A conversation about our founder, the pre-eminent American Tibetologist, Gene Smith, the origins of our Buddhist digital archive, and the story of Tibetan Buddhist text preservation. Held at BDRC's Boston Office on Thursday, February 2nd, 2023, with speakers Professors Leonard van der Kuijp and Janet Gyatso from Harvard University, former Wisdom CEO Tim McNeill, and BDRC Senior Librarian Kelsang Lhamo.
The event celebrates the recent publication of Digital Dharma: Recovering Wisdom, by authors Dafna Yachin and Arthur Fischman, is a powerful photography collection about Gene Smith's lifelong mission and BDRC's ongoing efforts to preserve and freely share the Buddhist canon. You can buy the book, published by Wisdom Publications in October 2022, here: [ Ссылка ].
00:30 Jann Ronis, Executive Director, Buddhist Digital Resource Center.
How Digital Dharma: Recovering Wisdom was conceived, written, and published and the story it tells of Gene Smith’s work to rescue, preserve, and digitize Tibetan texts. Speaker introductions.
08:33 Leonard van der Kuijp, Professor of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies, Harvard University.
Gene’s life and work in India, the PL480 project by which 7 to 8,000 Tibetan texts were published, Gene’s teachers, his extraordinary achievement in creating BDRC.
19:00 Timothy J. McNeill, former CEO and publisher, Wisdom Publications.
Gene’s move to the USA, his work with Wisdom Publications, the founding of the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center in September 1999, and Gene’s passing in December 2010.
31:45 Kelsang Lhamo, Senior Librarian, Buddhist Digital Resource Center and author of Gene Smith’s Tibetan biography. In Tibetan with English translation by Tenzin Dickie.
Why Gene and his life’s work are important to Tibetans, the history of Tibetan texts including their widespread loss and destruction in the 1950s and 60s, Gene’s background as a scholar, how his text preservation project began in India, and why it was important.
49:09 Janet Gyatso, Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies, Harvard University.
Gene’s role in the field of Tibetology, his influence on students and scholars, his prophetic vision in publishing the books and gathering a library, his foresight in adopting new technology, and his success in the digitization process.
1:04:55 James Robson, Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Director of the Asia Center, Harvard University.
Concluding remarks on the importance of BDRC’s continuing work and the need for ongoing support and funding.
As a nonprofit organization, BDRC relies on the donations and support of users and individuals like you. Your generosity ensures that we can continue our mission of safeguarding and making accessible Buddhist texts, for the benefit of all, for all time. Please visit our website at [ Ссылка ] to donate and learn more.
