E-resources for Buddhist E-resources for Buddhist StudiesStudies

J.A.AmaraweeraJ.A.Amaraweera

LibrarianLibrarian

Buddhist & Pali University of Sri Buddhist & Pali University of Sri LankaLanka

What is BuddhismWhat is Buddhism

• Definition of BuddhismDefinition of Buddhism The teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with The teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with

suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirthand rebirth

AA religion represented by the many groups religion represented by the many groups (especially in Asia) that profess various forms of (especially in Asia) that profess various forms of the Buddhist doctrine and that venerate Buddhathe Buddhist doctrine and that venerate Buddha

Source: E-Glosary – Worldreference.comSource: E-Glosary – Worldreference.com

http://http://www.wordreference.comwww.wordreference.com/definition/Buddhism/definition/Buddhism

Definition of Buddhism – Contd./Definition of Buddhism – Contd./

• Web definitions for Web definitions for BuddhismBuddhism A philosophy/religion created by Siddhartha A philosophy/religion created by Siddhartha

Gautama (Buddha) over 2500 years ago, Gautama (Buddha) over 2500 years ago, founded on Hindu beliefs. There are two founded on Hindu beliefs. There are two major divisions: Mahayana and Theravada, major divisions: Mahayana and Theravada, and many subdivisions (Ch'an, or Zen, and many subdivisions (Ch'an, or Zen, Buddhism is not really one of these). Buddhism is not really one of these). Fundamentally, Buddhists believe that one Fundamentally, Buddhists believe that one must rise above desires, to reach a state of must rise above desires, to reach a state of enlightenment. Buddha was idolized, and enlightenment. Buddha was idolized, and subsequently deified, but he never claimed subsequently deified, but he never claimed to be anything more than a man.to be anything more than a man.www.reasoned.org/glossary.htmwww.reasoned.org/glossary.htm

  - - Definition in contextDefinition in context  

Electronic Reference Sources in Electronic Reference Sources in BuddhismBuddhism

Off-line Ref. Sources: Most of these materials appear as CD-ROMs, on Diskettes ,VCDs or DVDs, sometimes as e-cards eg. Tripitaka-CD; MettaNet-CD; Dhammapada-CD

On-line Ref. Sources:

Institutional & Personal Websites

OPACS & WebOPACS

Electronic Databases

E-Publications: e-books ; e-journals ; e-prints ; e-articles full-text ; e-Abstracts & Indexes ; journal Archives

Multimedia materials on-line

On-line Tutorials

SEARCH STRATEGYSEARCH STRATEGY

1. Formulate the research question and its scope 2. Identify the important concepts within the question 3. Identify search terms to describe those concepts 4. Consider synonyms and variations of those terms 5. Prepare your search logic

Searching ElectronicallySearching Electronically

When searching off-line sources like CD-ROMs

Searcher must: 1. Aware of the Format of the CD-ROM

2. Know the Capacity of the contents

3. Read the “Read me file” or the instructions

4. Know Searching techniques to be adopted

5. Know how to surf and use hyperlinks to mine extra or more connected data or

information

6. Know how to copy required contents from a CD

7. Know Downloading methods

When performing an on-line When performing an on-line searchsearch

Searcher must : 1. Know where to connect 2. Aware of Web Addresses or URLs

3. Know about various Search Engines, Meta-search Engines,Web directories,

Subject Gateways, Invisible webs, News-groups and User-groups 4. Practice and familiarize with surfing &

searching techniques 5. Familiarize with down-loading and copying

methods 6. Know how to communicate with the

administrators, creators, editors of those Sites and electronic materials 7. How to evaluate the contents, materials, sites, data and information of those sites

Some useful Search TipsSome useful Search TipsPHRASE SEARCHING is a feature you want in every search tools you choose.  

Requires your terms all to appear in exactly the order you enter them.   Enclose the phrase in double quotations "

Examples:  

“styles of meditation"    "world buddhist organization"   

“Arahath Mahinda"

BOOLEAN AND will help:  

children AND television AND violence

Example: children television violence 

LIMIT TO TITLE FIELD IN DOCUMENTS  

title:"American Faith Association"  title:"affirmative action“

TRUNCATION permits retrieving all these variations in one search term (ONLY IN ALTA VISTA):  

femini* matches feminine, feminist, feminism, etc.  

child* retrieves child and children 

Internet : Surfing the Web : Search EnginesAltaVistathe fast and accurate search engine from digital produces results within seconds

Exciteconcept-based search of the web, usenet, news, and site reviews

HotBotexpansive web database complimented by advanced search capabilities

MetaCrawleroffers comprehensive and fast parallel search capability of popular databases

SavvySearchmulti-lingual keyword search of various information resources on the net

Search EnginesSearch EnginesHow do search engines work?How do search engines work?

