Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia
Buddhism is a religion or philosophy based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha
The Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia was developed for self-education in Chinese Buddhism and Buddhism overall. Initially, the Encyclopedia's environment will be in two languages - Chinese Mandarin and English, the two most spoken languages of our world, and will provide a platform for international cooperation between academics, monastics and lay Buddhists.
The author and main organizer of Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia is Vello Vaartnou. He developed the concept for the Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia (CBE) for many years before beginning the web page. The CBE project was officially started in December, 2012, when Vaartnou presented the idea of a Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia to the ECAI conference at the University of California, Berkeley, USA.
The purposes of the CBE are to:
- provide all with Internet access a comprehensive collection of Buddhist literature
- gather all available existing digitized materials, review them, categorize them and post them online
- collaborate globally with relevant universities, monasteries, institutions, libraries, museums and individuals
- digitize materials that are currently in written form only
- preserve traditional forms of Buddhist learning and culture
- use the advantages of modern and future technology to develop different forms of Buddhist education
- create a international team of specialists interested in those topics, who will collaborate in person and online
Although the Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia emphasizes different forms of Chinese Buddhism, it does not exclude any traditions, views or materials, which are not directly related to China. An academic approach will provide the opportunity to handle the materials and information scientifically, making them easily accessible for modern people, and creating the opportunity for future generations to continue building on the Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia platform. Each published article will have an academic prologue. In case of traditional Buddhist texts, Chinese, Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan, and Mongolian terminology will be used. The meanings of the terminology will be explained in Chinese and English.
A key function for the CBE is cultural preservation. In these rapidly changing times, where computers and the internet pose a great threat to traditional forms of Buddhist learning, it is necessary to gather all available materials, translate them and digitize them. It is also important to the founders that well-educated, senior Buddhist monastics to be involved in the project. They will help ensure the Buddhist view and essence of the materials presented will not lose their religious value, and that published materials will not insult anyone’s religious beliefs or values. Followers of different traditions are also to be included, so that representatives of different traditions can express their views as well. Naturally, the Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia project also has a strong interest in using available technologies to put various individuals and organizations across the globe in touch with one another, to digitize all forms of Buddhist teachings. 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, or religious views. The working collective for the encyclopedia will have the same condition; they are to work independently of any personal or third party opinions.
Buddhism in China
With the biggest population of Buddhists in the world, two millennia of Buddhist tradition, and a large and increasing global influence, China has the biggest potential to preserve and develop Buddhist tradition, influencing the course of development for Buddhism globally.
Chinese 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 has dominated religious life in China, and has produced a great body of literature and art. China was the conduit through which Buddhism reached Korea, Japan and Vietnam. The branch of 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.[1] 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, 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 in the project: by contributing materials, articles, or books, translating, editing, advising in IT matters, making suggestions, providing new ideas and more. If you are interested, please contact us on info@chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com
Donations
The Chinese Buddhist 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 MAKE A DONATION
