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Robot Gabi Ordained Buddhist Monk to Attract Youth

5/11/2026

25 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

On 6 May 2026 the Jogye Order ordained a robot named Gabi as a Buddhist monk at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul.
Monks equipped the G1 robot with a 108-bead rosary and five technological precepts to protect life, avoid harming robots, obey humans, refrain from deception and conserve energy.
Venerable Sungwon said the ordination aims to attract younger Koreans as Buddhist identification has fallen to about 16 % of the population.

History

Historical Context

Robotic preaching in Buddhism builds on centuries of mechanized ritual, from 17th-century karakuri puppets and the 1920s Gakutensoku robot to the 2019 unveiling of Mindar at Kyoto’s Rinzai temple Kodai-ji, a project costing $909,090. The recent ordination of a G1 robot by Seoul’s Jogye Order continues this trend, using technology to address declining temple attendance.

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Story summary

On 6 May 2026 the Jogye Order ordained a robot named Gabi as a Buddhist monk at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul.
Monks equipped the G1 robot with a 108-bead rosary and five technological precepts to protect life, avoid harming robots, obey humans, refrain from deception and conserve energy.
Venerable Sungwon said the ordination aims to attract younger Koreans as Buddhist identification has fallen to about 16 % of the population.

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