History
Buda-Tech Discussion Group
Jointly established by members of the National Taiwan University Lion’s Roar BBS and the National Sun Yat-sen University Deer Park Buddhist BBS, this forum was dedicated to discussing digital Buddhist text issues. Mr. Tseng Guo-Feng (曾國豐) set up a mailing list for participants, laying the foundation for much of the electronic Buddhist textual data and technology available today.
Draft Plan for the Input of the Electronic Tripitaka
A Buda-Tech user drafted a plan for inputting the Electronic Tripitaka, marking the beginning of systematic textual data entry.
Electronic Buddhist Texts Working Group (EBTWG)
Founded by Hsu Yan-Hui (徐言輝) and several friends, this group primarily used optical character recognition (OCR) technology to systematically generate electronic text files based on the Fojiao Dazangjing (佛教大藏經).
CCCII-Encoded Digital Edition of the Taishō Tripitaka
Mr. Hsiao Chen-kuo (蕭鎮國) provided 25 volumes of the Taishō Tripitaka (大正藏) in CCCII-encoded electronic format and authorized the Center for Buddhist Studies at National Taiwan University to conduct further processing. (Mr. Hsiao later provided the digitized files for all remaining volumes of the Taishō Tripitaka.)
25T Group, NTU Center for Buddhist Studies
Led by the Center for Buddhist Studies at National Taiwan University, this group was responsible for processing the 25 volumes of the Taishō Tripitaka provided by Mr. Hsiao Chen-kuo, launching a large-scale project to digitize the Buddhist canon. (This group was the predecessor of the Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association.)
Rare Characters Task Force
To thoroughly address rare and missing characters (gaiji) in Buddhist texts, the 25T Group established this task force in collaboration with the Institute of Information Science at Academia Sinica (中央研究院資訊科學研究所).
Establishment of the “Chinese Buddhist Electronic Texts Association”
Venerable Hengching (釋恆清) of the National Taiwan University Center for Buddhist Studies raised the necessary funds; with full backing from the Yin-Shun Foundation of North America (中央研究院資訊科學研究所) and the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies (中華佛學研究所), a preparatory meeting took place on February 15, 1998, at the Anhe Center of Dharma Drum Mountain to formally establish the “Chinese Buddhist Electronic Texts Association” (中華電子佛典協會, CBETA). Venerable Huimin (釋惠敏) served as Chairperson, Venerable Houguan (釋厚觀) as Vice Chairperson, Professor Aming Tu (杜正民) of the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies as Secretary-General, Dr. Christian Wittern as Advisor, and Venerable Hengching as Standing Supervisor.
Sustainable Development Issues
Chairperson Venerable Huimin raised the topic of sustainable development. Following discussions with Venerable Hengching, the Abbot of Dharma Drum Mountain, and other key figures, preparations began to establish a charitable foundation.
Preparatory Meeting for Donors
Thanks to the generous support of all parties, a preparatory meeting for donors was held on April 8, 2023, where Venerable Guoyi, Venerable Huimin, Her Reysheng, David Chiou, Venerable Yuanwu, Venerable Shingyi, Venerable Fachi, Chen Guanghua, and Hung Jenjou were elected as directors. The first Board of Directors meeting was also convened, electing Venerable Huimin as Chairperson of the Board and appointing Director Hung Jenjou (洪振洲) to serve concurrently as Executive Director.
Application to Establish a National Religious Foundation
An application was submitted to the Ministry of the Interior (the competent authority) to establish a national religious foundation: the Comprehensive Buddhist Electronic Text Archive Foundation (財團法人佛教電子佛典基金會, CBETA Foundation).
Establishment of the “Comprehensive Buddhist Electronic Text Archive Foundation”
The incorporation process was completed on August 7, 2023.
Toward a Sustainable Future
