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54 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

Buddhist Ethics in

the Age of Technology

We are now entering Industry 5.0 or the 5th Industrial Using these tools, educational programs and
Revolution, a new and emerging phase of technology workshops should be created to foster understanding
development where humans are expected to work within the Buddhist community. Scholars should be
alongside advanced technology and artificial intelligence mindful of ethical issues when using technology for
(AI)-powered robots to enhance workplace processes preservation and analysis in a culturally sensitive and
and human flourishing. From a Buddhist perspective, respectful manner.
how should AI developers consider the core Buddhist
teachings of reducing our suffering so that their design Min Wei: Machine learning can assist in analyzing vast
can assist mankind achieve happiness and mental well- amounts of historical data related to Buddhist heritage,
being. Once again we ask our three Dharma mentors – helping scholars decipher ancient texts, artifacts, and
Venerable Aggacitta, Venerable Min Wei, and Venerable teachings. It can aid in translation, preservation, and
Tenzin Tsepal - for their comments and advice. identifying patterns within these materials. Virtual
reality (VR) can recreate historical Buddhist sites,
allowing people to virtually explore and experience
How can technology like machine learning and these locations, fostering a deeper understanding
virtual reality benefit the preservation and of the heritage. By combining machine learning for
understanding of Buddhist heritage? What steps data analysis and VR for immersive experiences, we
should scholars take to ensure these discoveries can create interactive platforms or applications that
are shared effectively with the Buddhist effectively convey and share these discoveries with
community? a global audience, making the teachings and history
of Buddhism more accessible and engaging. This
Aggacitta: Scholars can use technology to digitize technology could offer new insights and perspectives
and preserve ancient Buddhist texts, artifacts, and on Buddhist heritage, enabling a wider audience to
artworks. Machine learning can help in character appreciate and learn from its wisdom.
recognition, translation and analysis of Buddhist texts,
making them accessible to a wider audience. Databases Tsepal: One invaluable benefit of machine learning is
and platforms can be established so that research in Optical Character Recognition [OCR], the electronic
findings can be shared with researchers worldwide. conversion of scanned Buddhist sutras, treatises and
texts of various traditions and languages into plain text.
Virtual reality can create immersive experiences OCR is invaluable in documenting, disseminating and
to preserve physical artifacts digitally and also preserving the vast Buddhist literary heritage, making
provide immersive experiences of Buddhist temples, searchable plain files available to Buddhist scholars,
monasteries, and historical sites. This can help translators, practitioners, and the general public.
individuals understand the architecture, rituals, and
cultural aspects of Buddhism. For example, the Buddhist Digital Library Center
[BDRC] has preserved texts from all the Buddhist
traditions since 2015. It houses a digital library of