[Buddha-l] Happy Halloween! Buddha-L is defunct!

[Richard Hayes]

Dear Denizens of Buddha-l,

It is Halloween, time for our annual announcement that Buddha-L is going to shut down. This time we really mean it. Buddha-L really is about to close down. As one can tell from the name, the discussion group got started back in the days when an email forum could not have a name any longer than eight characters, the last two of which had to be '-l' for some reason. Twenty-two years have passed since then, and I think it's safe to say that buddha-l has hardly ever lived up to its lofty description.

\begin{lofty description}
Buddha-l functions as an open forum for informed discussion of topics relating to the history, literature and languages, fine arts, philosophy, practices and institutions of all forms of Buddhism. 

The primary purpose of this list is to provide a forum for reflective discussion. It is open to all persons inside and outside the academic context who wish to engage in substantial discussion of topics relating to Buddhism and Buddhist studies. 

Buddha-l is not to be used for proselytizing for or against Buddhism in general, any particular form of Buddhism, or any other religion or philosophy. Lively debate is welcome, but we aim for a deep concern both for the matter being discussed and for those participating in the conversation.
\end{lofty description} 

If anyone wishes to get copies of any or all of the archived discussions, the archives from March 2008 to the present are available at http://mailman.swcp.com/mailman/private/buddha-l/ . Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), the archives of the discussions that took place when buddha-l was hosted at the University of Louisville and later at McGill University are lost forever. Only those yogis with extraordinary powers of clairvoyance will be able to read the discussions that took place between October 1991 and February 2008.

It has been an interesting twenty-two years, but all things, good and bad, must come to an end. And so, as Victor Børge almost used to say, "Not Auf Wiedersehen, but Sayōnara."

The Management Team of Buddha-L