Education Germany Project #9256

Make the Ageless Wisdom of Tibet Available to All

by Berzin Archives e.V.

Make the Ageless Wisdom of Tibet Available to All

Project Report | Dec 5, 2022
Berzin Archives Report: September through November 2022

By Dr. Alexander Berzin | Founder and Author of Berzin Archives

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Singapore

We might be approaching the end of the first year of our third decade in existence (yes, you read that right – we just celebrated our 21^st birthday!), but we’re happy to report that things are not slowing down by any means over here at Study Buddhism HQ. In fact, we’ve spent the latter part of this year hard at work creating new content and making plans for upgrades and new features for the website.

Accessibility is important to us, and over the last two decades we have focused on bringing excellent quality written content to our readers in English and, as time went on, in 31 other languages too. Over the last half year, we have been fine-tuning a very exciting upcoming feature: audio articles. Using the latest in AI technology, we are creating audio versions of our articles – currently only in English – which can be listened to at the click of a button. We hope this will make it easier for everyone to enjoy our content on the go, from the morning commute to work to a long treadmill run. Keep an eye out on the website over the next few weeks or sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date with all of our work and latest developments.

As much of the world begins returning to a sense of normality and international travel opens up, we have also been very busy arranging and filming brand new video interviews for our website and social media channels. As part of our vision to be more inclusive and offer our audiences a wider range of teachings from the world’s Buddhist traditions, this fall we have interviewed three teachers from the Theravada tradition in Thailand along with a renowned scholar on Theravada Buddhism, and two teachers from the Chinese Chan tradition in Taiwan. We’re excited to share these teachers’ wisdom with you all.

The latter part of the year has also seen a boom in use of the website and engagement on our social media channels. The untiring energy of our translation teams is paying off, as our readership from India, Japan, Myanmar, South Korea, and Egypt, among many others, is all up over 100% compared to the same period last year. On our YouTube channel, we are racing towards 50,000 subscribers, while our Instagram and Twitter channels are also enjoying rapid growth as we share quotes, articles, and short videos. You’ll find more details in the bulleted list below.

Here are some of our accomplishments over these last three months:

Addition of “The Dalai Lama’s Advice for Dealing with Abusive Teachers” and “An Open Letter on Ethics from the Network of Western Buddhist Teachers”
Preparation and publication of 7 interview articles with prominent Buddhist teachers, along with captioned images
Preparation, editing and publication of “Special Features of Mongolian Buddhism” by guest author, Dr. Zsuzsa Majer
Preparation and publication of 327 translations into our various languages
Copyediting of 42 English transcripts and files
Revision and expansion of 18 parts of ““Details of Karma” containing extensive translations of Sanskrit and Tibetan primary sources
Preparation of 4 graphic charts included in the revised “Details of Karma”
Preparation of Recommended Reading Lists for 27 topics on the Study Buddhism website
Preparation of blurbs for the above-mentioned Recommended Reading Lists
Technical work begun for adding the Recommended Reading Lists to our new Accounts section and for managing them in our Content Management System
Preparation of an AI-generated algorithm for locating all proper names on the website and implementation of it for the Tibetan Buddhism section
Audio Recording of the correct pronunciation of the 707 proper names found in the Tibetan Buddhism section and generation of them in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
Preparation of an AI-generated algorithm to prepare versions of our articles in which proper names are replaced with their IPA equivalents and Tibetan and Sanskrit vocabulary provided in parentheses is removed
Preparation and testing for a new system for machine-generated voice synthesis for the articles of the Tibetan Buddhism section, using the versions generated by that algorithm
Further refinement and implementation of the AI-generated algorithm for indicating Related Terms for the Glossary and Related Articles for website articles
Preparation and customization begun for replacing our present Fundraising Box with Micropayments for receiving credit card donations on the website
Migration of the old Berzin Archives multilingual glossary to the Study Buddhism server
Global change implemented in all languages for article titles, content and urls to change the spelling of Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche to Tsenshap Serkong Rinpoche
Setup of New Google Analytics (GA-4)
Continuing maintenance of all technical systems
The uploading of 10 images to articles across the website.
The commencement of the editing of our video interview with Ajahn Amaro, the abbot at Amaravati Monastery in the UK.
Video interview with the Venerable Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, the first modern Thai woman to receive full ordination as a Theravada bhikkhuni and Abbess of Songdhammakalyani Monastery, the only temple in Thailand that currently has bhikkhunis
Video interview with Robin Moore, the former abbot of Hartridge Monastery in the UK, who was a monk in the Thai Forest tradition of Luang Por Chah for almost two decades
Video interview with Dr Peter Skilling, the founder of the Fragile Palm Leaves Foundation and a renowned Buddhist scholar, historian, researcher, translator, poet, and lecturer on a wide range of subjects, from history and philosophy to Buddhist art, archaeology and epigraphy
Video interview with Phra Anil Sakya, rector of the World Buddhist University and assistant secretary to the previous Supreme Patriarch of Thailand
Video interview with the Venerable Bhikshuni Guo Xing, the Vice Dean of the Bhikshuni Sangha at Dharma Drum Mountain Sangha University, and scholar on Buddhist poetry and the use of gong’an in Chinese Buddhism
Video interview with Dr Weijen Teng, Dean of the Department on Buddhist Studies at Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts, and scholar of Sanskrit language and the Yogachara school
Preparation of 12 quotes taken from our video interviews and other sources from the website, accompanied with graphics, and the uploading of these to social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter).
Preparation of 12 different video clips and uploading them to social media channels. Each video was prepared for posting on Facebook with 32 language subtitles, on Twitter with embedded English subtitles and a maximum length of 2 minutes and 20 seconds, and on Instagram and TikTok at 9:16 format with embedded English subtitles.
Preparation of 12 article posts for our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) along with introductions.

