Vietnam Buddhist Sangha talks about the online trend of worshiping Buddha and praying for peace

On the afternoon of November 2nd, the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha held a press conference to inform about the 10th National Buddhist Congress and the 45th Anniversary of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, which recorded many important steps forward in digital transformation.

Sharing at the press conference, Venerable Thich Minh Nhan - Standing Deputy Head of the Central Information and Communication Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha - said that digital transformation and propagation in cyberspace are among the outstanding achievements of the Sangha in the 2022-2026 term.

On the occasion of the 10th National Buddhist Congress, the Buddhist social network Butta officially launched a new version with comprehensive upgrades in technology, content, management and operating methods. This platform has completed practical digital Buddhist spaces and utilities such as "Digital Zen hall", "Buddhist worship space", "Buddhist library", thereby supporting online learning and practicing Buddhism, connecting monks, nuns, Buddhists, serving Buddhist activities and community charity activities.

Regarding the trends of "online Buddha worship" or "online peace praying" recently, Venerable Thich Minh Nhan emphasized that the application of science and technology in religious activities must be suitable for the digital age, but must also ensure the preservation of traditional values in spiritual life at temples.

Online activities cannot completely replace the practice of beliefs and spiritual activities directly at pagodas. However, appropriate guidance in cyberspace will help people access information, practice doctrine and form a basic foundation of awareness about Buddhism.

In order to meet the needs of monks, nuns, and Buddhists to access official information in the context of digital media development, the Sangha has made efforts to build and develop Buddhist social networks.

Besides the positive aspects, the Church also recognizes the reality that there are cases of taking advantage of online activities or participating in communication when not fully understanding Buddhism, leading to inaccurate awareness. Therefore, the Church needs to strengthen guidance, raise awareness and build a safe and healthy operating environment in cyberspace.

Regarding the legal corridor, Venerable Thich Minh Nhan informed that the draft Law on Belief and Religion has contents related to activities in cyberspace to ensure synchronization with current legal regulations and guide monks and nuns to perform appropriate Dharma propagation. The Sangha will continue to coordinate in implementing management work, towards building a safe and healthy network environment, creating conditions for Buddhism to actively contribute to social life.

In addition, the administrative management of the Church is also strongly shifting from traditional paper procedures and records to building a centralized database and sharing information between levels according to appropriate decentralization levels.

To date, out of nearly 60,000 monks and nuns nationwide, the Church has coordinated with the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions to complete the digitization of information for more than 40,000 people. In the new term, digital transformation will continue to be promoted; at the same time, through the amendment of the Charter, the communication department and digital transformation work will be brought to the Central Secretariat for direct management and administration to improve the effectiveness of practical implementation.

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