The ceremony took place at the Jogye Order. During the event, a human monk asked the robot: “Are you ready to dedicate yourself to the sacred teachings?” The robot replied: “Yes, I am ready to dedicate myself to it.”
After that, the spiritual master explained five Buddhist precepts specially adapted for the robot. It was stated that these principles include respecting life and avoiding harm, not damaging other robots, listening to humans and not opposing them, refraining from deception in both words and actions, conserving energy, and avoiding excessive power consumption. The robot was then given the Buddhist name “Gabi.”
According to the agency, Gabi accepted the vows intended for ordinary believers. However, it will soon begin serving at the temple as an “honorary monk.”
Monk Son Won, in charge of cultural affairs at the Jogye Order, said that they wanted to choose a name that is easy to pronounce, somewhat traditional in style, and helpful in spreading Buddha’s compassion to the world.
In his view, these five precepts developed for the robot could serve as a foundation for the peaceful coexistence of humans and machines in the future.
During the ceremony, the robot held its “hands” together in front of it, bowed to the monks, and received prayer beads from them. Ordinarily, a person being ordained as a monk undergoes a ritual of slightly burning their hands near a lotus lamp. However, in the robot’s case, a special sticker was applied instead. Gabi was also dressed in monk’s robes.
According to plans, it will participate in the Lotus Lantern Festival celebrating Buddha’s birthday, together with three other robots.
