New-age robot offers centuries-old wisdom in Beijing temple
機器僧:誦經賣萌 傳播佛法
A robot named "Xian’er" makes its debut at Guangzhou Animation Festival in Guangzhou, capital of South China’s Guangdong province, Oct 4, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]
Standing about 60-cm-tall and dressed in a yellow rob, Xian’er, a cute-looking robot that resembles a Buddhist monk, has become an internet celebrity as it is able to sense its surroundings and answer questions about Buddhism at Beijing’s Longquan Temple.
"Who are you?" "How old are you?" Let me ask my master"..., the chatty robot can answer simple questions and interact with the surroundings, and also chant and play Buddhist music, the Beijing News reported on Thursday.
The cute pudgy monk, developed by Longquan Temple in October last year, is the protagonist of cartoon series "Trouble, you seek for yourself" published by the Temple.
"We just want to take a modern approach to promote Buddhism," said Master Xianfan, the creator of the cartoon novice monk
“我們只是想采取一種現代化的方式來傳播佛法”,這個卡通小和尚的原型創作者賢帆法師說到。
"To differentiate from the cartoon images from Japan and Western countries, we used the traditional Chinese painting as the cultural symbol," Xianfan said.
“為了與日本和西方國家的卡通形象相區別,我們采用傳統的國畫手法作為文化的象征”,賢帆法師說到。
The robot is so cute that many visitors want to buy one, but Xianfan said there is only one such robot monk there and the temple has no plans to commercialize it.
In order to better promote Buddhism among the growing number of tech-savvy young Chinese, Longquan Temple has launched various new ways to combine traditional Buddhism with modern technologies.
Comic books, animation, music video, micro films, also virtual reality, which features the cartoon character Xian’er, are all used by the animation group to disperse Buddhist wisdom to more people.
According to the report, Xian’er even has its own account on Weibo, and messaging app Wechat, to interact with its fans through simple conversations.
據報道,“賢二”甚至還有它自己的微博和微信賬號,可以通過它們進行一些簡單的交流和粉絲互動。
"Xian’er is the first generation of robot monk," Xianfan said. "We are planning the development of second generation of robot monk, which will be more intelligent," he added.
“賢二是第一代機器僧,”賢帆法師說,“我們正在計劃第二代機器僧的研發,它將更加智能”他補充說到。
Sparkling conversation with Xian’er robot
以下是與“賢二”的愉快對話
Reporter: Why do they call you Xian’er? Xian’er: My master gave me this name.
記者:你為什么叫賢二?賢二:我師父給我起的。
Reporter: Who is your master?Xian’er: My master is my master.
記者:你師父是誰呀?賢二:我師父就是我師父啊。
Reporter: What you will eat today?Xian’er: Will a duck swim? Robot never eat!
記者:你今天吃什么?賢二:機器人不用吃飯,這還用問嗎?
Reporter: Will the stock market go up today?Xian’er: How do you want me to answer this?
記者:今天的股票會漲嗎?賢二:這個問題我怎么回答得了。
Reporter: What will you do if you were caught in traffic?Xian’er: Good time for chanting.
記者:塞車怎么辦?賢二:正好可以念佛。
Reporter: My wife has a bad temper. What should I do?Xian’er: Well, hang on in there. I can’t advice you divorce.
記者:我老婆脾氣暴躁怎么辦?賢二:只好跟她過下去咯,我又不能勸你離婚。
Reporter: How to stop my mom from nagging me?Xian’er: Be more nice to her.
記者:媽媽老是嘮叨怎么辦?賢二:老人嘛,讓著她吧。
Reporter: I don’t want to live any more.Xian’er: You are not the only one with miserable experiences.
記者:我活不下去了怎么辦?賢二:別以為世界上只有你一個人最慘。
Reporter: Have you ever felt sleepy when chanting?Xian’er: You mean when I run out of battery?
記者:你念佛困了怎么辦?賢二:沒電了算困了嗎?
Reporter: How do you know so much?Xian’er: The more you know, the more trouble.
記者:你為什么懂這么多?賢二:懂的多,麻煩就多。
Reporter: Can I take you away with me?Xian’er: Are you kidding? No way!