Buddhism, The Internet, And Digital Media: The Pixel In The Lotus (routledge Studies In Religion And Digital Culture)

__Buddhism, the Internet and Digital Media: The Pixel in the Lotus__ explores Buddhist practice and teachings in an increasingly networked and digital era. Contributors consider the ways Buddhism plays a role and is present in digital media through a variety of methods including concrete case studies, ethnographic research, and content analysis, as well as interviews with practitioners and cyber-communities. In addition to considering Buddhism in the context of technologies such as virtual worlds, social media, and mobile devices, authors ask how the Internet affects identity, authority and community, and what effect this might have on the development, proliferation, and perception of Buddhism in an online environment. Together, these essays make the case that studying contemporary online Buddhist practice can provide valuable insights into the shifting role religion plays in our constantly changing, mediated, hurried, and uncertain culture. Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of Tables and Figures 8 1 Introduction 10 PART I Methodological Considerations 30 2 The Middle Way Method: A Buddhist-Informed Ethnography of the Virtual World of Second Life 32 3 Between Network and Story: Analyzing Hyperlinks and Narratives on Websites about Tibet 49 4 Toward a Typology and Mapping of the Buddhist Cyberspace 67 PART II Historical Approaches 86 5 Online Peer-Reviewed Journals in Buddhism: The Birth of the Journals of Buddhist Ethics and Global Buddhism 88 6 A Virtual Bodhi Tree: Untangling the Cultural Context and Historical Genealogy of Digital Buddhism 102 PART III Buddhism, Media, and Society 124 7 The Madhyama Is the Message: Internet Affordance of Anatman and Pratitya Samutpada 126 8 Buddhist Apps: Skillful Means or Dharma Dilution? 143 PART IV Case Studies 162 9 Virtual Tibet: From Media Spectacle to Co-Located Sacred Space 164 10 Our Virtual Materials: The Substance of Buddhist Holy Objects in a Virtual World 182 11 American Cybersangha: Building a Community or Providing a Buddhist Bulletin Board? 200 12 The Way of the Blogisattva: Buddhist Blogs on the Web 213 Contributors 230 Index 234 "Buddhism, the Internet and Digital Media: The Pixel in the Lotus explores Buddhist practice and teachings in an increasingly networked and digital era. Contributors consider the ways Buddhism plays a role and is present in digital media through a variety of methods including concrete case studies, ethnographic research, and content analysis, as well as interviews with practitioners and cyber-communities. In addition to considering Buddhism in the context of technologies such as virtual worlds, social media, and mobile devices, authors ask how the Internet affects identity, authority and community, and what effect this might have on the development, proliferation, and perception of Buddhism in an online environment. Together, these essays make the case that studying contemporary online Buddhist practice can provide valuable insights into the shifting role religion plays in our constantly changing, mediated, hurried, and uncertain culture"-- Provided by publisher