Introducing Second Life

A new tool for Buddhist Education & Sharing

the Dharma with the World.
 What Is Second Life?
 The Second Life Grid
platform provides a
powerful platform for
interactive experiences.
Over 200 educators from
nearly as many
universities and colleges
use it for classes,
research, learning and
projects with their
students, bringing a new
dimension to learning.
Secular Education in Second Life

A large, active education community is

engaged in the Grid. Harvard University,
Texas State University, and Stanford
University have set up virtual campuses
where students can meet, attend classes,
and create content together. These are just
some examples of various organizations
that have incorporated the Second Life Grid
in their educational programs.
Harvard
Princeton
Stanford
 Religion in Second Life
 Now that Second Life has a
critical mass of residents,
some religious institutions
are starting to take notice,
especially evangelical
Christian churches. One
example is Oklahoma-based
megachurch LifeChurch.tv,
which broadcasts its weekly
sermon to 12 locations -- 11
to its satellite campuses
across the country and one
to its virtual church in
Second Life.
Mosques in Second Life
Judaism
Hinduism
 Survey Says...
 Do you think that real life religions have a place in SL?
 1. Definitely yes 70 53.03%

 2. Probably yes 29 21.97%

 3. Maybe 21 15.91%

 4. Probably no 7 5.30%

 5. Definitely no 5 3.79%

 Total 132 100%

 For more survey results:

 http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2008/02/the-soul-of-sec.html#more
 Buddhism in Second Life
 Buddhism is very popular in Second Life.
They keyword “Buddhism” renders 477
search results. These are regions, islands,
groups, shops and small temples. There
are four simulator regions dedicated solely
to Buddhism: Gaden Gardens, Hikari,
Bodhi, and Buddhism. Gaden Gardens is
the only region managed by a celibate with
Buddhist monastic training experience.
 Dharma Talks in Second Life
 There are Buddhist teachings held in
Second Life. Most of the teachers are lay
people without a verifiable lineage. There
is one elder American Theravada Monk
who has a small temple on a 512 square
meter plot who teaches in several venues
on Second Life. These teachers represent
themselves as avatars in-world and use the
voice chat technology to transfer their
information.
Available Technology
 Live streaming video-
Quicktime format.
 Voice-chat
 Live audio streaming via
Shoutcast or similar.
 Playback of pre-recorded
audio and video. MP3, .mov,
and youtube.
 Text: notecards, scripted
information kiosks, internal
web browser & scripted web-
site launchers.
 Text chat.
 Slideshow players.
(Playback of images on a
screen.)
Recommended Pedagogy
 Streaming of Live Dharma Talks
 Rebroadcast of Previous Talks
 URL Loaders that redirect visitors
to archives of past talks.
 Information kiosks near Buddha
images that give web urls and
notecards to visitors.
 “Books” that give notecards with
sutras in them.
 Interactive learning, prostration
poses in front of Buddhas and
virtual prayer ceremonies led via
voice chat.
 Office hours to answer questions.
 Referring potential students to local
real-world Buddhist centers if
possible.
Transcending Borders
 Available
internationally.
 In world “Universal
Translators.”
 Customizable for
those that speak
any language.
 Eliminates travel
costs yet still allows
for close interaction
 In Conclusion
 It is our sincere
hope that you will
enjoy the space
that we have
developed, and use
it for the benefit of
all beings.