Authority

One particular online context where issues of religious authority is raised would be in discussion forums. In these forums a person can ask a question and will usually get anywhere from 1 to thousands of replies from people all over the world with different opinions, all wanting to put their two cents in. This is one of reasons why I feel that in the context of a discussion forum, religious authority is being eroded by online religious activities. For example, on the Buddhist website, Dhamma Wheel, one user asks "Can I achieve Nirvana when I don't believe in reincarnation?". This user has received over 138 replies and after skimming over a few of them, I can see that the people who replied to this question all have different view points. This reflects the assertion made in the chapter on authority by Cheong that states that online authorities gain "not just the attention, but the confidence, respect and trust of their audience...to make audience act as if this were so". The people who answer this user are all giving evidence to convince the user of seeing things from their viewpoint and it's easy to see how this could be problematic. Instead of the user getting one straightforward answer, they now have over 100 replies to read through with differing opinions, which would probably make them feel more confused than they were in the first place. Another assertion made by Cheong that connects with this example would be that the internet "expands access to religious information that can undermine the plausibility structure of a religious system". Meaning that instead of going and talking to one of the elder priests who traditionally hold authority in the Buddhist religion, this user is using the convenient route of getting online where they may be  getting information from people who may have no formal knowledge or information about Buddhism and are likely just be giving an answer based on their opinion. To conclude, while I can see the benefit of having a support group to discuss issues with online, I feel that in the context of a discussion board, traditional religious authority is being undermined.

website: http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=11803

Identity

I think that digital media strengthens an individual's ability to construct or perform their religious identity. In the chapter on Identity by Mia Lovheim, she discusses how the internet opens up a new social world for people and how its popularity has created a whole nother place where people can live out part of their lives. Lovheim talks about how one of the main aspects to the internet is social interactions and how they give us a way to forge our identity. I think that by being able to use the internet as a way to talk about your religion, people are able to create stronger identities than they had before. The main point of the internet is to give people a place to be heard and to voice their opinions and in doing this we show the world a bit of who we. This results a stronger sense of self and identity. For example, one website called NewBuddhist.com is a blog that posts different issues pertaining to Buddhism. They also have a part of the website that allows for discussion among users in their discussion board. The discussion board allows social interactions between members of the website and gives them a place to meet more followers of Buddhism as well as a place to come to gain more information about their religion. When the members use the discussion board I feel that it strengthens their religious identity because they are able to verbalize how they feel about certain issues and can see how others feel about the same topic. For example, one of the discussion board topics is "higher power in Buddhism". The member who posted this wanted to get others opinions about whether or not a higher power exists in Buddhism.When the other users shared their beliefs with this member, their religious identity was able to been seen and the users got a better sense of who that person was and what they believed. By sharing their viewpoints and addressing some issues or problems they are dealing with, I think that members gain a more concrete sense of themselves and their beliefs.

web link: http://newbuddhist.com/

Online Community

One form of online community for Buddhism is the website called BuddhisTV.com. This online community defines itself as a “video-sharing social network portal” for Buddhists. This website allows users to contribute their own knowledge of Buddhism by uploading videos that contain information about various ideas pertaining to Buddhism such as teachings by priests, videos to help members with chanting, information about Buddhist events, and even Buddhist music. It enables people to learn teachings from the comfort of their own home. The website may seem individual based because the majority of the activity involves watching videos uploaded by others users, but BuddhisTV has enabled features where users can create their own online groups with other members where they can discuss more specific issues. BuddhisTV lives out their form of online community through these groups where members create channels and can add messages on a forum board to discuss the materials they are viewing. BuddhisTV also allows its’ members to create their own profile where they can give information about themselves and upload a picture or an avatar. This gives members the chance to get to know other members of the community better to see if they have interests in common. The website further helps create specific communities by categorizing different information into channels so that people who are interested in specific ideas can subscribe to channels and discuss the materials being viewed with other subscribers. The offline impact of this online community would be that it makes it gives people a chance to be a part of a Buddhist community even if they live in an area where there are no other practitioners of the religion. By creating a convenient environment for Buddhists to come together, followers can easily learn and share information with others to help grow their faith.  I think it benefits Buddhists because it allows them to subscribe to channels to learn more information about specific practices or even issues that they are struggling with. However, since the website is more of a platform where people can share their opinions and own knowledge, I don’t think that it is a substitute for attending an offline temple. 

