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Fah Writing Assignment5
Our Partners One of the strength of Wikipitaka is that we can be an excellent complementary service for any Buddhist website, even for other online Tipitaka. And in the same way, we regard other Buddhist websites as our partners. We support one another in many dimensions.
Structurally, we can gain help from, and help, other Buddhist websites in three ways: before using Wikipitaka, using Wikipitaka, and after using Wikipitaka. (I apologize for the awkward phrasing; I don’t know the proper terminology) Before Using Wikipitaka: Publication There are many Buddhist websites in the Internet. A number of them are popular and have an access to the public at large. So, one very effective way to publicize Wikipitaka is through these partner websites. Publication of Wikipitaka does not have to be a direct advertisement. It can be simply a citation or a reference to the Tipitaka that links to our page. For example, if a Buddhist webpage cite a passage or a phrase from the Tipitaka, it can put a link from that passage to Wikipitaka page on the Sutta that contains that passage. This will benefit both the partner website and its users, as citation gives more credibility to the writing, and the users can gain some deeper understanding of the passage. In this way, Wikipitaka can be regarded as other websites’ complementary service. Some example of the potential partners: - * http://www.mindandlife.org/: one of the largest and most prestigious institute on scholarly study of Buddhism meditations and practices.
- * http://www.mcu.ac.th/En/index.php: one of the two Buddhist universities in Thailand. It offers formal Buddhist education for monks and nuns.
- * http://www.watbowon.org/: Wat Bowonniwet Vihara, the Royal Temple in which I was ordained. Though the website is not very active, the temple holds the supreme religious authority in Thailand as the Sangha Raja, the head of Thai monks, lives in the monastery. Having the website point to Wikipitaka would ameliorate our credibility.
- * http://www.dhammakaya.or.th/: one of the biggest school of Buddhism in Thailand. It has more than 600,000 followers worldwide.
- * http://www.dmc.tv/: the television channel of Dhammakaya Foundation. This website is very active as most of the followers of Dhammakaya view the program through this website.
- * http://www.buddhism.org/: Digital International Buddhism Organization, having the most extensive links of Buddhist websites.
- * http://www.luangta.com/English/Index.html: a website dedicated to Ven. Acharn Maha Boowa of Thai Theravada Buddhism. This website also has video and sound clips of sermons and writings by the venerable.
- * http://www.dhammajak.net/: an aggregator of Buddhist writings and poetries. It also offers a discussion forum on general Buddhist topics.
- * http://www.watpa.com/: news and public announcements about Buddhist activities in Thailand.
- * http://www.dhammastudy.com/: a bilingual website that promotes the study of Dhamma.
Within Wikipitaka: Complementary Contents In apprehending the Tipitaka, one might need some help, like a good Dictionary of Buddhism or an Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Sadly, there is no free, complete, online Dictionary or Encyclopedia of Buddhism that I know of. The best Dictionary of Buddhism that can be accessed by general public is Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines by Nyanatiloka: For Thai users, if you would like to translate Thai Tipitaka (you can access it through here http://www.tipitaka.com/) into English, you might want to consult with Dictionary of Buddhism by P.A. Payutto for proper translations of some terms. - * http://www.tipitaka.org/thai/thai-dict.html: complete Thai-English, English-Thai, and Thai-Thai Dictionary of Buddhism by P.A. Payutto, the most revered and credible scholar-monk of Thailand.
Because of the language differences, no translation can capture the true meaning of the Tipitaka. So, it is very important to look at many translations of a passage and treat them as mirrors that reflect one ultimate meaning of the Tipitaka.
After Wikipitaka: Enactment of the Dhamma If you read the Tipitaka from Wikipitaka and want to take your experience to another step, these links can be useful for you. Listed below are websites of many trustworthy meditation centers in Theravada tradition. At these meditation centers, you will how the Dhamma plays out in our real lives. It is a life-changing experience for many. Highly recommended! Become Our Partner! Any one can help. If you know any Buddhist website that can become our partner, please let us know. We will try to contact the webmaster ourselves. Or if you can help us contacting them, that would be even kinder. Don’t know any website? You can still help. You as an individual can help us completing the Tipitaka by telling other about Wikipitaka. Even in your personal “Space”! Just put a simple link to one of our page; that will create a lot of good karma. Because whenever people click on the link and find our page, you have guided them to the true Dhamma! Competitors?Loving-kindness and compassion are two of the core elements of Buddhistm. Especially in spreading the Dhamma, all Buddhist websites are working toward our same goal. So, it is totally non-Buddhist to call other online Tipitaka "Competitors." |
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