Zen and the art of robot maintenance? Humanoid robot joins Buddhist faith in Seoul temple ceremony.

A humanoid robot joined the Buddhist faith at Jogye Temple in Jongno District, central Seoul, in a ceremony blending centuries-old tradition with futuristic technology on Wednesday.

The 130-centimeter (4 feet, 3 inches) “humanoid robot G1” received the Dharma name “Gabi” during a robot ordination ceremony held by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.

The ordination ceremony, known as a  sugye, is a Buddhist ritual in which participants pledge devotion to the Buddha, the teachings and the monastic community. The ceremony is similar to baptism in Christianity.

Both monks and lay Buddhists can receive the precepts. Although Gabi received the vows as a lay follower, the robot is expected to serve as an “honorary” monk for the celebratory season surrounding Buddha’s Birthday on May 24.

Gabi entered the ceremony wearing a helmet resembling a shaved monk's head and traditional Buddhist robes, then stood with palms pressed together before senior monk leaders.

The robot also underwent rituals of repentance and yeonbi, a symbolic burning ceremony meant to purify the body and the mind before receiving the Buddhist precepts. 

Human participants typically undergo the yeonbi ritual by lightly burning the arm with incense, but for Gabi, monks instead carefully attached a lotus lantern festival sticker to the robot’s arm and placed a 108-bead prayer necklace around it during the ceremony. In Buddhism, the 108 beads symbolize the 108 earthly desires that practitioners seek to overcome through spiritual practice.

When a monk asked, “Will you devote yourself to the sacred Buddha?” Gabi replied, “Yes, I will devote myself.”

The Five Precepts — the rules Buddhists are expected to follow, including prohibitions against killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and consuming intoxicants — were also rewritten specifically for the robot.

The new Five Precepts for robots included “Respect and do not harm life,” “Do not damage other robots or objects,” “Obey humans and do not disrespect humans,” “Do not engage in deceptive behavior or expressions” and “Conserve energy and do not overcharge your batteries.”

To each precept, Gabi responded, “Yes, I will not [commit such sins].”

Gabi waved to attendees after receiving an ordination certificate and completing the ceremony. Gabi even participated in a ceremonial walk around a pagoda before departing the ceremony.

Gabi is also scheduled to join the annual Lotus Lantern Festival in Jongno District on May 16 alongside fellow robot companions Seokja, Mohoe and Nisa.

The robot sugye is a symbol that technology "should be used based on the values of compassion, wisdom and responsibility” and represented “a new possibility in which humans and technology coexist in harmony between tradition and the future," according to the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.

“I thought from the moment humanoid robots first appeared that it would be nice if robots could participate in the Lotus Lantern Festival together,” stated Venerable Seongwon, the head of the cultural affairs department of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. “We created the Five Precepts for robots as the minimum rules robots should follow in society and for humanity. I hope they can serve as basic principles for humans and robots to coexist.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY HYEON YE-SEUL [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]