Gene Smith and Tibetology in the West

Gene Smith,a famous Tibetologist and the founder of the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center( TBRC),passed into nirvana on December16th2010. This sad news shocked the circle of international Tibetologists. Everyone felt a sense of regret and sadness. On February 12th 2011,TBRC organized a seminar together with a memorial for Gene Smith. More than 100 Tibetologists worldwide concentrated in New York to take part in this activity.In the activity,the Tibetologists not only reflected on Tibetology,provided personal ideas and suggestions on the Development Directions of the Tibetology after Gene Smith, but also affirmed Gene Smith' s position and value in the field of Tibetology,and praised his winning moral character and contributions to Tibetology.Gene Smith' s inspiration to current Tibetology,on the one hand,is represented in the digital path founded by him,which opened a new vision for the Tibetologists ' reading and using Tibetan documents and literature; on the other hand,his profound knowledge and in- depth research on the Tibetan literature inspired many Tibetologists and people who are interested in Tibetology.In the activity,scholars noted that the digitalization of the documents created a new start for Tibetology in the West. Regarding Tibetology after Gene Smith,the scholars,based upon the hope of Gene Smith and the documents provided by him,stated that the needs of the future development of Tibetology,emphasized the importance and necessity of analyzing Tibetan literature,and came up with an idea of developing the traditional method of literature analysis used in the West. Reading scriptural literature is an issue that requires attention in current domestic and international Tibetology. Regarding the on line documents,young scholars should reflect more on the physical features of the classics.Gene Smith is a milestone figure in the history of Tibetology,which is reflected in his promoting two "approaches"to the field of Tibetology. The first is the approach of digitalization. Gene Smith's digitalization model has not only inspired the exploration and research of Tibetologists and relevant workers in Tibetology,but also inspired other websites related to Tibetan culture,and provided tremendous resources for these websites. The second is an approach for research. Gene Smith opened up a global,public,easy- to- search and relevant第approach for Tibetology. He used his research ex-五perience and knowledge,to design a digital data-卷bank for Tibetology,and provided a research angle with a lot of information. As an intermediary,Gene Smith devoted his energy as well as his digital techniques. He provided us an important key for opening up the future of Tibetology,and an important key for opening up the potentiality of international cooperation. Both TBRC and the Gene Smith Tibetology Literature Center at the Southwest University for Nationalities are platforms for building an international cooperation,encouraging the participation of more scholars in international research,and improving the development of Tibetology jointly. This is just another development direction of Tibetology inspired by Gene Smith.Gene Smith is a Tibetologist who has a noble character and Bodhisattva spirit. He created a databank for modern Tibetan literature,opened a new page for Tibetology in the West,and is a founder and opener of modern Tibetology. Although Gene Smith,as one of leading persons in the international Tibetology,has left us,he will be always in our memory.