Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje presents technology as a powerful yet ambivalent instrument that can serve the Dharma when approached with discernment. He affirms its value as a means to disseminate Buddhist teachings widely, to connect dispersed practitioners, and to make study materials more accessible. In this sense, technology functions as a contemporary form of skillful means, a medium through which the timeless teachings can reach those who might otherwise remain out of contact. At the same time, he maintains that the authenticity of the teachings themselves must remain intact; the medium may change, but the essence of the path cannot be diluted.

Alongside this openness, he repeatedly stresses the need for mindfulness and balance in the use of technological tools. Technology, in his view, easily amplifies distraction, attachment, and impatience, and thus can undermine meditation and ethical discipline if used carelessly. For this reason, he emphasizes that inner discipline must guide outer usage, so that technology serves spiritual practice rather than the reverse. He also highlights the ethical dimension of digital communication, noting that spreading anger, misinformation, or divisive speech is fundamentally at odds with Buddhist values of compassion, non-harm, and truthfulness.

Furthermore, the Karmapa situates technology within a broader moral and ecological context. He draws attention to its links with consumerism, resource use, and environmental harm, and therefore urges a conscious, restrained, and compassionate approach to technological development and consumption. At the same time, he recognizes that technology can reduce certain forms of travel and thereby support more sustainable ways of sharing the Dharma, provided that such choices are guided by concern for all sentient beings and the natural world.

Finally, he is clear that technological supports—online teachings, digital resources, and various communication platforms—are aids rather than substitutes for genuine practice. They cannot replace direct personal effort in meditation, ethical conduct, and the cultivation of wisdom and compassion, nor can they fully replicate authentic human relationships between teacher and student. In this light, technology is best regarded as a contingent support: valuable when used mindfully and ethically, but ultimately secondary to the transformation of the mind and heart that lies at the core of the Buddhist path.