Robot monk spreads the teachings of Buddhism in China

Buddism may be an ancient religion, but one temple is looking to the future to spread its teachings.

Xian’er makes for a good Buddhist, chanting his mantras with almost endless energy and chatting with interested parties about the intricacies of the religion. Oh, he’s also a robot. Standing at 2 feet tall, Xian’er moves around by voice command and can answer 20 different questions about Buddhism in his version of small talk comparable to a mini version of Apple’s Siri. The topics he can discuss are listed on a screen he holds in front of his considerable heft. He’s “clad” in yellow and sports a bald dome with eyebrows raised in perpetual interest (or maybe it’s surprise). He calls the Longquan temple on the outskirts of Beijing home, Reuters reported.

Master Xianfan, his creator, based him on a cartoon he began drawing in 2013, which wound up in animations, published comics and merchandise featuring Xian’er’s likeness. Both the cartoon and the robot have the same goal: to spread the teachings of Buddhism.

Xian’er has chosen a good time to do so, as Buddhism is currently on the rise. According to research by Pew, the number of Buddhists worldwide is expected to increase to 511 million people by 2030. It was 488 million in 2010.

Xianfan attributes the current rise in Buddhism to harried people seeking peace in a fast-paced digital world.

“Buddhism is something that attaches much importance to inner heart, and pays attention to the individual’s spiritual world,” he said.”It is a kind of elevated culture.