“You will be required to do wrong no matter where you go. It is the basic condition of life, to be required to violate your own identity. At some time, every creature which lives must do so. It is the ultimate shadow, the defeat of creation; this is the curse at work, the curse that feeds on all life. Everywhere in the universe.” – Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
The Walk for Peace has ended but the walk for peace continues, in our minds, our hearts and in our daily lives. As the Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra, also known as Thich Tuệ Nhân, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and spiritual leader who serves as vice president of the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Texas and the former leader of the Walk for Peace writes his memoir on one of the greatest acts of Walking Meditation in modern Buddhist history a small machine spits out a pallid money making attempt at capitalising on what was an open-hearted non-profit act of mindfulness. Monk Shen Yu is, according to the website, “…a contemplative educational persona inspired by monastic traditions and timeless teachings on simplicity, health, ageing, and mindful living. This story reflects a composite of experiences, values, and lessons found across many quiet lives devoted to reflection and balance. It is shared for educational and reflective purposes.” When I saw the phrase “contemplative educational persona” the red flag immediately went up for me. Why? Because Monk Shen Yu is in fact not real. It is an AI bot. AI is not what you think it is. It is not intelligent. It is not sympathetic and it is most certainly not wise or experienced. It does not have Buddha Nature. Why? Because it is a computer machine model made by human beings through a mathematically rigorous set of instructions called algorithms. A robot. A termite has more Buddha Nature than Monk Shen Yu.
In his excellent article I’m Sorry to Burst Your Bubble: You Are Being Fooled About AI, and You Will Soon Feel Really Stupid, David William Silva lays out AI in clear and completely understandable terms; “Because LeCun has been saying, clearly and repeatedly, what the industry doesn’t want to hear: Large Language Models are a dead end on the path to human-level intelligence. They are, at their core, text-prediction engines, extraordinarily good at retrieving, recombining, and generating language, but fundamentally incapable of understanding the world they talk about. They lack common sense, causal reasoning, and any model of physical reality.” Monk Shen Yu has the lights on but nobody is home. Monk Shen Yu’s website goes on to say; “Shen Yu’s reflections are shared for educational and contemplative purposes. They are not affiliated with any religious, political, or activist organization.” Interesting. A so-called Buddhist monk is saying they are not bound by Buddhist principles. This explains why Monk Shen Yu and its programmers have no problem ripping off the Walk for Peace by publishing a book on Amazon that is “a powerful reflection on a real 112-day pilgrimage from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C. – a journey of endurance, faith, humility, and human connection.” Human connection! Oh, the irony! A review on the Amazon website by Stacie V. Brink reviewed in the United States on the 21st of February 2026 underlines this issue; “1.0 out of 5 stars. BUYER BEWARE! This is an AI generated “Author”. Shen Yu’s Facebook page is of an AI generated persona.”
The fourth of the Five Precepts states according to Buddho.org; “The fourth precept is to abstain from speaking in the wrong way. This is a very difficult thing in daily life. Abstaining from wrong speech means: Not lying, Not speaking in a way that causes division among others, Not using rude language, Not gossiping.” I agree with these 100%. And lying is not acceptable behaviour from a so-called Buddhist monk. Lying about feelings. Lying about something that an AI generated monk bot Shen Yu is actually doing. Lying about being a human being. Shen Yu for all intents and purposes is a Cylon. If you wish to support the Walk for Peace there is a direct and non-AI generated way of doing this. Go to the Walk for Peace website and use their link here and give them the $9.99 you were thinking of giving the fake Cylon monk Shen Yu. Give it to the real human Buddhist monks please. The Walk for Peace has repeatedly stated that they do not support merchandising or any form of non-affiliated attempts at commercialising their experiences and sacred devotion to Buddha.
Please share this blog post and ensure that you do not support the website or social media accounts belonging to Monk Shen Yu, a fake AI bot that spews out homogenised thrash that has no human truth, no substance and no understanding of what it is actually publishing. Lisa Ernst on Facebook put it quite beautifully why an AI monk bot doesn’t deserve your time or attention; “The technology has become so sophisticated that it’s increasingly hard to tell what we’re encountering. The cadence, the gravitas, the calm authority—it all feels familiar, even reassuring. And yet, there’s no body there. No aching feet, no heat, cold, blisters, or hunger. No vulnerability. At the same time, there are living monks walking for peace—quite literally placing their bodies on the line. Step after step, day after day, offering a visible, costly commitment to non-violence and awareness in a world that feels increasingly frayed.”
By the way, on the subject of books and spirituality if you wish to read an authentic spiritual memoir my book Thai Tattoo Magick is published by Inner Traditions. It took me nearly ten years to write during the loss of my father, sister and mother and not the ten minutes a shallow AI book was generated by an AI monk. May all real beings be well, happy and at peace ॐ
Sheer Zed ~ Author • Buddhist Shaman • Musician 