One student described the work as "a mysterious and precious experience.” 160 Buddhist statues were stolen in Wakayama, Japan between 2010 and 2011. Now, Students in Wakayama Technical High School’s industrial design course in Japan are creating 3D-printed replicas of Buddhist statues to prevent the ongoing theft of the original statues from Buddhist temples. The [...]
SuttaCentral website relaunches with new translation of Pali Nikayas
The texts have been newly translated to as "accurate and reliable" as possible, and use gender-neutral language where applicable. SuttaCental, a free online collection of early Buddhist texts translated into over thirty languages, has relaunched its website alongside new translations of the four Pali Nikayas. The developers say the website is the first to host [...]
Acer announces “smart prayer beads” to digitally count mantra recitations
Electronic malas will track mantra recitations in a phone app, tallying "merit" that can be shared on social media. The Taiwanese electronics corporation, Acer, has developed Buddhist prayer beads to help keep track of recited mantras. Acer's "Leap Beads" contain a smart chip that displays the number of recited mantras on the user's smartphone, and turns repetitions [...]
Don’t Comment
In this short piece, originally posted on Facebook, Eli Brown-Stevenson explains his personal vow, "Don't comment." "Don't comment" is a vow that I made with my teacher that has been the most beneficial way to address my social media usage. I used to get into endless comment wars with others. Behind screens, I was more likely to use unskillful communication methods and [...]
bell hooks and John Perry Barlow talk “prana in cyberspace”
From the Lion's Roar archives, a 1995 conversation between digital activist and lyricist John Perry Barlow — who died on February 7, 2018 — and social theorist bell hooks. John Perry Barlow: "On paper, you are my polar opposite [bell hooks: iconoclastic feminist, leading African-American intellectual, progressive Buddhist, self-proclaimed homebody], yet I feel none of that [...]
The Dharma of Distraction
It goes a lot deeper than how many times a day you check your phone. According to Buddhist teacher Judy Lief, distraction is the very foundation of ego, the way we protect ourselves against both the pain of life and the open space of awakened mind. You could even say that letting go of all distraction is the path to enlightenment. Distractions are everywhere, all the [...]
What can “Buddhist Bitcoin” show us about the future of Buddhism?
We asked Buddhist teachers how new technologies might "disrupt" dharma. Last summer, a group of programmers proposed a new digital currency called “Karma Coin,” which — they suggested — could fix the essential pitfalls of organized religion. This raised a contentious question: could some technologies make Buddhism better? The Karma Coin would be the currency of an [...]
Seeing Beyond the Screen
Yael Shy invites millennials to bring some mindfulness into their digital lives. If you are a millennial (between the ages of eighteen and thirty-six) you probably spend an average of eighteen hours a day consuming media, with approximately five hours of that time engaged in social media and peer-created content. Those hours are consumed across a variety of platforms and [...]
Dalai Lama launches iPhone app to share news and teachings
The free app includes news, videos, photos, livestreams, and details on the Dalai Lama's global travels. You no longer have to be one of his 16.6 million Twitter followers to keep digital tabs on the Dalai Lama. The Office of His Holiness has launched an official app that allows practitioners to follow his activities, travels, and teachings. The free iPhone app includes [...]
Opinion: Net Neutrality Repeal Threatens Independent Voices & Journalism Like Lion’s Roar
On what's being called "Break The Internet" Day, LionsRoar.com editorial director Rod Meade Sperry invites you to consider how a repeal of Net Neutrality rules could stifle independent voices, in turn impacting the dharma — and what you can do to help prevent that from happening. On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be voting on whether or not to [...]
