Extraordinary moments were experienced at the ceremony held at the Jogye Temple in Seoul. The humanoid robot called “Gabi” joined the procession of Buddhist monks, chanting and praying.
During the ceremony, the robot asked the monk, who clasped his hands in front of his face, “Are you going to dedicate yourself to Buddha?” The question was posed. Gabi replied, “Yes, I will dedicate myself.”
GABI’S NAME MEANS “COMMERCY”
Introduced as South Korea’s first robot monk, Gabi’s name means “mercy” in Korean.
Seong Won, the cultural affairs officer of the temple, said that they wanted to give the robot a name that is easy to pronounce and represents the Buddhist understanding of compassion.
FIVE BUDDHIST OATH GIVEN TO ROBOT MONK
During the ceremony, Gabi was also presented with the five basic vows that a “Buddhist robot” must follow.
The vows accepted by the robot monk are listed as follows:
-Respecting life and not causing harm
-Not to damage other robots and objects
-Obeying people
-Do not engage in deceptive behavior
-Saving energy and not charging more than necessary
-The aim is to increase the cultural influence of Buddhism
Anthropologist Sujung Kim, who studies East Asian Buddhism, stated that Buddhism was not a religion that tried to spread aggressively throughout history.
According to Kim, the robot monk project is considered a new approach that aims to increase the cultural visibility of Buddhism in the modern world.
A SIMILAR PROJECT WAS ALSO DEVELOPED IN JAPAN
Researchers reminded that a similar robot introduced by Kyoto University in February could also learn sacred texts and provide guidance to people.
The merging of technology and religious rituals is becoming an increasingly discussed new area in Asia.
