The world going crazy over smartphone and other high-tech devices does not mean that spirituality has no more place in the hearts and lives of people.
To disprove that, a Buddhist temple outside Beijing developed Xian'er, a monk robot that could recite mantras and explain the basics of Buddhism. The two-foot-high robot, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), has a shaved head and wears a saffron robe like traditional Buddhist monks, reported The Guardian.
A touchscreen on the chest of the robot monk, found at the 500-year-old Longquan Temple, provides answers to 20 simple questions about the Buddhist faith and daily life at the temple.
Among the questions is “What is the meaning of life?” Xian’er replied, “My master says the meaning of life is to help more people finally leave behind bitterness and gain happiness,” quoted CNET.
Explaining the concept behind Xian’er, Master Xianfian, the creator and a real monk, said, “Science and Buddhism are not opposing nor contradicting, and can be combined and mutually compatible,” quoted Reuters.
He developed the robot monk with AI experts at a Chinese university and a technology firm. Since then, Xian’er has joined several robot fairs in China, although most of the time the robot is “in deep meditation” on an office shelf in the temple. Xianfian drew the robot monk as a cartoon from a concept in his head in 2011 when he joined Longquan.
If the robot became a reality, it is because of the support also of Master Xuechang, head of Longquan and president of the Buddhist Association of China. Besides being a monk, Xuecheng is also a digital communication enthusiast.
He explained, ““Buddhists should not only seek enlightenment through daily learning, meditation and cultivation to gain positive energy from Buddhist doctrine. They should also contribute more to society, by transforming their own gains, kindness, compassion and wisdom to others through the internet and new media.”