This article discusses ProfessYang Yuwen’s use of electronic tools in his research on the ?gamas, as well as the nature of information technology with respect to research methodology in Buddhist Studies. Additionally, it explains the procedures used in digitizing Professor Yang’s ?gama Dictionary. In the first section, this article defines the term information and discusses the relationship between information technology and research in Buddhist Studies, including ?gama research. Then it continues by exploring the commonalities between Professor Yang’s research methods and the nature of information. Then it further explains the relationship between information technology and ?gama research in light of Professor Yang’s dialogue on ?gamas and information with Professor Xie Qingjun. This dialogue was sparked by a lecture given to the Buddhist Informatics program at the Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies on October 30, 2004 by Professor Xie, entitled “The Known: Understanding and Interpreting Information.” On January 9, 2005 at Academia Sinica, Professors Yang and Xie engaged in a deep and stimulating dialogue on the relationship between information technology and Buddhist Studies. Professor Yang’s style of research and teaching emphasizes practice. His ideals of “start practicing,” “put it into practice,” and “apply it to your life” coincidentally correspond with the Institute’s own ideals embodied in training Buddhist scholars to be competent in information technology and in the policy that students participate in all stages of text digitization. Therefore, before discussing practical usage, this article first briefly introduces the practical nature of Buddhist informatics. Finally, this article presents a sample, with explanation, of the procedure entailed in the digitization of Professor Yang’s ?gama Dictionary. It concludes with an evaluation of this project and a discussion of the future prospects for Buddhist Informatics.
