디지털 휴먼에 대한 불교적 관점 - 악업의 증장인가, 선교방편(善巧⽅便)인가 -

Abstract

This study is a consideration seeking to present a Buddhist perspective on ‘digital humans’ among cutting-edge technological innovations in the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’. This approach is necessary because the high-level human image realization ability of digital human technology is expected to affect not only the cultural aspect but also the religious and philosophical aspects of mankind in the future. Conversely, it would also be possible to raise human philosophical and religious questions from a new perspective through digital humans. Just as positive or negative perspectives arise whenever most of the latest science and technology emerge, there are also bound to be both bright and dark sides of ‘digital human’ technology. In other words, two extreme perspectives may be raised. From a Buddhist perspective, both the negative function of this technology as a tool for extending bad karma to humans and its positive function as the ‘skillful means’ of practicing the bodhisattva path of Mahayana Buddhism can be considered. To establish a Buddhist perspective on digital humans, this paper considers the current status of the development of digital human technology as well as its Buddhist philosophical meaning, and reviews passages serving as grounds for an argument for digital human technology in the metaverse, which appear in various Mahayana scriptures. And by considering the development direction of digital human technology and some cases of its actual application, this paper seeks to emphasize that this discussion is not a ‘conceptual elaboration’ but a daily routine taking place around us and one of today’s issues.