Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia
Buddhism is a religion or philosophy based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha
Venerable Vello Vaartnou is the author and initiated the following project- online Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia. An encyclopedia (also spelled encyclopaedia or encyclopædia) is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge. Initially the Encyclopedia's environment will be in two languages- Chinese Mandarin and English. By using two most spoken languages, the Encyclopedia will provide platform for international co-operation between academics, monastics and lay Buddhists with the further plan to develop the Encyclopedia in different languages.
The purpose of the Encyclopedia is to
- provide easy access to vast amount of materials for everyone with access to internet
- gather all available existing digitized materials, review them, categorise and post them online.
- collaborate with relevant universities, monasteries, institutions, libraries, museums and individuals globally
- continue digitizing more materials
- use the advantages of modern technology to develop different forms of Buddhist education
- create a international team of specialists interested in those topics, who would collaborate and meet on regular bases
Although the Encyclopedia emphasizes different forms of Chinese Buddhism, it does not exclude any traditions, views or materials, which are not directly related to China.
Academic approach and methods of work will provide the opportunity to handle the materials and information scientifically, making them easily acceptable for modern people giving detailed overview of Chinese- and Buddhism overall, and create the opportunity for future generations to continue building on the Encyclopedia platform.
A key function for the Encyclopedia is - preservation. In these rapidly changing times, it is necessary to gather all available materials, translate and digitize them as the progression of computers and internet pose a great threat to traditional forms of Buddhist materials to be used. This change also provides an opportunities- the Encyclopedia idea itself is one example of how those changes can be skillfully used .
The encyclopedia will contain all available relevant audio-visual files, which are combined with the content. The Encyclopedia will make full use of available modern technology and we can only imagine what benefits it can provide in the future. Ideally the Encyclopedia project would incorporate professionals from different fields like IT specialists, artists, designers, photographers, translators, historians etc.
There are numerous materials on Buddhism available in Russian, Tibetan, Mongolian, Sanskrit, Pali, Thai, Burmese, Japanese and other languages,. which currently are not available in Chinese nor English .. The purpose of the Encyclopedia is also translating all relevant materials from any language into Chinese and English.
It is important that the materials used in the Encyclopedia would not lose their religious value and that published materials would not insult anyone’s religious beliefs or values. It is important for senior and well educated Buddhist monastics to be involved in the project as they will help to keep the Buddhist view and essence of the materials presented. Followers of different traditions are included, so representatives of different traditions can express their views themselves.
The published articles will have academic prologue. In case of traditional Buddhist texts, Chinese, Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan, Mongolian terminology will be used. The meanings of the terminology will be explained in Chinese and English. According to the Buddhist practice in some traditions, there are texts that should never be published. The committee of the project should be aware of such conditions and never breach them.
It is important for the Encyclopedia team to stay independent from any personal, political, religious views. The working collective for the encyclopedia will have the same condition; they have to be independent from any personal or third party opinions.
Buddhism in China
China, with the biggest population of Buddhists in the world and the large and increasing global influence has the biggest potential to preserve and develop Buddhist tradition, influencing the course of development for Buddhism globally. China has millions of Buddhists and 2 millenniums of Buddhist tradition. As a country with increasing global economic, cultural and social influence, it has a major role in preserving and developing Buddhist culture and traditions.
Chinese Buddhism (simplified Chinese: 汉传佛教; traditional Chinese: 漢傳佛敎; pinyin: Hànchuán Fójiào) refers collectively to the various schools of Buddhism that have flourished in China since ancient times. Buddhism has played an enormous role in shaping the mindset of the Chinese people, affecting their aesthetics, politics, literature, philosophy and medicine. For over a thousand years Buddhism dominated religious life in China, having both a profound impact on China and Buddhism and producing a great body of literature and art. China was the conduit through which Buddhism reached Korea, Japan and Vietnam. The Buddhism found in China is almost exclusively Mahayana. Buddhism is regarded as the largest religion in China today, with 100 million followers, or about 8 percent of the Chinese population, including Tibetans, Mongolians and a few other ethnic minorities like the Dai. There is roughly around the same number of Christians and Muslims. According to the State Administration for Religious Affairs there are about 13,000 Buddhist temples and about 200,000 Buddhist monks and nuns. Over the centuries as Buddhism developed it splintered into many schools and sects, each with its own distinctive traditions, doctrines and practices. Sub-sects—representing lineages of disciples that split off from the main schools often over minor doctrinal differences—and cults—that conducted special observances and rituals often focused on a particular sutra and kept alive by a lineage of masters—also developed. As a result, China currently has numerous different Buddhist traditions like Chan, Tibetan Buddhism, etc.
Join Us
The Encyclopedia partners with numerous universities, monasteries and individuals. We are looking for those who are interested to join the project. There are many ways to take part of the project by contributing materials/ articles/ books, translating, editing, IT, making suggestions, providing new ideas and more. If you are interested, please contact us
Donations
The Encyclopedia is a self funded activity with no official sponsors. Financial support is needed for hiring more staff, equipment and activities. We also accept donations like books, art and other materials, which can benefit the development of the Encyclopedia. All support is much appreciated. Still being in a early stage of development, the Encyclopedia project has a long vision. A thousand miles journey starts with a single step. For those who can afford and want to support, please contact us.
