Paper short abstract:

In this presentation, I discuss how Tara's Triple Excellence, an online meditation program created by a Tibetan lama, is a "cybernetic response" to the rapid spread of the contemporary mindfulness movement. I discuss also how this program is changing the way practitioners relate to Tibetan Buddhism.

Paper long abstract:

The encounter between Buddhism and Western systems of thought and practice has a long history that has unfolded in many different directions. Two different movements engendered by this encounter can be detected at the intersection of Buddhism and science and technology. First, there is a movement towards the secularization of certain contemplative practices that were originally Buddhist. A case in point is the recent laboratory research experiments on contemplative practices conducted at major scientific research institutions, which paved the way for their application in different secular contexts. Second, there is a movement towards the global dissemination of Buddhist traditions. The encounter with modern technology has indeed changed the way Buddhism is spreading throughout the world. The most evident example is the role played by the internet in the process of the transnationalization of the activities of certain Buddhist masters. In this presentation, I will explore the case of Tara's Triple Excellence (TTE), a daily guided online meditation program created by the Tibetan lama Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche (b. 1951). This program, which is available through the internet in seven European languages and Chinese, is a clear example of a phenomenon of the second movement. However, in relation to the first movement—the secularization of Buddhist practices—I will argue that TTE can also be seen as a "cybernetic response" to the rapid spread of the contemporary mindfulness movement. This presentation will discuss how TTE is changing the way practitioners relate to Tibetan Buddhism, while also preserving core elements of this tradition.