Article
Article name Digital Buddhist Canon in East Asia
Authors Rinchinov O.S.Сandidate of Physics and Mathematics o.rinchin@gmail.com
Bibliographic description Rinchinov O. S. Digital Buddhist Canon in East Asia // Humanitarian Vector. 2019. Vol. 14, No. 6. PP. 141–149. DOI: 10.21209/1996-7853-2019-14-6-141-149.
Section
DOI 10.21209/1996-7853-2019-14-6-141-149
UDK 2-232
Article type
Annotation This article provides an overview of the East-Asian projects aimed at the digitalization of Buddhist written heritage. The historical continuity of the Buddhist canon in the Sinosphere and its adaptation to technological innovations at different historical stages are traced. We studied the motivations and driving forces of digital initiatives in different countries of East Asia. The digital methodologies and technical solutions used for the implementation of projects are examined in detail. We analyzed the means of forming an integrated environment in the field of Buddhist studies that provides maximum access to the information and the digital tools for reconstructing linguistic, historical, geographical, social, etc. contexts of the Buddhist literary corpus. It is shown that the Buddhist heritage is susceptible to technological innovations in the digital age. Moreover, in different countries of the region, various approaches to the implementation of the projects, positioning and utilization of the results are clearly visible. In our opinion, this difference is due to national background associated with the modernization processes in these countries. For example, in South Korea and Japan, the Buddhist canon is primarily perceived as a source of national self-affirmation and cultural identification. At the same time, Taiwan is characterized by the vibrant functioning of the “Digital Buddhism” as part of everyday religious and social practices. We observed a distinct increase in the role of academic study of Buddhist heritage. In our opinion, this reflects the transformation of Buddhism as a global cross-cultural phenomenon, the growing role of ecumenical trends in the modern Buddhist movement.
Key words Buddhist heritage, canon, East Asia, digital technology, electronic texts, databases
Article information
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