All of this hard work is made possible by your continuing generous support. Together, we shall “Make the Ageless Wisdom of Tibet Available to All.”

Links:

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Sep 6, 2022
Berzin Archives Report: June through August 2022

By Dr. Alexander Berzin | Founder and Author of Berzin Archives

Monks in Nepal

Over the summer, our work at Study Buddhism HQ has continued as we fine-tune the website and bring small changes that create a much better user experience. We’ve been exploring ways to make our recently-released functionality – personal user accounts – more useful and feature-rich. Furthermore, we’ve created new icons and launched them across the site, making it very easy to distinguish between text-only articles, articles that feature audio, articles that feature video, and articles that feature both. This will benefit our users who prefer media rich content, and who like breaking up reading text with a short video break!

Our YouTube channel zoomed past the 45,000-subscriber milestone in June, which is a 50% increase in subscribers in 12 months – quite a feat when you consider the numbers involved. In the last three months alone, our YouTube channel was watched by 100,000 brand new viewers, many of them attracted by our latest video interview series with Ven. Thupten Ngodup, the medium of the Nechung State Oracle. As we add more and more subtitles in our various languages, we are also seeing more and more visitors from their respective countries. This last quarter saw viewers from Nepal enter our top ten list, and we are also seeing our audience in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia increasing. Meanwhile, on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, our sharing of articles, videos, and quotes is going equally as well, with good growth and engagement on each of these platforms.

We have also been busy producing new content that we will start to release later this year and into next year. Firstly, we interviewed Ajahn Amaro, a well-known and much-loved Theravada teacher, and the abbot of Amaravati Monastery in the UK. Secondly, we interviewed Geshe Tenzin Namdak, the resident teacher of Jamyang Buddhist Centre in London, and the first westerner to complete the full geshe degree at one of the “Three Great Seats” (the greatest learning centers in Tibet – that is, Sera, Drepung, and Ganden monasteries). Lastly but by no means least, we interviewed Venerable Steve Carlier, an interpreter, translator, and Buddhist teacher based at the Land of Medicine Buddha in California. We are excited to be able to share with you the incredible wisdom of these three wonderful teachers.

Altogether, our translators and editors have prepared 307 new articles. You’ll find all the details in the bulleted list below.

Here are some of our accomplishments over these last three months:

Preparation and publication of 307 translations into our various languages
Translation and addition of new descriptions and abstracts to articles in 28 of our language sections
Preparation of 16 further parts of “Details of Karma,” containing extensive translations of Sanskrit and Tibetan primary sources
Copyediting of 36 English transcripts and files
Addition of social media buttons to table of content pages in multipart articles
Development and implementation of the feature to add images to table of content pages and parts in multipart articles
Addition of Related Articles feature to table of content pages and parts in multipart articles
Expansion of information provided for items in Related Articles feature
Further development of Artificial Intelligence generated Similar Articles feature
Creation and implementation of new icons on the menu pages of the website sections indicating audio, video or both audio and video content in single and multipart articles
Researching and prototyping Report Typo feature
Editing of 14 videos of our interview with Jhado Rinpoche, the former abbot of Namgyal Monastery, the personal monastery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Video interview with Ajahn Amaro, abbot of Amaravati Monastery in the UK.
Video interview with Geshe Tenzin Namdak, resident teacher at Jamyang Buddhist Centre, UK.
Video interview with Venerable Steve Carlier, Buddhist teacher and translator at Land of Medicine Buddha, USA.
Preparation of 8 quotes taken from our video interviews and other sources from the website, accompanied with graphics, and the uploading of these to social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter).
Preparation of 8 different video clips and uploading them to social media channels. Each video was prepared for posting on Facebook with 32 language subtitles, on Twitter with embedded English subtitles and a maximum length of 2 minutes and 20 seconds, and on Instagram and TikTok at 9:16 format with embedded English subtitles.
Preparation of 8 article posts for our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) along with introductions.

All of this hard work is made possible by your continuing generous support. Together, we shall “Make the Ageless Wisdom of Tibet Available to All.”

