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Frequently-asked Questions
About This Website

Curious? Confused? Lost and clueless? You may find some relief in the questions-and-answers below. If you can't find your answer here, or if you know of a question that should be answered here, please drop me a note.

Finding your way around:
General questions about the website:
CD-ROM (Handful of Leaves) issues:
Web (Access to Insight) issues:
Copyright issues:
Other topics:
- Do you have any tips for website developers?

Finding your way around

What is that funny symbol (») I see next to some hyperlinks?: It's a reminder that, when you click on that link, you'll be sending e-mail or jumping off to another site on the Internet. (Handful of Leaves users must first establish a connection to the Internet in order for these links to work.)

General questions about the website

If Access to Insight isn't run by an organization, how come its URL ends in ".org"?

After years of piggy-backing the website on my personal Internet account, in the fall of 1999 I discovered that I could cut the website's operating expenses in half by registering a domain name and moving the website to a faster host computer that's better suited to large websites such as this one. (A rare and delightful case of "pay less and get more".) But how to choose a domain name? A name ending in .com ("commercial") seemed inappropriate since I'm not selling anything and .net ("network") seemed inappropriate since the website isn't part of any network. This left .org ("organization"), which, to most people, suggests a non-commercial entity. I guess that's me. Someday, perhaps, there'll be more high-level domains to choose from. If .disorg or .nota ("none of the above") had been available, I would have grabbed one of those in a heartbeat. For now, Access to Insight will continue happily muddling through, a round peg in a web of square holes.

What is the relationship between "Access to Insight" and "A Handful of Leaves"?

Access to Insight is a website residing on the Internet. A Handful of Leaves is a free CD-ROM containing a selection of texts from that website. The website, the CD-ROM, and all the files on both entities are offered exclusively for free distribution.

I expect that Access to Insight will continue to grow and evolve over time as I receive additional sutta translations, books, and articles from authors and translators. From time to time I may publish revised editions of the A Handful of Leaves CD-ROM. You can » find the latest news about current and future editions of the CD-ROM at Access to Insight.

Who translated the suttas on this website?

The sutta translations were made by many esteemed translators, including: Venerables Bhikkhu Bodhi, Acharya Buddharakkhita, Bhikkhu Khantipalo, Ñanamoli Thera, Ñanavara Thera, Narada Thera, Nyanaponika Thera, Soma Thera, Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Phra Ajaan Geoff), and Sister Vajira; I.B. Horner, John D. Ireland, K.R. Norman, and F.L. Woodward. Unless specifically indicated to the contrary, sutta and Vinaya translations are by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, who provided the vast majority of the translations offered on this website.

May I make a donation to support this project?

I offer the Handful of Leaves CD-ROM and everything on this website as free gifts, with absolutely no strings attached, and I neither solicit nor expect donations of any kind to pay for them. If, however, you feel moved to make a donation to support this work, you are welcome to do so. You may make your check in US dollars payable to me ("John Bullitt") and mail it to me at the Access to Insight address. All donations are used to help defray the costs of CD production and postage, as well as the ongoing operating expenses of the website. Please understand that you cannot legally claim your gift as a tax-deductible charitable contribution. (For those of you who are curious: each Handful of Leaves CD-ROM (v 2.0) costs about US$1.50 to produce; postage for a single CD is US$0.55 to addresses in the USA and US$1.40 (airmail) to overseas addresses.)

How can I contact you?

I'm happy to receive your comments and queries, but please remember that Access to Insight isn't an organization and there are no staff here -- it's just me -- so it may take some time for me to respond. Before writing to me with your question, please first check the Frequently-asked Questions, the Help file, and the Indexes.

To contact me (John Bullitt):

by e-mail: » metta@world.std.com
on the Web: » http://www.accesstoinsight.org
by post:
John Bullitt
Access to Insight
PO Box 153
Lincoln, MA 01773 USA

CD-ROM (Handful of Leaves) issues

What does the title refer to?: See SN LVI.31.
What's the latest news about the CD-ROM?: See » http://www.accesstoinsight.org/cdrom.
How can I order a copy of the CD-ROM?: See » http://www.accesstoinsight.org/cdrom/index.html#order.
How do I visit the Access to Insight website?: See » http://www.accesstoinsight.org.

Web (Access to Insight) issues

I can't download files from your ftp server. What do I do?: First, double check the URL: the correct address for the ftp file area at Access to Insight is » http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ftp. If you can't establish a connection to that URL, then something is wrong somewhere. Sometimes my Internet service provider's (ISP's) ftp-server gets a little clogged from heavy use, and sometimes the whole Internet gets clogged, causing ftp requests to simply evaporate into thin air. In either case, I suggest you just come back an hour or two later and try again. Are you able to connect with any other ftp servers? (Try » ftp://unix.hensa.ac.uk/ or » ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/, for example.) If you're unable to connect with any ftp servers on the Internet, then the problem is probably at your end: double-check that your ftp client software is configured correctly, or try using a different ISP.

