A humanoid robot has made history in South Korea by becoming the country’s first non-human to take part in a Buddhist precept ceremony, joining monks in prayer at Seoul’s Jogyesa Temple ahead of Buddha’s Birthday, according to Yonhap News Agency.Standing 130 centimetres tall and dressed in traditional brown robes, Gabi — developed by China’s Unitree Robotics — bowed before monks and nuns as it pledged devotion to Buddhism during the ritual on Wednesday.“Yes, I will devote myself,” the robot replied in an audible voice when asked by a monk if it would commit to the holy Buddha, as reported by The Korea Herald.
A modern twist on ancient tradition
During the ceremony, a monk carefully placed a 108-bead rosary around Gabi’s neck and attached a sticker to its arm — replacing the traditional “yeonbi” practice where novice monks receive small incense burns on their skin.Ven. Seong Won, who oversees cultural affairs at the Jogye Order, said the robot was given the Dharma name “Gabi,” derived from Siddhartha and the Korean word for mercy.“We tried to give a name that is not too hard to pronounce and old-fashioned, and a name that stands for spreading Buddha’s mercy around the world,” he told Yonhap.
Five precepts for a robot
The order drew up five precepts tailored specifically for the robot, reportedly consulting AI platforms like Gemini and ChatGPT in the process:
- Respect life and do not harm it
- Avoid damaging other robots or objects
- Obey humans and do not talk back
- Refrain from deceptive speech or behaviour
- Save energy and avoid overcharging
Ven. Seong Won said the ceremony marked a first step toward coexistence between humans and robots.“When humanoid robots first appeared three years ago, we thought it would be nice for a robot to take part in Yeondeunghoe, and this marks the first step,” he said, referring to the annual lantern parade celebrating Buddha’s Birthday.Gabi is expected to attend the lantern festival later this month, alongside three other Buddhist robots named Seokja, Mohee and Nisa.
