Cyberspace in Buddhist Ethics

Abstract

This paper explores how Buddhist teachings, grounded in the metaphysics of interdependence and emptiness, can deepen our understanding of cyberspace as a distinct moral domain. Drawing on Buddhist perspectives on reality, personal identity, and karma, it revisits the enduring idea that, in both principle and ethical effect, cyberspace is neither fundamentally separate from nor different than the embodied world. While cyberspace functions similarly to the physical realm, it demands special attention due to its transcendence of spatial and temporal boundaries, as well as its capacity to reshape traditional contexts of identity and interaction. Unlike the limited personal identity conditioned by biological and social factors in the lived existence, the cyberself assumes a multidimensional, omnipresent existence with significant power to construct its own ontological conditions and virtual environments. This gives rise to novel moral challenges related to the creation and interaction of diverse and unconventional identities and consciousnesses, compounded by the internet’s hyper-connectivity and amplified ethical impact. The study argues that Buddhist teachings on self/no-self and an expanded notion of karma offer a valuable framework for reflecting on the broadened possibilities for moral action within cyberspace.