The Supply Chain of Buddhist Knowledge
Why This Framework Exists
The OpenPecha community’s core mission is to help everyone learn, live, and share Buddhist wisdom. We do this through our end products: the WeBuddhist practice app and the Sherab e-learning platform, which deliver simplified, accessible content linked directly to authentic scriptures.
However, these platforms sit at the very end of a long and complex “supply chain” of information. They rely on a vast ecosystem of upstream projects, technologies, and datasets—from the digitization of ancient manuscripts to scholarly research and translation. Early in our work, we realized that to build our products effectively, we needed a clear map of this entire process. We had to understand where the critical bottlenecks were, where partners were duplicating efforts, and where the most significant gaps in data and technology existed.
The Supply Chain of Buddhist Knowledge was designed out of this necessity. It is our guiding framework to help us and our partners visualize this ecosystem, strategically identify areas needing the most attention, and collaborate to avoid reinventing the wheel. This model directs our community’s priorities and resource allocation, ensuring our collective work is as efficient and impactful as possible.
How the Framework Functions
Our model conceptualizes the journey of Buddhist wisdom from its ancient sources to the contemporary user. The goal is to ensure the most authentic Buddhist texts are openly and freely available—first as original manuscripts and translations, and ultimately as modern adaptations and experiences tailored to the context, needs, and formats of today’s communities.
To clarify this concept, we often use an analogy of the bread supply chain: it starts with a farmer growing wheat (digitizing manuscripts), moves to a miller grinding flour (processing data), then to a baker making bread (translating and creating content), and finally to the grocery store where people buy it (the WeBuddhist and Sherab platforms).
What We Contribute
While our products are at the consumer-facing end of the supply chain, the OpenPecha community builds infrastructure to strengthen the entire process. To facilitate this, we developed:
- Buddhist AI Tools: A suite of tools designed to help data specialists, researchers, translators, and content creators work more efficiently through every phase.
- Pecha Data and the Pecha API: We make all the data used in our ecosystem (including WeBuddhist, Sherab, and the Buddhist AI Tools) openly and freely available to everyone, nourishing the whole field.
This end-to-end involvement allows us to create a seamless and transparent flow from ancient wisdom to daily practice.
Background
The supply chain concept originated in April 2024, following the “International Conference on Retrospect and Prospect of Digitalization of Buddhist Resources” at National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei. At a follow-up meeting at the Indrajala office, Elie and Jann (BDRC), Sebastian (Mitra), NT (Indrajala), and Jennifer (Kumarajiva) convened to discuss potential partnerships and budgets. Together, they sketched the initial draft of the supply chain to better visualize operational overlaps and gaps.
The framework was further refined by Sebastian and NT during the “AI and the Future of Buddhist Studies” conference at UC Berkeley in October 2024, where they introduced the analogy to the bread supply chain. In early 2025, Dharmaduta’s team in India expanded the framework by contributing the detailed “Gaps and Strategies” analysis presented below.
