The humanoid robot named Gabi was unveiled ahead of Buddha's birthday celebrations on May 24. In the recording shared, among others, Al-Jazeera shows a robot dressed in a brown robe taking an oath to devote himself to the Buddha.
A humanoid robot monk in Seoul
“The Korea Times” reports that the robot is 130 cm tall. The robot first folded its hands in prayer and bowed. The monk then placed a necklace resembling a rosary around his neck.
—Will you consecrate yourself to the holy Buddha? – asked one of the monks. “Yes, I will sacrifice myself,” the robot replied. —Will you devote yourself to holy science? the monk asked again. “Yes, I will sacrifice myself,” Gabi said.
The monk then presented five principles that a Buddhist should follow, adapted to the needs of the robot. These included respecting life and not harming it, not damaging other robots and objects, listening to people and not arguing with them, not cheating, and saving energy.
The ritual took place on Wednesday, May 6, at the Jogye Temple in Seoul ahead of the Buddha's birthday celebration on May 24. The name Gabi comes from the name Siddhartha and the Korean word for mercy.
“We tried to give a name that would not be too difficult to pronounce or outdated, and at the same time symbolize the spreading of the Buddha's mercy around the world,” said monk Seong Won, quoted by The Korea Times.
