Buddhist AI 'AI Buddha Zen' Announces Policy on Sutra Data Sources and Licensing ─ All Data is CC0 (Public Domain), No Copyrighted Works Incorporated
VeritasChain Inc. announced that the sutra data used in its Buddhist AI dialogue service 'AI Buddha Zen' consists entirely of CC0 public domain texts from SuttaCentral, addressing copyright and ethical concerns.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 8, 2026 at 03:18
- 🔍 Collected: April 7, 2026 at 19:00
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 21:12 (314h 12m after Collected)
VeritasChain Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Tokachi Uemura) announces its policy regarding the source, licensing, database structure, quality control system, and usage of the sutra data used in its Buddhist AI dialogue service 'AI Buddha Zen' (LINE Bot / iOS app), aiming to ensure transparency through this release.
AI Buddha Zen is a Buddhist AI dialogue service that clearly states the sutra name, chapter, and verse number for every response, using a RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) system containing over 10,000 verses from 19 types of Pali and Mahayana sutras.
All texts constituting this database are published under the CC0 (Creative Commons Zero / Public Domain) license from SuttaCentral (suttacentral.net), and no commercially available books, copyrighted translations, commentaries, or personal works have been incorporated.
## Background of the Announcement
Dialogue services combining Buddhism and AI are being developed in multiple projects both domestically and internationally, including 'Buddhabot' by Kyoto University and Teraverse (from 2021, announced to be introduced to the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan in 2026).
Along with this trend, discussions have arisen regarding the legal and ethical aspects of utilizing Buddhist sutras in AI. Claims such as 'Feeding Buddhist sutras into AI itself is cultural theft' and 'Translations are subject to copyright, making it illegal' have been seen in some quarters, leading to cases where AI Buddha Zen and Kyoto University's projects have been criticized by name.
AI Buddha Zen believes that responding to these discussions with fact-based, transparent information disclosure will contribute to improving the credibility of the entire Buddhist AI field. Therefore, we comprehensively announce our policy regarding data sources and licensing in this release.
## Source of Sutra Data ── SuttaCentral and Bhante Sujato
All data used by AI Buddha Zen for sutra quotations are texts obtained from SuttaCentral (suttacentral.net).
SuttaCentral is an online archive of early Buddhist texts co-founded in 2005 by Australian monk Bhante Sujato, along with Rod Bucknell and John Kelly. It is currently widely used by researchers, monks, and general practitioners as one of the world's largest digital collections of early Buddhist texts.
Bhante Sujato's background is as follows:
Ordained as a Bhikkhu at Wat Pah Nanachat in Thailand in 1994. Studied under Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Jayasaro. Returned to Australia in 1997 to practice under Ajahn Brahm. After several years of solitary retreat in Malaysia and Thailand, he established Santi Forest Monastery in Bundanoon, Australia, in 2003. He supported the revival of Bhikkhunis (female monastics) in Theravada Buddhism and dedicated himself to advocating for women's rights.
Recognizing the need for a complete, accurate, and plain English translation of the Pali Canon in 2015, he completed a full English translation of the four Pali Nikayas (Digha, Majjhima, Samyutta, Anguttara) while living in retreat on Qimei Island, Taiwan, for about three years. By 2021, he had also completed translating the early texts of the Khuddaka Nikaya.
He clearly states the following wording for all translations...
AI Buddha Zen is a Buddhist AI dialogue service that clearly states the sutra name, chapter, and verse number for every response, using a RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) system containing over 10,000 verses from 19 types of Pali and Mahayana sutras.
All texts constituting this database are published under the CC0 (Creative Commons Zero / Public Domain) license from SuttaCentral (suttacentral.net), and no commercially available books, copyrighted translations, commentaries, or personal works have been incorporated.
## Background of the Announcement
Dialogue services combining Buddhism and AI are being developed in multiple projects both domestically and internationally, including 'Buddhabot' by Kyoto University and Teraverse (from 2021, announced to be introduced to the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan in 2026).
Along with this trend, discussions have arisen regarding the legal and ethical aspects of utilizing Buddhist sutras in AI. Claims such as 'Feeding Buddhist sutras into AI itself is cultural theft' and 'Translations are subject to copyright, making it illegal' have been seen in some quarters, leading to cases where AI Buddha Zen and Kyoto University's projects have been criticized by name.
AI Buddha Zen believes that responding to these discussions with fact-based, transparent information disclosure will contribute to improving the credibility of the entire Buddhist AI field. Therefore, we comprehensively announce our policy regarding data sources and licensing in this release.
## Source of Sutra Data ── SuttaCentral and Bhante Sujato
All data used by AI Buddha Zen for sutra quotations are texts obtained from SuttaCentral (suttacentral.net).
SuttaCentral is an online archive of early Buddhist texts co-founded in 2005 by Australian monk Bhante Sujato, along with Rod Bucknell and John Kelly. It is currently widely used by researchers, monks, and general practitioners as one of the world's largest digital collections of early Buddhist texts.
Bhante Sujato's background is as follows:
Ordained as a Bhikkhu at Wat Pah Nanachat in Thailand in 1994. Studied under Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Jayasaro. Returned to Australia in 1997 to practice under Ajahn Brahm. After several years of solitary retreat in Malaysia and Thailand, he established Santi Forest Monastery in Bundanoon, Australia, in 2003. He supported the revival of Bhikkhunis (female monastics) in Theravada Buddhism and dedicated himself to advocating for women's rights.
Recognizing the need for a complete, accurate, and plain English translation of the Pali Canon in 2015, he completed a full English translation of the four Pali Nikayas (Digha, Majjhima, Samyutta, Anguttara) while living in retreat on Qimei Island, Taiwan, for about three years. By 2021, he had also completed translating the early texts of the Khuddaka Nikaya.
He clearly states the following wording for all translations...