The Framework
Version 3.0
Gaps in the Buddhist Knowledge Supply Chain and Our Strategy
| Supply Chain Phase | Gaps | Strategies |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gather authentic sources | - Many source texts in Buddhist languages yet to be discovered, especially in Southeast Asian languages- Fragmented collections across institutions- Lack of platform to contribute sources and catalog existing texts- No advanced automation for cataloging despite existing LLMs- Limited standardized metadata- Risk of duplicate efforts | - Collaborate with BDRC to extend their existing catalog and map it to Wikidata- Establish partnerships with monastic libraries, archives, and private collections- Develop solutions/platforms to empower communities to catalog their speech and textual sources- Create standardized metadata for source identification and provenance tracking- Develop automation solutions for cataloging via LLMs and other AI models- Develop criteria for prioritizing rare, endangered, or foundational texts |
| 2. Preserve as audio and images | - Many source texts yet to be scanned by BDRC- Lack of centralized effort to preserve oral teachings- No community contribution tools or platforms- Varying quality standards in digitization- Limited storage infrastructure- Insufficient documentation of oral transmissions- Risk of physical deterioration before digitization | - Empower Buddhist communities to scan their sources and record oral teachings- Create open, free, and centralized contribution tools for communities- Make all resources freely available on BDRC and Wikimedia Commons- Implement high-resolution scanning protocols that meet archival standards- Store multiple redundant copies across distributed systems- Create preservation metadata using international standards - Partner with BDRC, Internet Archive and memory institutions |
| 3. Convert into searchable digital text | - OCR is limited for manuscripts and woodblocks- STT (Speech to Text) doesn’t work for most Buddhist languages- Lack of adequate tools for Buddhist communities to transcribe scans and speech resources- Labor-intensive verification processes- Inconsistent text encoding standards- Varying accuracy rates across languages | - Establish quality metrics for transcription accuracy- Benchmark existing OCR and STT models- Use open data from community to train custom models- Develop openly accessible transcription tools for digitization- Open source custom models for community- Make all transcriptions freely available on BDRC, Wikisource and Pecha app |
| 4. Prepare reliable editions | - No advanced tools to generate collated editions- No centralized online community platform to discuss differences found in different editions- Lack of tools to select or vote for best spelling to generate critical editions- Limited scholarly oversight for editorial decisions- Poor documentation of editorial choices- Lack of version control for changes | - Develop tools to generate collated editions- Create a scholar collaboration platform to create and maintain community critical editions- Make all community editions available on Wikisource and Pecha app- Establish scholarly editorial boards for critical decisions- Create transparent documentation of editorial choices- Implement version control systems for tracking changes- Design annotation systems for textual apparatus- Build collaborative editing platforms for distributed teams |
| 5. Extract knowledge networks | - Lack of Buddhist knowledge base (articles explaining concepts/entities) that technology can use- Missing connections between concepts and passages in all texts- Missing connections between related segments across multiple texts and within each text- No automation models and tools to extract entities and relationships- Limited comprehensive Buddhist ontologies- Insufficient APIs for knowledge querying | - Generate articles on all Buddhist concepts backed with sources- Build community to check, improve and post these articles on Wikipedia- Develop ontologies for Buddhist philosophical systems- Create structured data models for interconnected knowledge- Link all concepts and related passages in all texts- Link all related segments across multiple texts and within each text- Build automation models and tools for humans to improve knowledge networks- Publish all linked resources on Wikidata- Make all resources linked to any sentence accessible on Pecha app |
| 6. Produce translations | - Translations mostly available in only a few languages- Most available translations are copyrighted- Lack of translation variations for different audiences- Human translations not financially scalable- Current AI translations not trustworthy- No custom tools for Buddhist translator community powered by AI- Shortage of qualified translators- Inconsistent terminology across translations | - Create an authoritative interpretation grounded in commentaries and other references for each text- Build a suite of community-driven AI translation tools- Generate translations grounded in the authoritative interpretation into multiple languages and styles matching each audience’s requirements- Create glossary and translation memory management systems for consistency- Establish mentorship programs pairing experienced and new translators- Make all translations freely available on Wikisource and Pecha app |
| 7. Shape audience-specific adaptations | - Lack of modern and demographic-specific adaptations of Buddhist texts- Lack of community acknowledgement for different adaptations- High frequency of archaic words- Buddhist teachers and content creators have limited understanding of diverse user needs- One-size-fits-all content presentation- Missing feedback mechanisms for improvement | - Build tools to generate adaptations of Buddhist texts- Support community to produce adaptations in different mediums (movies, arts, memes, etc.)- Create tools to develop user personas across different backgrounds and needs- Create layered content models with progressive disclosure- Design adaptive interfaces for different knowledge levels- Build tools for educators to create curriculum materials- Implement feedback systems to improve adaptations |
