We share a concern that Buddhist education faces many challenges as it incorporates the social attitudes of the international community to which it now belongs。 Among other things，　it must learn to incorporate the technologies of the 21st century to maximize the impact of the teachings while bringing them to as many ears as possible。 In reflection on the past it is clear that the Buddha himself used all techniques available to him in spreading the Dharma of his day。 This is reflected by his use of analogies，　repetition，　gestures，　and even on occasion employing the tool of　’silence‘ to convey his message。 He mastered the skill of teaching in due course，　’speaking at the level of understanding of his audience。’ The limitations of a confined geographic area for his ministry were overcome by the power of his message and by the sangha who would transmit the teachings across the whole of Asia in the ensuing centuries。

We all agree that the monastic and Dharma teachers communicate the message of the Buddha to the world。 This message，　or Dharma transmission，　is always influenced by the school and tradition of the training，　of the individual monastic。 We must ask how much these influences color or even dilute the original teachings。 The training of a Dharma Teacher will always reflect the culture，　and the system of study under which he/she was ordained。 In the past，　this has not been a matter of concern，　but we now must ask，　’how long will the monastic trainee remain with the confines of his ordaining culture？　Will his training equip him or her to be effective in other cultures or countries？　Can a restructuring of monastic training help the trainee deal with the reality of modern values and access to communication technologies in developed countries？　

For example，　the ethnic，　cultural，　and sectarian practices that work well in one’s own cultural community will not necessarily be effective elsewhere。　As in America the cultural overtones of the teachings from some areas may not be meaningful。 This is further complicated by the problem in developed countries，　of several different Buddhist traditions within one locality。 The would－be Buddhist student often feels that he is hearing conflicting messages，　leading to the incorrect belief that there are many Buddhist religions。 It is not as before when the teachings could be reviewed and caressed as the scholars worked tirelessly to make them consistent。 Today any new interpretation or analysis can be communicated to thousands or tens of thousands within the hour。 While this phenomenon is an unbelievable asset，　there are new concerns never envisioned historically。