South Korea’s first robot monk officially debuted Wednesday ahead of Buddha's Birthday.
At around 10 a.m. in the courtyard of Daeungjeon Hall at Jogyesa Temple, the 130-centimeter-tall humanoid robot, dressed in traditional Buddhist robes and a kasaya, joined monks in prayer with its palms pressed together.
The robot, G1, developed by Unitree Robotics, a Chinese civilian robotics company, received the Dharma name “Gabi” during an initiation rite organized by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism to celebrate Buddha's Birthday on May 24.
The ceremony, known as “sugye,” is a Buddhist ritual during which participants pledge devotion to the Buddha, his teachings and the monastic community. Wednesday’s event was the first of its kind here involving a humanoid robot.
Gabi also participated in “yeonbi,” a ritual purification practice in which novice monks traditionally receive small incense burns on their arms. Instead, the robot received a lotus lantern festival sticker on its arm and a 108 bead prayer necklace around its neck.
The Buddhist Five Precepts were also reimagined for the robot monk. The five rules included protecting life, refraining from damaging other robots or property, respecting and obeying humans, avoiding deceptive conduct, and conserving energy by not overcharging.
cjh@heraldcorp.com
