BUILDING the FUTURE BUDDHA: The Zen of AI, Genes, Saving the World, and Travel to the Stars

by Jundo Cohen

The world is changing. Zen and Buddhist insights, timeless wisdom gathered over centuries, can help guide us in our lives today and in the prudent use of new technologies, nurturing a calm and serene world, prosperous yet existing in harmony with nature, a healthy, contented and good society for the centuries to come.

Let Zen inspire us to sometimes step back from our machines and digital devices, returning to the simple and old-fashioned ways, the slow ways, because they are beautiful ways. In the rush for improvement, let us learn to sit still sometimes and rest from our goals, drop the quest for constant upgrades and efficiency, restrain the endless hunger for progress, and turn off the flashing lights and ceaseless noise.

At the same time, if employed well, technology and medicine can help us bring true peace, an end to most wars and violence committed in anger, cures for diseases, ecological balance, greater love and empathy among people and for all beings, increased charity, remedies for poverty and homelessness, and the attainment of other goals for good in the world as long dreamed of by Buddhists and caring people of many religions and philosophies.

Tomorrow’s technologies will change Buddhism too. AI and robotics, bio-engineering and physical enhancements, genetics and nano-implants, virtual reality and new media, medical miracles and manufacturing marvels, extended lifespans and expanded minds will make many of Buddhism’s most fabulous ideals realizable. Zen will be practiced, programmed, bred and wired in; enlightenment will move as chemistry and light across neural fibers and optical fibers.


"Jundo Cohen helps us lift Buddhism from the realm of dusty caves and reclusive locations in order to envision a future ... new technologies and the complicated kinds of decision-making that must be faced." - Steven Heine, Historian of Japanese Buddhism and Zen

"A fascinating vision of timeless traditions, changing times and coming technology." - Saverio Pascazio, Professor of Theoretical Physics, The University of Bari

" A zen book unlike any other, one that offers an original and inspiring perspective on the destiny of our species ... living in harmony with ourselves, and with the planet." - Daniel Forster, Biologist, Specialist in Greenhouse Gas Cycles and Sustainable Land Use

355 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Instead of looking back in time, as most zen books tend to do, this book looks to the future. How can zen change the future for the better? How can the future change zen for the better? These are some of the questions addressed in this book. Moreover, and more importantly, these questions are discussed in the context of the new means available to us in the future (e.g., AI, genetic engineering, space travel, and more). No one answer is provided in the book, but some optional strategies are explored. To trigger reflection. To help us make a conscious choice. For if we don’t make that choice, some with sinister intention might. Some might think that the topics here are controversial. I believe they are only new. These are real issues we need to address in the not too distant future. Probably already now. Therefore, I believe this is a timely book. A needed book. I especially enjoyed the last two chapters of the book: chapter 12 zen and the end of time (space travel and zen in the universe), and the epilogue (where the author wraps everything up). Highly recommended.

[Laurie Zolas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hopeful and delightful in many ways, talking about how humanity can change for the better, emphasizing Buddhist values. It is also a prophetic warning about unsustainable ways of life. It is an enjoyable read and is followed with a Q&A with a psychiatrist about what science can and cannot do to improve human nature and the ethical problems involved. I should disclose that I am a Zen student of Jundo Cohen.