| 8. Develop study and practice tools | - Lack of awareness about how to practice Buddhism in mass contexts- Traditional Buddhist community is too distanced from their teachers- New Buddhist communities are over-reliant on their teachers- Lack of layperson study groups- Most study and practice tools are old-fashioned and designed for a legacy cultural context- Tools not adapted to specific readers at specific times- Disconnected study and practice environments- Limited integration of reference materials with the modern daily life | - Build tools to support Buddhist practice and study content creators- Create integrated reading environments with references- Build meditation timers and practice trackers- Develop guidance applications for visualization and ritual- Design study tools with spaced repetition learning- Create tools for practice questions and discussion- Build tools to support Buddhist community study groups |
| 9. Package as Engaging, Shareable Content | - Predominance of traditional formats unsuited to digital consumption- Limited tools for educators to analyze audience needs and preferences- Continuation of ritual activities disconnected from their meaning- Poor typography and layout diminishing digital reading experience- Minimal multimedia integration in traditional content- Inadequate attribution systems for lineage and contributors | - Create interactive content platforms with exploration capabilities- Develop audience analytics tools for Buddhist educators and content creators- Design multimedia explanatory resources for traditional practices- Implement responsive designs optimized for multiple device types- Create social sharing systems with proper attribution mechanisms- Develop Buddhist languages fonts optimised for screens- Build multimedia presentation tools integrating text, audio and visualization |
| 10. Deliver through Sharing Networks | - Ineffective distribution systems for study and practice materials- Limited tools for discovering relevant events and teachings- Poor access to materials used during live teachings and events- Insufficient platforms for direct teacher-student interactions- Weak integration with established content platforms- Poor content discoverability across distributed systems- Limited API availability for third-party applications | - Build intelligent distribution systems matching content to user needs- Create event discovery platforms with geographic and virtual listings- Develop synchronized study material systems for live teaching events- Build communication platforms for direct teacher-student engagement- Create seamless integration with Wikipedia/Wikisource ecosystems- Implement comprehensive search and discovery tools across repositories- Develop robust APIs enabling third-party application development- Create content syndication systems for wider distribution- Establish partnerships with educational institutions for formal study programs |
| 11. Serve Personalized Learning Paths | - Generic learning paths inadequate for diverse student needs- Limited understanding of optimal progression through Buddhist study and practise curricula- Absence of progress tracking across distributed learning and practise resources- Few tools for assessing comprehension of complex concepts- Limited adaptive learning sequence implementations- Ineffective systems for connecting students with appropriate mentors | - Develop AI systems creating personalized study and practice plans- Build recommendation engines based on individual interests and progress- Create cross-platform progress tracking spanning multiple resources- Develop assessment tools evaluating conceptual understanding- Design adaptive learning sequences responding to demonstrated mastery- Facilitate community-based learning cohorts with shared objectives- Create mentor matching systems based on practice tradition and stage |
| 12. Share Delight as Communities | - Insufficient platforms for sharing transformative practice experiences- Isolated practice leading to diminished motivation- Limited virtual spaces for shared practice activities- Few tools supporting local study group formation and maintenance- Inadequate systems connecting qualified teachers with students- Lack of recognition systems for community contributions- Absence of personal achievement tracking and milestone celebration- No gamification elements to sustain practice motivation- Limited visualization of personal progress in study and practice | - Develop progress tracking tools with selective sharing capabilities- Create discussion forums organized around specific teachings and practices- Build virtual practice spaces supporting shared meditation sessions- Develop tools facilitating local study group formation and coordination- Design systems connecting qualified teachers with appropriate students- Implement contribution recognition systems acknowledging community support- Create impact measurement frameworks tracking community benefit- Design achievement badge systems for study and practice milestones (texts completed, practice hours, insights gained)- Develop visualization dashboards for personal practice statistics and progress- Create gamification elements that respect traditional values while encouraging consistent practice- Build systems for celebrating significant personal achievements within community contexts- Implement optional streak-tracking for maintaining regular study and practice rhythms |