Shin Buddhism and Artificial Intelligence: The Heart of Other Power in the Digital Age

Today we live in a rapidly changing world. Artificial Intelligence: AI - is now part of our daily lives. We ask questions to our iPhone, receive recommendations from online systems, and even read messages written by computer programs. Some people feel excited about these technologies, while others feel uneasy, wondering what it means to be human in an age when machines can think and speak.

As followers of the Nembutsu path, how do we understand such a world? Can Shin Buddhism offer guidance in the digital age? I believe it can, especially through the teaching of Other Power (他力, tariki)—the boundless working of Amida Buddha’s wisdom and compassion.

Prior to the Winter Pacific Seminar held on January 31st at the Los Angeles Betsuin, welcoming Rev. Mauricio Hondaku Ghigonotto, Minster of Higashi Honganji in San Paulo, Brazil, as a speaker who will talk about Jodo Shinshu and AI, I would like to share my thoughts. I will translate his talk in Japanese at the seminar.

1. The Limits of Self-Power

AI reminds us how powerful human knowledge and creativity can be. Yet it also reminds us of our limitations. AI systems learn from data we humans create. If the data carries human bias or ignorance, AI will reflect it. No matter how advanced the machine becomes, it cannot surpass the limitations of the human heart that built it.

Shinran Shōnin deeply understood this human limitation. He called it jiriki, self-power—the effort to attain enlightenment through our own wisdom, purity, or discipline. In our daily lives, we may rely on “self-power” when we try to control everything: our reputation, our future, even our emotions. But the more we depend on self-power, the more we face frustration and anxiety.

AI, in a way, mirrors this self-power tendency. It amplifies human knowledge, but it cannot create compassion. It calculates, but it does not awaken. It can help us, but it cannot liberate us. In this sense, technology becomes a mirror that reflects our own karmic condition—clever, inventive, but still grasping for control.

2. The Light of Other Power

Amida Buddha’s Vow calls us to entrust ourselves to Other Power—to awaken to the boundless compassion that embraces us as we are. Other Power is not something “outside” us, but rather the awakening that arises when we realize our self-centered striving cannot bring true peace.

In the digital world, we are constantly connected yet often feel isolated. Messages arrive instantly, but true communication—heart to heart—feels rare. When we recite Namo Amida Butsu, we open ourselves to the presence of a wisdom and compassion far greater than our limited self. It is as if Amida’s light gently says, “You do not need to be perfect. You are already embraced.”

This awareness softens the heart. In that moment, even the fast and noisy digital world can become a place of gratitude. The Nembutsu reminds us that, despite all our devices, the deepest connection is not made by signal or data—it is made by awakening to the compassion that pervades all life.

3. Listening in the Digital Age

Shin Buddhism emphasizes monbo聞法, deep listening to the Dharma. In the digital age, listening has become difficult. We are surrounded by voices, messages, and notifications. Yet true listening—the listening that transforms us—requires quiet attention and humility.

When we listen to the Dharma, we do not listen to confirm what we already believe. We listen to be challenged, to be awakened. Likewise, in our interactions online or with technology, we can ask ourselves: “Am I listening to others, or only to myself?”

To “listen deeply” in the digital age may mean turning off the noise for a moment—pausing before responding, hearing the suffering of another, or simply breathing in gratitude. The voice of Amida calls to us not through algorithms, but through the stillness of our own heart.

4. Living with a Humble Heart

The more technology advances, the more we need humility. AI can process enormous amounts of information, but it cannot bow. It cannot say “Namo Amida Butsu.” That act of bowing—of entrusting—is uniquely human. It arises from the realization of our limitations and our gratitude for being accepted just as we are.

In Shinran’s words:

“When we realize that we are embraced and never abandoned, we spontaneously say the Nembutsu.”

To live with humility in the digital age is to recognize that wisdom is not ours alone—it flows from Amida’s infinite compassion. Even when we use the latest tools, the deepest guide is not artificial intelligence, but Amida’s boundless heart guiding us toward awakening.

5. The Digital World as a Field of Practice

Finally, the digital world itself can become a field of Dharma practice. When we share messages of kindness, when we use technology to stay connected with those who are lonely or far away, we are living the spirit of Amida’s vow. Even online, the Nembutsu can be heard and shared.

Our challenge is not to reject technology, but to use it wisely, with gratitude and awareness. If we remember that all beings are embraced by Amida’s light, even a screen can become a mirror of the Dharma.

Conclusion

We may live in a digital age, but the essential question remains timeless: What does it mean to be truly human? Shinran’s answer continues to guide us—true humanity is realized not by our cleverness, but by awakening to Other Power, the compassion that transcends our self-made world.

As we face the future with all its uncertainties, let us remember:

AI may learn to think, but only the human heart can awaken.

AI may connect us by data, but only Amida connects us through compassion.

In that light, we live each day saying Namo Amida Butsu — I am embraced, just as I am.