Thailand: Ministry to distribute Tipitaka to general public

The Nation, August 19, 2005

Bangkok, Thailand -- The Culture Ministry is planning to publish and distribute 500,000 volumes of the Tipitaka Buddhist canon to government agencies, private organisations, hotels and hospitals, as well as the general public, as part of its drive to revive faith in the religion. Yesterday, the ministry’s Religious Affairs Department held a seminar to discuss how to prevent people in Thailand from straying further from the Buddhist way of life.

One idea was to publish the Tipitaka and distribute it to the general public, so they would absorb the teachings of the Lord Buddha.

Preecha Kanthiya, director-general of the department, said the government would like to do this and that the project would cost Bt80 million.

?Publishing should start next month. We?ll also distribute the Tipitaka to 4,000 monks who provide religious and moral instruction,? Preecha said.

If the Tipitaka does get published, it would have to be in an abridged form, because the entire work covers more than three dozen volumes.

The Religious Affairs Department also plans to publish the Lord Buddha?s teachings and the different incarnations of the Lord Buddha in cartoon form or produce animated versions to educate Thai youngsters.

The Tipitaka covers the essence of Buddhism and is divided into three main parts: the vinaya, the sutta and the abhidhamma. The vinaya is the rules and procedures that guide the practices of monks, the sutta is the Lord Buddha?s spoken teachings and the abhidhamma is the interpretation of the ultimate reality as discovered by the Lord Buddha.

Recently, the Dhamma Society Fund published three sets of the world?s first romanised version of the Tipitaka. Sweden, Sri Lanka and the Constitution Court have taken delivery of 40-volume sets.

Somdej Phrayanvarodom, the abbot of Wat Thepsirin, expressed concern about the failure of Thai Buddhists to learn and understand the teachings of the Lord Buddha.

?It?s dangerous to the security of Buddhism that people no longer pay attention to the teachings of the Lord Buddha. When they enter the monkhood, they violate the rules. They get into fights after looking each other in the face. There are crimes committed everywhere,? said the abbot.

?We can?t believe that Thais are Buddhists after being beer-drinking champions in Germany for two years in a row now. There are liquor stores in front of temples everywhere. Foreigners question whether we really are a Buddhist society.?
We Need Your Help to Train the
Buddhist AI Chat Bot
NORBU!
(Neural Operator for Responsible Buddhist Understanding)



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your name in the payment slip. Thank you.


Dear Friends in the Dharma,

We seek your generous support to help us train NORBU, the word's first Buddhist AI Chat Bot.

Here are some ways you can contribute to this noble cause:

One-time Donation or Loan: A single contribution, regardless of its size, will go a long way in helping us reach our goal and make the Buddhist LLM a beacon of wisdom for all.

How will your donation / loan be used? Download the NORBU White Paper for details.



For Malaysians and Singaporeans, please make your donation to the following account:

Account Name: Bodhi Vision
Account No:. 2122 00000 44661
Bank: RHB

The SWIFT/BIC code for RHB Bank Berhad is: RHBBMYKLXXX
Address: 11-15, Jalan SS 24/11, Taman Megah, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: 603-9206 8118

Note: Please indicate your purpose of payment (loan or donation) in the payment slip. Thank you.

Once payment is banked in, please send the payment slip via email to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv. Your donation/loan will be published and publicly acknowledged on the Buddhist Channel.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your friends, family and fellow Dharma enthusiasts. Join "Friends of Norbu" at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norbuchatbot. Together, we can build a stronger community and create a positive impact on a global scale.

Volunteer: If you possess expertise in AI, natural language processing, Dharma knowledge in terms of Buddhist sutras in various languages or related fields, and wish to lend your skills, please contact us. Your knowledge and passion could be invaluable to our project's success.

Your support is part of a collective effort to preserve and disseminate the profound teachings of Buddhism. By contributing to the NORBU, you become a "virtual Bodhisattva" to make Buddhist wisdom more accessible to seekers worldwide.

Thank you for helping to make NORBU a wise and compassionate Buddhist Chatbot!

May you be blessed with inner peace and wisdom,

With deepest gratitude,

Kooi F. Lim
On behalf of The Buddhist Channel Team


Note: To date, we have received the following contributions for NORBU:
US$ 75 from Gary Gach (Loan)
US$ 50 from Chong Sim Keong
MYR 300 from Wilson Tee
MYR 500 from Lim Yan Pok
MYR 50 from Oon Yeoh
MYR 200 from Ooi Poh Tin
MYR 300 from Lai Swee Pin
MYR 100 from Ong Hooi Sian
MYR 1,000 from Fam Sin Nin
MYR 500 from Oh teik Bin
MYR 300 from Yeoh Ai Guat
MYR 300 from Yong Lily
MYR 50 from Bandar Utama Buddhist Society
MYR 1,000 from Chiam Swee Ann
MYR 1,000 from Lye Veei Chiew
MYR 1,000 from Por Yong Tong
MYR 80 from Lee Wai Yee
MYR 500 from Pek Chee Hen
MYR 300 from Hor Tuck Loon
MYR 1,000 from Wise Payments Malaysia Sdn Bhd
MYR 200 from Teo Yen Hua
MYR 500 from Ng Wee Keat
MYR 10,000 from Chang Quai Hung, Jackie (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from K. C. Lim & Agnes (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from Juin & Jooky Tan (Loan)
MYR 100 from Poh Boon Fong (on behalf of SXI Buddhist Students Society)
MYR 10,000 from Fam Shan-Shan (Loan)
MYR 10,000 from John Fam (Loan)
MYR 500 from Phang Cheng Kar
MYR 100 from Lee Suat Yee
MYR 500 from Teo Chwee Hoon (on behalf of Lai Siow Kee)
MYR 200 from Mak Yuen Chau

We express our deep gratitude for the support and generosity.

If you have any enquiries, please write to: editor@buddhistchannel.tv


TOP