Chinese religious and cultural traditions like Buddhism have a longstanding practice of religious innovation in involving and educating new practitioners. Specifically, adaptations of Buddhism to Chinese culture have long guided Chinese social practice, with this continuing in the modern day. These innovative tactics are no better displayed than by the use of Artificial Intelligence in Chinese Buddhist monastic and social traditions to better educate and involve curious younger generations.
Chinese Buddhism belongs to the Mahayana sect, which directly translates to “the Great Vehicle” and focuses on the bodhisattva path throughout the cycle of rebirth. The bodhisattva path emphasizes teaching others with skillful means (upaya) by essentially “meeting people where they are.” The Lotus Sutra defines this concept of skillful means along the bodhisattva path and how all paths can lead to Buddhahood; the importance of teaching and learning is also strongly emphasized in this text. The Diamond Sutra, a Mahayana scripture, praises this path by noting that for one who “…teaches and explains [the path to nirvana] to others, the consequent merit would be far greater,” as opposed to merely possessing the knowledge without educating others (The Diamond Sutra, p.29). This emphasis on education and guiding others along a path to salvation allows for this tradition to utilize innovative pathways to broaden their influence.
Additionally, from its conception Artificial Intelligence has been related to the modernization of religion and has been debated and utilized by religious communities for its ability to challenge and reinforce religious traditions. Artificial Intelligence is a kind of machine learning that answers questions or responds to prompts from a knowledge base (Reed, p.4). Under the direction of the Chinese federal government, local governments have been instructed to implement AI technologies in their districts to “push the boundaries” on what is societally permissible in regional communities and incorporate AI into local realities (Khanal et al., p.3). The Chinese central government uses AI to create a mandatory vertical diffusion of power into local governments, making AI commonplace in local governance and making people more comfortable with AI helping and surveilling citizens (Khanal et al., p.4). The incorporation of AI into the Chinese mainland not only affects structural and governmental functions, but also takes shape in changing the local social order and influencing social aspects like lived religion and daily practice. For example, Chinese Buddhist monks express positive sentiments towards the use of technology and media platforms, especially AI models, claiming that in the modern day it is important to utilize multimedia in religion to make a more captivating and digestible religious movement (Zheng, pp.4-5). As a result, Chinese diffuse and formal religions like the practice of Mahayana Buddhism have seen these influences from AI take effect in their own communities, with some religious groups incorporating these AI models to better serve their communities in the modern age. In the modernization of religious traditions, while AI cannot answer spiritual questions which involve faith (Reed, p.12), it can help interpret the meanings of existing traditions into a more digestible format and make religion more accessible to everyone.
The role of AI in Chinese Buddhism takes on many forms, but the primary role is to help Buddhist practitioners learn more about their tradition. We see this teaching role through the example of the robot monk Xian’er from the Longquan Monastery (Travagnin, p.122). The cartoonish robot-monk primarily appeals to Chinese Millennials and younger generations through its approachable stature, cute and playful design, and ability to answer Buddhist questions in an understandable way (Bruntz, pp.101-102). Inspired by the Buddhist monk and scholar Master Xuecheng (Travagnin, p.128), the role that this AI monk serves in the community is to spread the Buddhist master’s teachings and to help interpret ancient Buddhist practices into a digestible format for modern practitioners. The AI’s ability to answer questions by drawing on the teaching of Master Xuecheng and other monks allows these ideas to become more accessible to the general public and thus more influential throughout society. Additionally, the image of AI has been shaped by the religious influence of Xian’er in mainland China because of this robot’s approachable and knowledgeable positioning. In the Longquan monastery, Master Xianfan developed the cartoon monk Xian’er in 2011, which he has featured in a series of Buddhist comics designed to appeal to practitioners of all ages (Travagnin, p.131). As a result of the comic book depiction of Xian’er’s public interest, and critical acclaim by way of his publication in numerous comic platforms like the Collection of Comics on Eminent Buddhist Monks (Travagnin, p.132), the Longquan monastery’s adaptation of the monk transformed his image to a new robot body intended at capturing similar audiences of young people.
Xian’er also transcends the normal classifications of gods, ghosts, and ancestors in the Chinese religious culture. Arthur Wolf describes three unique categories in the Chinese religious and bureaucratic model, with each category challenging or reinforcing the celestial bureaucracy which is of great importance in Chinese society (Wolf, pp.145-146). While Xian’er does not specifically fit into any of these categories, it is interesting to evaluate how this robot may fall into these categories. Xian’er loosely fits into the God category by acting as a local authority in Beijing and serving as a guiding moral force in answering religious questions, similarly to Gods who serve as cultural icons and religious guides. Xian’er also fits into the category of Ancestor because of his relationship with Master Xuecheng who is a respected elder in the community and thus a spiritual “ancestor” without any actual filial tie. While Xian’er does not fit directly into any one of Wolf’s categories completely, this AI model’s flexible social and religious image affirms and challenges common societal tropes and highlights the adaptability of modern Chinese religious development to more traditional understandings.
Xian’er is a cultural icon in Chinese Buddhist culture and continues to push the boundaries of religion’s relationship with AI. This robot has a history of inspiring young people and appealing to the masses by answering common spiritual questions about Buddhism in an easily digestible way. This shows the power and influence that AI models using religion have over the Chinese religious tradition.
Bibliography
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The Diamond Sutra. (n.d.) Diamond Sutra 11. 29.
Travagnin, S. (2020). From Online Buddha Halls to Robot-Monks: New Developments in the Long-Term Interaction between Buddhism, Media, and Technology in Contemporary China. Review of Religion and Chinese Society, 7(1), 120–148. https://doi.org/10.1163/22143955-00701006
Wolf, A. (1978). Gods, Ghosts, and Ancestors. In A. Wolf (Ed.), Studies in Chinese Society, 131-182. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781503620803-005
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Asian Religions at UTK 