Copyright issues

Are Access to Insight's texts in the public domain?: No. They are protected by copyright. See Are these texts protected by copyright?
Are these texts protected by copyright?: Yes. The files on the Access to Insight website and the Handful of Leaves CD-ROM are all freely offered as a gift of Dhamma dana, thanks to the kind generosity of the authors, translators, publishers, and transcribers who have made these texts available online. You may download these files to your computer, print them out, read them, share them with your friends, copy them to your own website, translate them into other languages, and redistribute them electronically -- provided that you do not charge any money for them. They are not in the public domain. You may reformat the files as you please, but you may not change their content without first obtaining permission from the author, translator, or publisher. Many of the texts available here contain additional copyright notices with specific additional rights and restrictions spelled out by the authors and publishers; please read and abide by these notices. If you reprint or republish any of these materials, please acknowledge the original author, translator, or publisher, as appropriate. If you have particular questions about the copyright status of any of the materials offered here, please let me know.
May I copy your pages onto my website?: Yes, provided that you make them available free of charge. I also ask that you please post a simple notice somewhere on your website acknowledging that the materials came from here. Although I don't require it, as a service to your visitors you might also consider including a link to http://www.accesstoinsight.org, so that your visitors can easily get hold of the most up-to-date editions of these texts (I steadily receive corrections and revisions from translators, authors, and publishers). Finally, please make it clear to your visitors what material on your site comes from here and what comes from other sources.
How should I cite references to Access to Insight?: If you're writing a paper for a school or university, you should check with your instructor to see what standard for web citations is expected of you. Otherwise, you might consider this common format:
URL: title, author or translator, document's revision date
You'll find the URL and revision date at the bottom of each page on the website. Some examples:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/modern/thanissaro/refuge/: "Refuge: An Introduction to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha," Thanissaro Bhikkhu, 7 May 1999.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/majjhima/mn7.html: "Vatthupama Sutta (MN 7)", Nyanaponika Thera, tr., 7 May 1999.
How should I cite references to the Handful of Leaves CD-ROM?: If you're writing a paper for a school or university, you should check with your instructor to see what standard for web citations is expected of you. Otherwise, you might consider this common format:
Disc title: Version, Date. "Article title", author or translator. Publisher.
Some examples:
A Handful of Leaves: version 2.0, 1999. "Refuge: An Introduction to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha," Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight.
A Handful of Leaves: version 2.0, 1999. "Vatthupama Sutta (MN 7)", Nyanaponika Thera, tr. Buddhist Publication Society/Access to Insight.

Other topics

Do you have any tips for website developers?

Like every other webmaster, I do have a few opinions about what I think makes for a useful website. In general, I find the web to be bloated with all kinds of superficial fluff, as one site after another clamors to make itself stand out from all the rest in a kind of global multimedia shouting match. Below are some guidelines that I've found helpful to keep the noise level down on this website. If you like this website, you might find these tips helpful, too. If you don't like this site, think of these as tips on how not to design a website. After all, one person's noise is another's music. Either way, I hope these are helpful.

Content first. Do you really need that fancy Java applet? Do you really need six different fonts, in four different colors, with animated GIF's, marquees, background music, etc.? Just because something can be done -- or because everyone else is doing it -- doesn't mean you should do it, too. Do you want to distract your visitors, or help them focus? Too often, hi-tech glitz and gizmos are used to mask an underlying absence of real content.
No shrinkwrap. Don't use "splash screens" -- pages devoid of real content that simply say "Click here to enter my website" or the like.
No vanity stickers. ("This site rated Best of Web by totallycool.com", "This site has been visited 1,000,000 times" etc.). The fact that totallycool.com likes a site or because a site receives 1,000,000 hits doesn't mean that that site is good. "Best of" awards serve primarily as commercial advertisements for the issuing companies -- it's a lot like wearing a "Coca-Cola" t-shirt. If you really must display your awards and counters, tuck them away in a separate page where people can choose to go to look at your trophies if they want to.
Minimize graphics. Avoid heavy use of graphics (unless, of course, your site is deliberately oriented towards the visual arts). Keep in mind that most web-surfers do not have a high-speed Internet connection and many are visually-impaired. Unnecessary graphics equals bloat.
No imagemaps. Text-based navigational tools load faster and are usually easier to use. Think of imagemaps as just another kind of unnecessary graphic (see Minimize graphics).
No frames. The use of frames makes it difficult to print, bookmark, or even identify the URL of a given page. They add an unnecessary level of complexity and annoyance that many users find about as friendly as blinking text.
Avoid colored backgrounds and colored text. Purple text on a yellow background may look really nifty to you, but to someone else it may be hideous or illegible. Not all computer monitors render colors the same way. Not everyone shares your visual aesthetic. One in twenty males has some form of color blindness. Design in black and white!
Check your links frequently for freshness. Avoid subjecting your visitors to the dreaded "404 Not Found" error by making sure that all your links -- whether to other pages within your site or to other websites -- work. Websites will always come and go and webmasters will endlessly change their service providers and rearrange their webpages. It's your responsibility to make sure that your links to other websites are up to date.
Rearrange your site with care. Don't just delete obsolete pages from your site. Instead, replace them with redirects that will send the user to another useful (and perhaps more stable) page on your site. Someone may have long ago bookmarked a page that you now consider obsolete, and you don't want to disappoint her with that annoying "404 Not Found" message.
Keep it simple. Make life easy for your visitors. Be clear. Fight web bloat.
Be skeptical of slogans like these.

Revised: 11 November 1999

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/faq.html