 link to website: http://www.buddhistv.com/

Online Rituals

One Buddhist ritual that has found its place online is the use of mantras. In Buddhism, mantras are chantings of words that are used during mediation and they stem from the belief that certain words have magical powers. Some people believe that by using certain mantras with mediation, you can even connect to certain Buddhist figures such as the Buddha. The mantras when used with proper breathing techniques can help one to concentrate and become more aware while meditating. Mantras can help you improve concentration because by chanting you begin to pay attention to how your lips move when you say the words. However, to receive the benefits of mantras, one must be pronouncing and chanting them correctly.  This is where the WildMind website comes into play. WildMind is a Buddhist mediation website that teaches practitioners the history behind mediation and background information on a variety of useful mantras. For each mantra, WildMind includes background on it, the figure the mantra is associated with, as well as an audio version of the mantra and a pronunciation guide to ensure that followers are completing this ritual effectively.      

This online ritual works by teaching users the proper way to say the mantras and provides them with audio that they can use to chant along with while performing the ritual of mantra mediation. While Helland talks about how some academics view these online rituals to be more like games, WildMind serves more as a guide to help a user maintain authenticity of the ritual. The benefit to the online mantras is that it allows users to learn the proper way to chant mantras while meditating in a fast and convenient manner. This reflects one of the benefits that Helland cited for online rituals, the way that it allows for “one-to-many” communication. Many Buddhists don’t have the time or means to get to a priest to learn the proper way to use mantras and websites can reach many users in a short amount of time. By using WildMind while meditating, users can ensure that their mantras are being chanted correctly so they can use them effectively to achieve maximum concentration. Another aspect of online rituals Helland mentioned that is reflected in WildMind is how people use the internet to “facilitate” the ritual. This is demonstrated in WildMind because the main idea of the website is to make it easier for people to complete the ritual in an effective manner. WildMind makes sure that their users comprehend the accurate way to use mantras so that they don’t waste their time or energy performing the ritual incorrectly. 

Website link: http://www.wildmind.org/mantras/figures/avalokitesvara

Dalai Lama Joins Twitter

One interesting way that Buddhists have adapted to new media is by using social networking sites such as twitter.  The Dalai Lama joined twitter back in 2010 as a way to connect with his followers. There had been a twitter account for the Dalai Lama even before 2010 but it was eventually discovered to be an impostor. The Dalai Lama is the religious leader of Tibetan Buddhism and is also known as His Holiness. Having a twitter is a great way for the Dalai Lama to maintain his authority in the Buddhist community by directly spreading his wisdom to his followers. As of today the Dalai Lama has 722 tweets and over 3.6 million followers.  His tweets mainly consist of words of wisdom such as “We have to put effort into being honest, truthful and compassionate towards others,” but he also uses twitter to post pictures of his recent endeavors and to post reminders of events he will be attending. In using social media, the Dalai Lama is able to reach far more people and in a more personal manner. People can receive tweets anywhere they go on their computer and their phones and in having a twitter account the Dalai Lama can connect with Buddhists all over the world at any time. By participating in new media, the Dalai Lama affords people who have never had the before had the opportunity to be able to connect with His Holiness.

Link to the Dalai Lama's twitter account:

http://twitter.com/#!/DalaiLama

Link to news article:

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/7364852/Dalai-Lama-joins-Twitter-to-spread-the-word-of-peace.html

Introduction

        The focus of this blog will be on the religion of Buddhism and the way that the Buddhist community has responded to new media. I'm interested in understanding how they have adopted their customs to changing technologies. Particularly, how they use new media such as the internet and social networking to spread their beliefs and practices to the Buddhist community and those interested in it around the world.