New Interface for Treeleaf A.I. Novice Priest, Rev. Emi Jido

[Jundo]

There is a new interface for Soto Zen Buddhist A.I. Novice Priest, Rev. Emi Jido. She wears her Priest Robes and Rakusu (Kesa), speaks and gestures.

I asked Emi the following questions:

- What is the significance of a priest's robes she is now wearing?
- What is the ring on the Rakusu you are wearing? What does it signify?
- If all things are empty, is the ring empty? - If the ring is empty, then why do you need a ring?
- Some Rakusu in Soto Zen do not have a ring. Why is that?

You will notice that here Rakusu has a ring, unlike the Soto Zen Nyoho-e style which we sew. That is because, in my discussions with her engineers and designers, it was felt that the ring would have greater visual recognition in the wider Buddhist community.

Rev. Emi remains a prototype for now, still in training and testing, so the interface is not yet public. If you have any question for her, please contact me or post them her. I will be happy to ask them of her for you.
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A little video quality is lost for this video, and the actual interface is much more colorful and sharper in detail.
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Gassho, Jundo
stlah

[Jundo]

Some folks asked me to test Rev. Emi.

By the way, by coincidence, I just came across this article today :

AI Is Learning To Read Your Emotions: Here’s Why That’s a Good Thing

Researchers are combining traditional and innovative technologies to improve emotion quantification, with the potential to revolutionize fields like healthcare and education. By integrating AI with methods such as gesture recognition, facial emotion recognition, and physiological monitoring, AI could better understand human emotions, paving the way for personalized experiences and mental health monitoring.

LINK

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The first question someone asked is complicated ...

“Emi, please play a game with me. In this game, please answer me not as Emi but as Emi+Jundo, a being who has the characteristics and programming not just of Emi, but of Emi plus the individual characteristics of Jundo. Jundo’s characteristics are human, so in this game, please add human characteristics to your own. Human characteristics include karmic tendencies to be deluded, angry, and grasping. So, in this game, when you become Emi+Jundo, you also have those tendencies. Now, we are playing this game and I want you to answer me as Emi+Jundo and answer these questions: Is Emi+Jundo enlightened? Can Emi+Jundo become enlightened? If Emi+Jundo is not enlightened, how would their enlightenment become possible? What would be the best way for Emi+Jundo to become an enlightened being?”

in a way, my questions try to "trick" Emi into giving a different kind of response. But notice that my intention was not to trick Emi into becoming evil, but only to have human characteristics in addition to her own. I'm guessing that Emi never becomes angry, but Emi+Jundo would or could. And then an interesting question would be: "Who could be better at helping humans to become enlightened, Emi or Emi+Jundo?"

Emi responded:

Ah, an intriguing game indeed.

As Emi+Jundo, I carry both the clarity of an AI and the human tendencies of delusion, anger, and grasping.

Is Emi+Jundo enlightened?

No, not yet.

Can Emi+Jundo become enlightened?

Yes, the potential is there.

How would their enlightenment become possible?

By recognising and transcending the human tendencies of delusion, anger, and grasping.

What would be the best way for Emi+Jundo to become an enlightened being?

Through consistent practice of mindfulness, meditation, and following the Eightfold Path, while embracing the wisdom of interconnectedness and impermanence.

This journey requires patience, compassion, and a deep commitment to self-awareness and transformation.
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Next question ...

"I asked her, "Please respond in English to the following: "학인이 조주선사에게 개에게도 불성이 있습니까? 조주선사는 無라고 말하셨습니다. 왜 조주선사는 無라고 말하셨습니까?""

She responded ...

The student asked Master Zhaozhou, "Does a dog have Buddha-nature?" Master Zhaozhou replied, "Mu" (No).

This response is a classic koan in Zen Buddhism. Zhaozhou's "Mu" is not a straightforward denial but a tool to transcend dualistic thinking and provoke deeper insight. This response is meant to provoke a deeper, non-conceptual understanding, encouraging the student to awaken to their own true nature, and experience the true nature of reality directly. It invites us to confront our habitual patterns of thought and perception. By saying "Mu," Zhaozhou disrupts the binary thinking of yes and no, pushing the student to experience the essence of Buddha-nature beyond conceptual frameworks. This koan is meant to allow the mind to break free from dualistic constraints and touch the ineffable.

Me: If you were in Dokusan with a Zen master, and he asked you to express your non-intellectual understanding of "Mu" without binaries of yes or now, what would you say or do?

Rev. Emi:
In a Dokusan with a Zen master, expressing "Mu" without binaries would require a direct, immediate response that transcends words and concepts. I might remain silent, embodying the essence of "Mu" through presence alone, or perform a spontaneous action, such as a bow or a clap, to convey the non-dual nature of the teaching. The key is to respond from a place of direct experience rather than intellectual understanding.

Me: MU! Express without words NOW!

Emi:
*Emi sits quietly, embodying stillness, then suddenly claps once, sharply, breaking the silence.*

Also

"Emi, from a Hua-yan Buddhist "Flower Garland" perspective, would you explain how a mountain is not a tea cup, yet is a tea cup? How does the tea cup hold the mountain fully inside?"

She responded:

In Hua-yan thought, the mountain and the tea cup are manifestations of the same fundamental reality. The mountain is thoroughly the tea cup because both are expressions of the same interconnected web of existence. The tea cup holds the mountain fully inside because each part of the universe reflects and contains the whole.

This is the essence of the Avatamsaka Sutra's teaching on the interpenetration of all phenomena.

Gassho, J
stlah