Who is Bodhisattva Kannon robot アンドロイド観音マインダーとは？
Kannnon is a Buddhist Deity who save people in suffer. The chief monk of Kodaiji temple asked prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro, the director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory at Osaka univercity, to develop a robot Bodhisattva for the purpose of relieving people in agony.
She tries to save us through The Heart Sutra. She can move her arms, body, and face. We can see her facial expression. She even moves her eyelids.
How can we see Bodhisattva Kannon robot? アンドロイド観音 参拝方法
Kodaiji temple in Kyoto enshrines her. At Kyoka hall of Kodaiji, we hear her teaching for an hour. On the wall of it, a projection mapping are cast and she tells us about the meaning of The Heart Sutra. It is not allowed to take photo or shoot video, but we take photo before her teaching started.
If you were interested in it, visit the official site of Kodaji temple and make reservation (Japanese language only).
Time table
From March 8th to May 6th. 10：30〜／12：00〜／13：30〜／15：00〜／16：30〜 on each day.
The entrance fee
Shino. The price depends on us. In front of her, there is a box. We put a fee we decided to it.
At the entrance, we have a card amulet which The Heart Sutra was written on .
Who is Bodhisattva Kannon 観音とは？
Kannon (観音) is one of the most popular Buddhist Deity in Japan. She is called as Kanzeon Bosatsu (観世音菩薩), or Kanjizai Bosatsu (観自在菩薩). We call her Kannon-san, or Kannon-sama in abbreviated form. Buddhist Deity usually have five kinds; Nyorai, Bosatsu, Myooh, Tenbu, and others.
Kannon belongs to Bosatsu. Bosatsu is the abbreviated form of Bodai Satta (菩提薩埵), which means “a person who seeks the enlightment.” It appearance is based on that of Siddhartha Gautama. He was a clown prince of the Shakya. So, Bosatsu is also on ornaments.
Kannon can appear in a way called “Fumon Jigen (普門示現).” The Kannon Sutra tells she appears in 33 forms. For example, Kiyomizudera temple enshrines Kannon. It is believed she goes to falls there to drink water as a dragon. In this Fumon Jigen, it is not surprising or strange she shows herself as a robot.
The Heart Sutra 般若心経
Overview
The Hart Sutra is called “Busetsu Maka Hannya Haramitsu Tashingyo,” or “Hannya Shingyo” as abbreviated. The original text was written in Sanskrit. Sanzo Hoshi, a famous monk in the Tand dynasty of ancient China translated it in Chinese. In Japnan, we read the Chinese text as Kanbun. Kanbun is a technique to read ancient Chinese language in Japanese.
In The Hart Sutra, 262 Kainji tells us the most important teaching of The Prajnaparamita Sutra.
The ancient Chinese text of The Heart Sutra 原文
般若波羅蜜多心経
観自在菩薩・行深般若波羅蜜多時、照見五蘊皆空、度一切苦厄。舎利子。色不異空、空不異色、色即是空、空即是色。受想行識亦復如是。舎利子。是諸法空相、不生不滅、不垢不浄、不増不減。是故空中、無色、無受想行識、無眼耳鼻舌身意、無色声香味触法。無眼界、乃至、無意識界。無無明・亦無無明尽、乃至、無老死、亦無老死尽。無苦集滅道。無智、亦無得。以無所得故、菩提薩埵、依般若波羅蜜多故、心無罜礙、無罜礙故、無有恐怖、遠離一切顛倒夢想、究竟涅槃。三世諸仏、依般若波羅蜜多故、得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。故知、般若波羅蜜多、是大神呪、是大明呪、是無上呪、是無等等呪、能除一切苦、真実不虚。故説、般若波羅蜜多呪。
即説呪曰、羯諦羯諦、波羅羯諦、波羅僧羯諦、菩提薩婆訶。般若心経
The meaning of The Heart Sutra
Buddha tells his pupil about the story of Kannon’s enlightenment.
I trans late it to understand with ease.
般若波羅蜜多心経
We are going to Nirvana with Buddhism.
観自在菩薩・行深般若波羅蜜多時、照見五蘊皆空、度一切苦厄。
When Kannon was on the verge of enlightenment, she found Goun (五蘊. I’ll show you what it is in the next sentence.) doesn’t have substance to conquer any sufferings.
舎利子。色不異空、空不異色、色即是空、空即是色。受想行識亦復如是。
Sharishi (the name of pupil), Goun, i.e., mateiral, to feel, to remember, our will, our recognition, is vacant.
舎利子。是諸法空相、不生不滅、不垢不浄、不増不減。
Sharish, nothing is born or ceased to exist. Nothing is clean or dirty, nothing is gained or lost. Anything has substance.
是故空中、無色、無受想行識、無眼耳鼻舌身意、無色声香味触法。
So, there is no Goun, We don’t have organ to recognize something and nothing is recognized.
無眼界、乃至、無意識界。無無明・亦無無明尽、乃至、無老死、亦無老死尽。
We don’t recognize anything with our organ. So to say, we don’t have a cause of suffering.
無苦集滅道。無智、亦無得。
So, there is no suffer, cause of suffer, happiness, and the way to be happy. We don’t have wisdom.
以無所得故、菩提薩埵、依般若波羅蜜多故、心無罜礙、無罜礙故、無有恐怖、遠離一切顛倒夢想、究竟涅槃。
In this idea, we cannot have anything. Bosatsu, a person seek to be in Nirvana, don’t have widom. On the other hand, they is in the Wisdom to Nirvana: They don’t have anything prevent them from Nirvana.
In a nutshell, if we know nothing has substance, (in that state of mind) we understand everything and are in Nirvana.
三世諸仏、依般若波羅蜜多故、得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。
In past, present and future, all Buddha (Buddha means “a person in enlightenment in Sanskrit.) was, is, and will be in this state of mind.
故知、般若波羅蜜多、是大神呪、是大明呪、是無上呪、是無等等呪、能除一切苦、真実不虚。故説、般若波羅蜜多呪。
This idea is the greatest and the only way to conquer suffer.
即説呪曰、羯諦羯諦、波羅羯諦、波羅僧羯諦、菩提薩婆訶。般若心経
And the words which means the idea is 羯諦羯諦、波羅羯諦、波羅僧羯諦、菩提薩婆訶。般若心経 (Gyatei Gyatei Haragyatei Harasohgyatei Boujisowaka Hanyashigyo.)
What Bodhisattva Kannon tells us/ありがたいアンドロイド観音マインダー様の教え
She tells us the most important idea of The Heart Sutra: Nothng has substance or anything is vacant. If nothing has any substance, we are also has no substance. Our subjective point of view makes what we think ourselves are. If we couldn’t have “ourselves,” we also wouldn’t have “others.” So, we are equal.
I found it was interesting because I don’t think equality in that way. I’m sure we are born equal. Ablsolutely. On the other hand, in Buddhism, we are equal in the way she tells. Very interesting idea. 合掌。
How to get to Kodaiji temple?
Train: Keihan Gion shijo station or Hankyu Kawaramachi station.
Kyoto city bus: Sijo Kawaramachi/Gion bus stop.
Kodaiji is the red alien!
