The first ever robot monk was released this week. But that’s not as crazy as it sounds.
In many ways, a robot is the perfect Buddhist.
Because Buddhism of whatever flavour—Zen, Tibetan, Western—isn’t religion in the true sense of what religion is.
Buddhism is a collection of mind techniques, with an option mix of philosophical ideas about existence. Deep, cosmic, mysterious ideas. But, still: these are not what make up true religion.
Relationship does.
Meditation techniques can be very helpful. People across the world, throughout wildly different cultures, from the most ancient times, have recognised the health benefits of stilling the mind, being present and not passing judgment on your thoughts or sensations.
In the Bible, even as far back as the patriarchal period, we find Isaac meditating in a field.
The biggest mistake people make with meditation is mislabelling: meditation itself isn’t “transcendental” or “spiritual,” neither is it “enlightenment” or “religious.”
It feels like these things. But you are not communing or building living relationship with your creator God simply when you perform a technique. No matter how wonderful or wise it is.
Buddhism is mostly external when it should be internal. It’s about an experience you have, physically internal to your body and mind, yes. But not internal in the true sense: it doesn’t change your true internal nature: the spirit, the soul—that part of yourself that considers yourself just and righteous and good and trustworthy.
The truth is: we are not loving people, centred on others. And we don’t trust God. We naturally trust and love ourselves. That is our true internal, spiritual, problem. And it is a sickness that exists so inside of us, that the thoughts and feelings we have are merely symptoms, not the underlying cause.
We need someone to do something to us from the outside to fix this internal problem. Anything we do to ourselves can only ever patch the symptoms.
But paradoxically, Buddhism is also mostly internal when it should be external. Love, true love, is focused outward on others. Not inward on ourselves. But while Buddhism is all aimed at detachment from the self, it ultimately still centres on my own consciousness, my own enlightenment, my own inner state.
Many Buddhists think they’re full of love. They see themselves at one with all things. But this is not true… it’s just clever philosophical words. Yes, if I eat an apple it becomes a part of me. But it was still an apple when I ate it.
We are not all one, we are a collection of distinct beings who have to learn to relate to others for their good, not necessarily mine: that’s what true love is. True love is centred on others, even when they are not centred on you. True love is giving your life even for those who are willing to kill it. True love requires distinctions.
True love like this is seen ultimately in the author of life himself giving his life for those who hate him.
But Buddhist techniques are largely about self-realisation and self-fulfilment. That’s not to deny they are healthy techniques. Just like sport. If you’ve ever been a serious runner, you know what it feels like to hit that moment everything feels in tune, everything feels recontextualised, everything feels… enlightened. It’s thrilling, wonderful, life changing, calming, healthy for mind and body… and similar to meditation in the sense of being a great thing that is good for your health.
But on their own, neither sport nor meditation are outward focused acts of love.
Which brings us back to the robot: The perfect Buddhist.
A robot can perform techniques flawlessly. It can simulate calm, stillness, attention, and detachment perfectly. But it cannot repent. It cannot be forgiven. It cannot receive mercy. It cannot love its enemy.
It can’t have the Spirit of the living God apply his forgiveness to it, through the living Word spoken to it from the outside. And it can’t, from trust in its heavenly Father alone, forgive those who have wronged it and serve them for their good when they don’t deserve it.
But that’s ok. Because you don’t need those things to be a good Buddhist.
You don’t need to know God truly forgives, loves and is gracious toward you. You just need to perform the techniques. That’s all the robot will do. That’s all you need to be a good Buddhist.
And I hope the robot has a long and successful career as one.
But you are not a robot. And your existence is not about yourself—it’s about your relationships. The living God died for you, so that you could experience relationship with him. Not a relationship centred on yourself, but one where he loves you purely because of his grace, and so you find yourself loving others purely for the same reason. God has forgiven you. God loves you. And he wants to give that to you:
Image: Associated Press
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