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Japan’s National Daily Since 1922
(Mainichi Japan)
THINPHU (Kyodo) — High in the Himalayas, in the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, monks are turning to an unlikely source for spiritual guidance: artificial intelligence.
An AI-powered chatbot called BuddhaBot is being used to answer questions and offer advice based on the words of the Buddha, allowing users to seek guidance anytime and anywhere.
The system was developed by a professor at Kyoto University who also serves as a temple abbot, part of an effort to merge advanced technology with religious practice and encourage people to remain engaged with Buddhism.
On a cold afternoon in late January, in Bhutan’s capital of Thimphu, Choten Dorji, secretary of the Bhutanese Monastic Council for Administration and Development Affairs, sat at his computer and opened the BuddhaBot website.
Asked how to stop feeling jealous of others, the system responded within seconds.
“Ultimately, that will cause suffering. Therefore, it is important to follow the teachings of the (Buddhist scripture) Dhammapada and strive for purification of mind and the practice of compassion.”
The chatbot draws on Buddhist scriptures to produce responses designed to guide users through everyday dilemmas and spiritual questions. For Dorji, the appeal lies in its clarity.
“It’s logical and ideal,” he said. “BuddhaBot is truthful and never lies.”
BuddhaBot was developed by the research laboratory of Seiji Kumagai, 45, a professor of Buddhist studies at Kyoto University, in collaboration with the Kyoto-based AI startup Teraverse. Kumagai said the idea grew from a simple but ambitious concept: creating a system that would allow people to converse with the Buddha through technology.
The project began taking shape around 2014, when a temple acquaintance approached Kumagai with concerns about the declining state of Buddhism in Japan. Some estimates suggest that as many as 30 percent of temples in the country could disappear by 2040.
The conversations prompted Kumagai to consider how technology might help. By 2019, discussions with colleagues and collaborators had produced the idea of a conversational AI system that could provide guidance rooted in Buddhist teachings.
Such a system could offer consultations that people might find difficult to have with human monks, he said, and might also help address the shortage of monks.
An early version of BuddhaBot was completed in 2021. That system relied on a question-and-answer format based on Buddhist scriptures it had learned from text data. But the answers were often too short, leaving users dissatisfied.
Despite the problems, it had attracted attention.
When BuddhaBot was introduced at a conference on esoteric Buddhism in 2022, Bhutan’s Central Monastery expressed strong interest, saying it “definitely” wanted to adopt the technology.
Two years later, the team developed a more advanced model, BuddhaBot Plus, using generative AI technology based on ChatGPT. The new version can provide interpretations and expanded explanations drawn from Buddhist teachings.
That system was implemented in Bhutan in 2025, and around 450 monks are now using it on a trial basis.
Dorji said he hopes to expand the number of users in the future.
For Kumagai, the project has also reflected shifting attitudes toward the use of AI in religion.
At the beginning of development, he said, critics in Japan argued that using AI for religious purposes was unacceptable. But as AI technology has become more widespread, those views have softened.
Interest has begun to spread beyond Japan and Bhutan. Buddhist communities in Sri Lanka and Thailand have also expressed interest in adopting the system, according to Kumagai.
Still, challenges remain.
One concern is the phenomenon known as “hallucination,” in which AI systems generate answers that are not based on factual information.
To reduce that risk, the developers have separated the display of original scripture passages from interpretations generated by the AI system. Even so, Kumagai said users must still apply their own knowledge and judgment when reading the responses.
The project continues to evolve. In February this year, Kumagai announced the development of a humanoid robot equipped with BuddhaBot Plus.
He hopes that combining robotics with AI could further expand how Buddhist teachings are shared.
“We can maximize the potential of Buddhism by utilizing AI,” Kumagai said.
(By Takuro Iwahashi)
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