Between No-Self and the Algorithm: Buddhist Mind-Nature as Ethical Architecture for AI and Human Self-Realization
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article explores how Buddhist theories of mind-nature can inform ethical design in artificial intelligence (AI), focusing on AI as a supportive condition for human awakening and self-realization. Drawing on the doctrine of no-self, it argues that AI should not be treated as an autonomous moral subject, but as a contingent mirror of human data, design, and intention. Although present AI does not possess prajñā, it can serve as a mindfulness aid by making patterns of thought, emotion, and desire more visible. Building on the Five Precepts and Ten Wholesome Deeds, the paper proposes design and oversight principles oriented toward non-harm, truthful communication, fairness, and the reduction of greed, hatred, and delusion in digital environments. It concludes that AI ethics is inseparable from the human moral agency, and that cultivating a “digital Pure Land” depends on the moral choices of decision-makers, engineers, policy-makers, and users, thereby linking technical governance to spiritual practice.
Source: Religions
DOI: 10.3390/rel17030378
Author: Jia Liu
Institution: Nanjing University
Language: English
Subfield: Safety Research
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,172
OpenAlex ID: W7137828156