I am wondering what the purpose of passwords would be for material that is for open and public discussion. Also I think there could be levels of discussion. If a person had no background in Shin they might want to know more about it specifically. Those who have some background may wish to take issue with one or other aspect and discuss that. Judging from the Buddha-L, the discussions go all over the place and one cannot keep track of what is going on easily. Designating interest areas might help for those who wish to gather information or as is becoming more common use it in an educational context. Refence materials etc can be gathered through the discussions. The more general and freewheeling kind of discussion can be maintained if there is interest in a particular line of discussion. There is always a problem how much organization is needed to maintain interest and make something more functional. I envision a specifically educational function by informing people what is Shin Buddhism from a variety of viewpoints within the system. Then the discussion groups of one sort or another. Well this is a try at responding. Gassho Al
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