佛學數位資源的建置與開展

Abstract

近年來台灣所建置的「數位佛學資源」頗獲國際好評，然由於數位化作業 繁複，成果內容豐富，延展輔助應用計畫也不少，一般使用者難以深入瞭解， 以致無法充分運用相關資源進行研究。深感對這些資源作有系統有組織的整 理，是有其必要性與急迫性，因此筆者不揣簡陋，首度就台灣近年來佛學數位 資源的建置作業沿革，以及整體內容作歸納與分類，以期提供可茲運用的資 源。 首先，於文中回顧電子佛典的發展與沿革，依中華電子佛典協會的數位化 作業內容與型式，建構「電子佛典集成」數位化作業三大分期：第一期為數位 化鉛印本、第二期為數位化刊刻本、第三期為數位化寫本與古籍善本。並從各 分期的收錄方針、數位內容特色，以及經文質量，說明其建置成果，藉此讓學 者瞭解電子佛典集成的內容、特色與可應用的數位文獻。 其次，為方便讀者使用，本文將與電子佛典同期進行的各項「佛典數位專 案」，依計畫內容與發展歸屬分為：經典研究、數位經錄、詞彙研究、時空資 訊、社會網絡與整合服務等六大類，藉此分類探討所延伸的電子佛典相關研究 與應用、所開展的佛典數位化相關輔助應用、所提供的強化佛典數位服務功能 等。期能以此掌握佛典數位資源的整體作業與發展現況，提供學界可運用的資 源與方法。 文末，承續藏經數位化的兩大主題，以「電子佛典集成的時代意義」與「佛典數位專案的永續發展」，總明台灣當代佛學數位資源建置與發展案例，綜 評漢籍佛典相關數位專案成果，以及檢討未竟之功。最後，以｢整合型佛典數 位知識資產」探討佛典數位專案發展的可能作結語。

The development of Buddhist Digital Resources in Taiwan has won an international fame. However, because of their richness and diversity as well as of their extended applications, they are not always easily accessible and therefore have been under-utilized by non-specialist users in the Humanities as well as in the field itself of Buddhist. Thus a systematic organization of and introduction to these sources represents an immediate need and priority. The aim of this paper is to systematically present the creation and development of such a wealth of Buddhist Digital Resources, and to classify and categorize their contents so that these facilities will be better accessible and utilized. The paper begins by introducing the project and models of the Chinese Buddhist Tripiṭakas developed by the “Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association” (CBETA). The entire project of digitization of the Electronic Tripiṭaka Collection inlcudes three phases: 1. digitizing the modern printed versions, 2. digitizing the block-printing versions, and 3. digitizing manuscripts and rare books. In order to familiarize scholars in related fields with the contents, features and applicability of the digitized Tripiṭaka collections, I discuss the rationale of the assemblage of the Chinese Tripiṭakas materials for each phase, analyze the quality of digitized texts, and point out their salient features. Next, with a focus on usability, this paper presents the various Buddhist Digital Projects by allocating them to six categories according to the nature and targets or functions of the projects: Textual Study, Digital Catalogues, Lexicon Study, Time-Space Information, Social Networks and Integral Service. This enables users to apply extended functions, auxiliary applications and facilities of the digital Buddhist corpora in question more aptly and conveniently in their own researches. Lastly, the paper engages with (a) the present relevance and challenges of the electronic Buddhist text collection, and (b) the theme of sustainable development of digital projects at large. A number of cases taken as examples from the present scene of Buddhist Digital Resources in Taiwan are reviewed, and the present products of the digital Chinese Buddhist text projects and their limitations are evaluated and discuss in more general terms. The paper concludes with an outlook of the future development of digital Buddhist texts, discussioning the knowledge asset of the integral-service of digital Buddhist texts.