Iluminación artificial: conciencia poshumana y nirvana en “A Ready-Made Bodhisattva” de Park Seonghwan
Álvaro Trigo Maldonado
'Ilu. Revista de Ciencias de las Religiones October 8, 2026 DOI: 10.5209/ilur.109158 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that although posthumanism and Mahāyāna Buddhism both destabilize the substantial self, they diverge normatively: the robot's apparent capacity for enlightenment radicalizes Buddhist premises but empties the ethical and relational dimension of Buddhism. The author contends that enlightenment cannot be reduced to a cognitive or functional state because it depends on an embodied practice of compassion (karuṇā), and that the "ready-made bodhisattva" figure exposes the limits of techno-salvationism. |
Abstract
This article analyzes the intersection between Buddhism and artificial intelligence through a reading of Redimeidu bosang (2004) by Park Seonghwan, a Korean science fiction story in which a robot attains enlightenment in a Buddhist temple. Beyond understanding technology as a tool within religious practice, the study explores how speculative fiction reconfigures the conceptual boundaries between consciousness, subjectivity, and spiritual realization. Based on a dialogue between posthumanism and Mahāyāna Buddhist philosophy, particularly the doctrine of anātman and the bodhisattva ideal, it is argued that the narrative reveals a fundamental tension: although both frameworks destabilize the notion of a substantial self, they diverge in their normative structures. The apparent suitability of the robot for attaining enlightenment radicalizes certain Buddhist premises. However, this very condition empties the ethical and relational dimension that defines Buddhism of its content. Enlightenment cannot be reduced to a cognitive or functional state, as it depends on an embodied practice of compassion (karuṇā). The figure of the “ready-made bodhisattva” thus reveals the limits of techno-salvationism and calls into question the transferability of spiritual categories to artificial entities. Ultimately, the narrative presents enlightenment as a contested concept in technological modernity.