Search engines rely on computer programs called Search engines rely on computer programs called "robots" or, more specifically, "robots" or, more specifically, "spiders.""spiders." These These programs programs "crawl""crawl" across the web by following links across the web by following links from site to site and indexing each site they visit.from site to site and indexing each site they visit.

For example, some search engines index each page For example, some search engines index each page in a web site, while others index only the main in a web site, while others index only the main page. page.

Search EnginesSearch EnginesHow do search engines work?How do search engines work?

Some list the results of a user's search according to Some list the results of a user's search according to which sites have the most links from other sites -- a which sites have the most links from other sites -- a system known as link popularity.system known as link popularity.

Other search engines prioritize results according to Other search engines prioritize results according to the summary information contained in sites' meta the summary information contained in sites' meta tags, and still others look for common themes used tags, and still others look for common themes used throughout a site. There are many other ways to throughout a site. There are many other ways to organize results, and most search engines use a organize results, and most search engines use a combination of several of them. combination of several of them.

Search EnginesSearch EnginesDirectories - a whole new Directories - a whole new ballgameballgame

Directories are often confused with search engines, Directories are often confused with search engines, but actually they're completely different. Instead of but actually they're completely different. Instead of using spiders to crawl the web, directories such as using spiders to crawl the web, directories such as Yahoo! and Open Directory Project have real people Yahoo! and Open Directory Project have real people who review and index their links.who review and index their links.

They also require web sites to adhere to rigid They also require web sites to adhere to rigid guidelines in order to be included in their indexes. guidelines in order to be included in their indexes. As a result, directories' indexes tend to contain a As a result, directories' indexes tend to contain a comparatively small number of high-quality links.comparatively small number of high-quality links.

A Search Engine – eg. GoogleA Search Engine – eg. Google

(Google Search Engine) URL: http://www.google.com/

A sample of Meta-search EngineA sample of Meta-search Engine

URL: http://www.mamma.com/

http://www.searchengineguide.com/pages/Society/Religion/Buddhism/index.html

What are E-Jls?

• E-jls have most of the characteristics of P-jls

• Clearest definition comes from Michael Strangelove “E-jls attempts to emulate the characteristics of their print counter parts through organization, periodicity and topical focus. Like print, they also have the intervention of editors, reviewers,and so forth"

Why E-Jls?

Prof. Heting Chu Survey findings:

•Allow remote access•Can be used simultaneously by more than one user•Provide timely access•Support searching capabilities•Accommodate unique features such as links to related items•Save physical storage space•Contain multimedia information•Do not require physical processing•Can be environmentally valuable•Can be saved digitally

Full-text article from an e-JournalFull-text article from an e-Journal

Serial No.:Serial No.: 12153 12153 Title:Title: Cultivation of Moral Concern in Theravada Cultivation of Moral Concern in Theravada

Buddhism: Toward a Theory of the Relation Buddhism: Toward a Theory of the Relation Between Tranquility and InsightBetween Tranquility and Insight

Author:Author: Mills, Ethan Mills, Ethan Source:Source: Journal of Buddhist Ethics,v.11, 2004, pp. Journal of Buddhist Ethics,v.11, 2004, pp.

21-45 21-45 Publisher:Publisher: Journal of Buddhist Ethics URL: Journal of Buddhist Ethics URL: http://http://

jbe.gold.ac.ukjbe.gold.ac.uk// Fulltext Artile:Fulltext Artile: URL: URL:

http://jbe.gold.ac.uk/11/mill0301.htmlhttp://jbe.gold.ac.uk/11/mill0301.html Keyword:Keyword: Theravada Buddhism Theravada Buddhism ISSN:ISSN:1076-90051076-9005

The Dhammapada

Translated from the Pâli by F. Max Müller

The Sutta-Nipâta

Translated from the Pâli by V. FausböllOxford, the Clarendon Press

[1881]

Vol. X of The Sacred Books of the East http://www.sacred-texts.com/bud/sbe10/index.htm

The Dhammapada

Buddhanet Website : http://www.buddhanet.net/

Buddhanet Website

http://e-library.chibs.edu.tw/html/sitemap.php

Buddhist portal

Pali Text Society

The Pali Text Society : http://www.palitext.com/

Buddhist Digital Library & Museum OnLine Database – E-JournalsWebsite: http://buddhism.lib.ntu.edu.tw/BDLM/en/index.htm

Buddha Sasana Website : http://www.saigon.com/~anson/

E-Resources in Theravada Buddhism : http://www.accesstoinsight.org/index.html

Vipassana Research Institute : http://www.tipitaka.org/(For studying Tripitaka on-line)

The Buddhist society, UK ( It has a Library OPAC)Website: http://www.thebuddhistsociety.org/

Useful Buddhist Blog-site

http://bighappybuddha.blogspot.com/

http://buddhistvillage.net/

BudusaranaiBudusaranai

Thank youThank you