Links:

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Jun 3, 2022
Berzin Archives Report: March through May 2022

By Dr. Alexander Berzin | Founder and Author of Berzin Archives

Buddha statue in Nissankamallapura, Sri Lanka

Over the spring, we’ve been engaged in intense work here at the Berzin Archives headquarters, and we’ve made impressive progress on our Study Buddhism project.

Over the last few months, our various translators, editors, and assistants, who are based all over the world, have prepared over 250 article translations and more than 500 subtitle files. This work, such as that on preparing subtitles for our videos on YouTube, which are also embedded across the website, is proving more and more invaluable for our audience. Over the last three months, 51% of our videos have been watched with subtitles turned on. When compared with the 29% of videos watched with subtitles during the same period in 2021, it is heartening to see that our hard work is going to good use. Meanwhile, the videos themselves continue to perform well. During March, April, and May, we had over 340,000 views of our videos on YouTube, which is a 25% increase from the previous three months. This was in part due to great interest in our interview with Venerable Thupten Ngodup, the medium of the Nechung Oracle, the Chief State Oracle of Tibet, which we released at the end of April. Engagement on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram has also been increasing steadily as we post more specific content, not only more frequently but in formats suited to each platform. All in all, over the last three months, our content has been seen more than 3.8 million times on the social media platforms we use.

We have worked hard over the last few years to create a rich resource which is as accessible as possible – to people of all backgrounds, cultures, and abilities. And this work continues now. We are very excited to announce that we have a new project: the creation of beautiful, read-out-loud versions of our articles. As usual, we like to make use of current technologies, and so the articles have not been read out loud by a human, but by ultra-realistic AI-generated voices. These recordings will be of great use to our visually impaired audience, and also to those who simply want to listen to articles about Buddhist wisdom on their journeys to and from work. You will see some of these recordings pop up in the Essentials section over the next few weeks and months, so please do take a look and share with your family and friends!

You’ll find all the details of what we’ve been up to in the bulleted list below. Here are some of our accomplishments over these last three months:

Preparation and publication of 251 translations into our various languages
Preparation and addition of 4 new English articles
Preparation of 10 further parts of “Details of Karma,” containing extensive translations of Sanskrit and Tibetan primary sources
Copyediting of 20 English transcripts and files
The creation of 527 subtitle files in our 32 languages, for use on our YouTube channel
Preparation and addition of the third set of new descriptions and abstracts in English, completing the task of providing them for all our articles
Preparation and addition started of translations of the new descriptions and abstracts into our various languages
Expansion of the Spanish glossary to more than 1000 terms
Preparation of a working list of all articles already having and those still needing images
Editing of 13 videos of our interview with Venerable Thupten Ngodup, the medium of Nechung, the Chief State Oracle of Tibet.
English translation of the interview with Venerable Thupten Ngodup based on a thorough editing of the Tibetan transcript.
The subtitling in Tibetan and English, and addition to the Study Buddhism YouTube channel of the above-mentioned interview clips with Venerable Thupten Ngodup.
English translation of the interview about Kalachakra with Jhado Rinpoche – retired Abbot of both His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Namgyal Monastery and Gyuto Upper Tantric College – based on a thorough editing of the Tibetan transcript.
Video interview with Dr. Philippe Goldin – professor of cognitive-affective neuroscience at UC Davis and consultant at Google – about the neuroscience studies conducted on meditation
Creation of AI-generated ultra-realistic text-to-speech audio files for 30 articles from our Essentials section
Preparation of 12 different video clips and uploading them to social media channels. Each video was prepared for posting on Facebook with 32 language subtitles, on Twitter with embedded English subtitles and a maximum length of 2 minutes and 20 seconds, and on Instagram and TikTok at 9:16 format with embedded English subtitles.
Preparation of 12 quotes taken from our video interviews and other sources from the website, accompanied with graphics, and the uploading of these to social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter).
Preparation of 12 article posts for our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) along with introductions.
Creation and design of User Accounts for the website, including pages for signing up, signing in, authentication of emails and passwords, “remember me” function, utility functions for serializing the user into a cookie and retrieving the password from the cookie, locking function of an account after a specified number of failed sign-in attempts and unlocking it after a specific time period, forgotten password, sending email with reset password instructions, and changing the Study Buddhism Google email configuration to send emails from the studybuddhism.com domain.
On User Accounts pages, automatically creating favorite lists for every user, require sign in or sign up to accesses account page, logout link, user image taken from Gravatar service if available, feature for editing user profile, links for saved (bookmarked) articles, and features for creating and managing custom lists
Addition of account and bookmark icons on all pages of the website, ability to save an article to the user account after clicking on the bookmark icon
Testing and debugging of all the above features of User Accounts before deployment on the website.
Fixing and maintenance of various issues with our content management system.

All of this hard work is made possible by your continuing generous support. Together, we shall “Make the Ageless Wisdom of Tibet Available to All.”

Links:

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