onslaught of
media such as newspapers, magazines Tibetan Buddhist groups in Malaysia have translating Buddhist sutras from Chinese Christian evangelical attacks by launching
and books have slowly been replaced managed to do video conference calls into English is a good example. two media networks: the Buddhist
by social media. If two decades ago, with His Holiness the Dalai Lama since it Broadcasting System (BBS), which was
people started to access the websites is difficult to invite him to be in Malaysia. More recently, Buddhist academics have founded in 1990 and the Buddhist Cable
(such as www.accesstoinsight.org, www. Likewise, many people have learnt the started sharing their publications and TV Network, founded in 1995. Buddhist
buddhanet.net or www.buddhistchannel. Pāli suttas from Bhikkhu Bodhi not by books at an open platform such as www. leaders in Malaysia should explore some
tv) for information about Buddhism, today listening to him in person but from his academia.edu and www.researchgate. form of collaboration with these media,
more people have turned to social media downloaded teachings on Youtube.com. net. Such platforms are a good source either in English or Mandarin, which will
networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and And if they are tired of reading books by for scholars to find academic papers and also benefit the Buddhists in this country.
Whatsapp for such information. Social Ajahn Chah, they now have access to all resources for their studies as well as to Another effective way of dissemination
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50 YEARS OF DHARMA PRO PA GATION CO NTINUING THE MIS SION IN THE 5G ER A
