Special Issue: Digital Dharma – Buddhism in a Changing World
Our world is changing, our societies are evolving, and our day-to-day lives are adapting and adjusting to an unfamiliar new virtual reality that is unfolding before us. This technological sea change, led by increasingly pervasive digital technologies and online media platforms, the powerful currency of raw data, and advances in decentralized data management and artificial intelligence, has drawn comparisons to the invention of the printing press and the industrial revolution.
BDG’s Special Issue: Digital Dharma – Buddhism in a Changing World seeks to examine some of the issues and challenges that will accompany this seismic societal shift. In particular, we shall look at the ways in which Buddhist practitioners and communities—virtual and physical—are responding to this evolving digital landscape, and we will endeavor to explore emerging confluences of spiritual practice, compassionate action, and digital technology, and how technological innovation might complement the timeless wisdom of the Buddhadharma.
The digital age will surely be a source of profound challenge, change, and opportunity. We hope that you will join us in our exploration of these new frontiers and how they may be leveraged as compassionate, caring, and socially engaged spiritual tools for the benefit of all beings.
Please check back in again, this page will be updated regularly.
Explore our special issue
Rewired by Socially Engaged Buddhists
A tale of technicolor immersion in the world of boots-on-the-ground spirituality.
The Shambhala Touching the Earth Collective: Crowd Source EcoDharma in Bloom
Modern technology helps Shambhala bring communities and individuals together to discuss ecoDharma without the large carbon footprint
Buddhistdoor View: Are We Mainstreaming Buddhist Meditation, Again?
Tech start-up Jhourney hopes to mainstream jhana meditation in ways that mindfulness was years ago, but many Buddhists urge caution
Rangjung Yeshe Institute and the Future of Buddhist Studies: Insights from Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche and Dr. Thomas Doctor
Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche and Dr. Thomas Doctor share their perspectives on the role of Buddhist studies in a rapidly changing world
Sentience and Buddha-Mind: How Do We Recognize Them?
Before we assign sentience or personhood to AI, we must understand better what these terms mean in the context of Buddhist philosophy
How Buddhist Principles Can Help Shape a More Ethical AI
This feature is part of a series from presenters at the Woodenfish Foundation’s recent conference on “Buddhism, Consciousness, and AI” held on 21–23 June in
Seeding Peace in the Cloud
As the virtual domain continues to billow in all directions, engaged Buddhists must translate their practices into the language of our time
Building Bodhisattvas: Toward a Model of Powerful, Reliable, and Caring Intelligence
As AI becomes more of a reality, the bodhisattva ideal could be applied to ensure that AI aligns with the needs of humans and other sentient beings
Consciousness, Attention, and Intelligent Technology: A Karmic Turning Point?
Buddhism teaches us that the mind is foremost, so understanding what Artificial Intelligence will do to our minds will be essential to navigating this new technology skillfully
Ego Attachment and the Myth of “Knowing Yourself:” Understanding Non-self in the Age of Social Media
Kassidy Evans examines how social media has amplified the false sense of self in young people—and the Buddhist antidote
A Wet Blanket Mantra for Modernity: In Conversation with Gregory Pettys
In a world of light-speed “progress” and enflamed ecology, Gregory Pettys invites us to reconnect with our bodies and joyfully abandon all hope of fruition
Spatial Samsara: The Apple in the Garden
Exploring what Apple’s Vision Pro means for the future of illusion through the lens of dependent origination and retro sci-fi
Praise for a Hopepunk Psalm
Review of an earthy book for those weary of our wired world without a soul but determined to nurture candles of hope nonetheless
Vienna in the Silicon Pure Land, Part 4: Making Dharmic Finance Cool
Integrating her decade of experiences in the West, Vienna Svabhava pursues the goal of a global cooling economy grounded in the first Buddhist precept to refrain from taking life
Atoms of a Thought: Emotional Intelligence in the AI Era
Tiffani Gyatso ponder the implications of digital technology and AI and our deeper relationship with the natural world
Vienna in the Silicon Pure Land, Part 3: Reimagining Buddhist Economics
Embodying the Dharma name of Svabhava, Vienna seeks to reignite the spirituality of zero through alternative economics
Vienna in the Silicon Pure Land, Part 2: Navigating the Wild Wired West
Tracing Vienna Rae’s explorations from coast to shining coast on the techno-dharmic path
Vienna in the Silicon Pure Land, Part 1: Feeling into the Dharma of Emerging Technology
Cornered by riot police at both ends of an underpass in central Kuala Lumpur, Vienna Rae smelled tear gas begin to fill the enclosed space.
The Relevance of Buddhism in the 21st Century
Anam Thubten Rinpoche offers a meditation on the Buddhadharma in the contemporary world
Zen in the Mettaverse: How a 400-Year-Old Buddhist Temple is Evolving in Response to Modern Japanese Suffering
Manifesting connection and compassion in a digital world
Death by 1,000 Clicks and Swipes: Exploring the Toll that Technology Overuse Takes
Drawing our awareness to the often hidden power of technology to rob us of our physical and psychological well-being
ChatGPT + Socially Engaged Buddhism, Part II
Digital Bodhisattva columnist and engaged Buddhist Dexter Bohn explores cultivating discernment in the age of AI
In a World of Human Ignorance, Can Artificial Intelligence Help?
As the latest technology craze sweeps over the world, let us not forget the grounding Buddhist practices that will guide us through and beyond our experiences with AI
The Potential of Personhood: David Hanson on How AI and Human Beings Can Help Each Other
The CEO of Hanson Robotics discusses the future of robotics and AI, and how it is transforming the way Buddhists define sentience
ChatGPT + Socially Engaged Buddhism, Part I
A meditation on the importance of discernment and mindful awareness in our new and evolving relationships with AI
The Value of Art in a Digital Age
A reminder to slow down and experience the depth and beauty of great art in our increasingly fast-paced technological world
Buddhistdoor View: The Temptation of an Easy Path in Technology
As the technology around us becomes faster, smarter, and more useful, it is increasingly important to maintain our own grounding in a practice of inner cultivation
Art as a Contemplative Exploration of Reality – Recent Works from Visionary Laurie Anderson
A look into the life, visionary art, and Buddhist practice of one of the world’s most enigmatic and brilliant artists
Buddhistdoor View: We’ll Get the AI We Deserve
Spiritual questions about our increasingly complex emotional relationship with AI chatbots and how they reflect our own minds
*enter* Digital Bodhisattva _/\_
Introducing a new column that explores emerging frontiers at the confluence of engaged Buddhism and digital technology