Invitation To A Meeting In Cyberspace
The Nalandabodhi sangha is cordially invited to a meeting in cyberspace, to talk and exchange ideas about practice, study, center events and whatever else is on our mind. Just as The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche invites us in his sangha letter to "meet" him in the pages of Bodhi, the sangha is invited to meet together, among ourselves and with Rinpoche, on the World Wide Web.
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by Martin Marvet

The mandala of The Dzogchen Ponlop  Rinpoche is expanding into cyberspace. Nitartha.org, nalandabodhi.org, bodhionline.org, bodhidharmastore.org, are places on the web where the worldwide Nalandabodhi sangha can exchange information about practice and center activities, seek and provide advice, and study together. For example, the site contains facilities where members of the sangha can participate in online discussions and classes, and access information on schedules and events.

Why go online?

Rinpoche anticipated the importance of online communications. A couple of years ago, when the "web" was the province only of research scientists, I was reluctant to go online myself, but I was encouraged to explore by Rinpoche. I reluctantly began to venture into online communications through CompuServe and similar services and shortly thereafter, the Internet exploded in popularity.

Similarly, Rinpoche has encouraged experimenting with our website as a place where we can find information, and where we can come together to discuss issues concerning practice and study. At our website are online bulletin boards and chat facilities. Online courses based on Rinpoche's study curriculum are in preparation.

Furthermore, learning to communicate through the Internet provides an opportunity for the international sangha--scattered throughout the many countries of the world--to forge closer bonds. Students living far apart can converse and meet other members of the sangha. Our teachers can reach us more often. We can raise questions with teachers and senior students, and answers may be more quickly available, when we need them. The Internet provides an opportunity to use technology to overcome physical distance, and truly "meet" with each other in an immediate and direct manner.

The technology of the Internet does not replace the normal ways of meeting and communicating, but expands and enhances our ability to meet and communicate. Online communications have the potential to partially bridge the gaps of time and distance, and contribute to a vital and cohesive sangha. This technology combines the closeness of a personal meeting with the availability of widespread publication.

Exploring a new mode of communication

The Internet is new to everyone. Even though some people seem to navigate more effortlessly through cyberspace than others, no one has much more experience with the web than anyone else. The Internet is still a baby, very young and changing all the time. Everyone is learning something new, and the development of online resources depends very much on us.

We do not know yet whether we can forge closer ties in the sangha through online communications. Communicating online is something of a grand experiment. The participation of the Nalandabodhi sangha in this experiment is critical. We will modify our online resources based on Nalandabodhi member feedback about what is useful to you. Ultimately, it is up to the sangha to see whether or not a location on the Internet is a worthwhile addition to the resources of the sangha.

A Brief Introduction to the Nalandabodhi Website

The Nalandabodhi website provides different resources for the sangha. Using technology provided by Nitartha international, the site is divided into six sections:

1) Buddhism – the basics about Buddhism, from its beginnings in India to the form of Buddhism in Tibet

2) News – The latest news: about His Holiness Karmapa, about Nalandabodhi, as well as international and US news headlines, with links to the articles, updated every fifteen minutes.

3) Teachers – Information about His Holiness Karmapa, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and others, about the background, their schedules, their publications, contact lists and other helpful reference material

4) Teachings – teachings, songs and other works by His Holiness Karmapa, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and other lineage figures

5) Study – An outline of the Nalandabodhi Study Curriculum

6) Meditation –

7) Centers – information about particular centers and the opportunity to read and post online messages and participate in online communication;

8) Lineage – which explains the teaching lineage for Nalandabodhi students through The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and Venerable Khenpo Tsultrim Rinpoche;

9) Store –

10) Fun –

2) Khenpo Rinpoche – 

3) The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche – teachings, songs and other works by Ponlop Rinpoche, as well as pictures;

4) Publications – information on Bodhi, Nalandabodhi Publications, Siddhi Publications and Lotus Books;

5) Community – 

Of particular note is the newly redesigned "Community" section. Every center (as well as Nalandabodhi members unaffiliated with a center) is featured in this section, and you are all invited to participate here. In Community you can find what is happening in other centers, a description and pictures of each center or sangha group, a continually updated schedule of events at the center, and bulletin boards for online discussion and conversation. In addition, the site contains a doorway to the Texas virtual center, which is a sister web facility for Nalandabodhi members in Texas to participate in discussions, study together, and chat together. (See the article on the Texas virtual center by Jean Peters Do.)

If there is interest, the web may provide a venue for online teachings through streaming audio and video presentations, questions and answers through chat sessions and coordinated worldwide classes through bulletin boards. This can only come to pass if the sangha wants it to. You can only see what the web is like by going there. Turn on a computer and modem and venture into the world of cyberspace. Leave us a message. Let us know what you are up to, and where you want the sangha to go in this Internet age.

Jean Peters-Do writes the following:

We are so fortunate to be living in these times, when the Dharma has come to the West (and the East, South and North!) bringing the teachings of Lord Buddha into our modern world. But those of us who live away from the community of sangha must rely on the teachers to travel to our areas when we cannot travel to see them, sometimes going many months in isolation. Now the joy and vitality of direct communion with our teachers and the sangha is a daily possibility with the help of a home computer and the world wide web!

The students of The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche who live in Texas have agreed to meet together online to keep each other up to date about Nalandabodhi, to study and discuss the Dharma, and to help make the community of sangha a living and viable entity despite the distances of our hometowns. This forum, Nalandabodhi Texas, is now open for discussion! Our online-sangha activities will hopefully enhance and encourage the use of the Nalandabodhi bulletin board, too, as the sangha becomes accustomed to using this exciting and powerful communication tool. Feel free to drop by and leave a message, especially if you have any trouble maneuvering around the Nalandabodhi Texas area so the 'bugs' can be worked out! See y'all there!

This article is part of the contents published in Bodhi Issue 4 (Spring 1999). You can purchase this issue or subscribe to Bodhi at the Bodhi Dharma Store.