Description:

The Digital Humanities are a new way of approaching traditional humanities disciplines using the analytic and display powers of computers and digital networks to gain novel and in many cases deeper insights into questions at the center of humanities research. This talk explores the intersection of Buddhism and digital humanities, examining how computational methods transform the study of Buddhist texts, practices, and cultures. By leveraging tools such as text mining, digital archives, and visualization, scholars can uncover new insights into Buddhist history, doctrine, and transmission across regions. The talk highlights both opportunities and challenges of digitizing sacred traditions, while reflecting on how Buddhist perspectives may enrich critical approaches to technology, knowledge production, and the digital humanities themselves

Dr. Daniel Veidlinger is chair of the Department of Comparative Religion and Humanities at California State University, Chico and received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He is the editor of Digital Humanities and Buddhism: An Introduction (De Gruyter, 2019); and Buddhism, the Internet, and Digital Media: The Pixel in the Lotus (Routledge, 2014); with Gregory Grieve. His book From Indra's Net to Internet: Communication, Technology, and the Evolution of Buddhist Ideas (University of Hawaii Press, 2018) looks as how communication technology has shaped Buddhism from the earliest times to the present.