2,500-Year-Old Scriptures Surge in App Store Lifestyle Category: Buddhist AI 'AI Buddha Zen' Featured in Forbes JAPAN and Enters Top 100

AI Buddha Zen for iOS

Download from the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/ai-buddha-zen/id6760611471

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/ai-buddha-zen/id6760611471

'AI Buddha Zen' (iOS version), a Buddhist AI dialogue app developed and operated by VeritasChain Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Tokachi Kamimura), ranked in the top 100 of the Apple App Store's Lifestyle category on March 30, 2026.

This milestone was achieved just one week after the official release of the iOS app on March 24.

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◼️ Featured in Forbes JAPAN AI Buddha Zen was featured in the web edition of Forbes JAPAN on March 28, 2026. The article highlighted the app's unique technologies, including a RAG database containing over 10,000 Buddhist verses, a mechanism for citing sources, and the detection of spiritual bypassing.

Forbes JAPAN article: https://forbesjapan.com/articles/detail/94376

To use the app, simply type what is on your mind into the prompt or upload a photo. After a short wait, AI Buddha provides an answer. For consultations regarding worries, the AI analyzes the content, categorizes it into one of 20 themes—such as human relationships, work, anxiety, loneliness, family, or death—selects the five most relevant verses, extracts one or two of them, and presents a response incorporating those teachings. Because it remembers previously cited verses, it avoids repeating the same ones.

For example, when asked about the stress of nursing care, it might respond: "The Therigatha (Poems of the Elder Nuns) states: 'While pounding rice, I served my husband and raised my children, suffering for a long time. But now, I am liberated. (omitted) Who are you?' These words are spoken by the illness. The love for you still resides deep within your mother's heart, deeper than her memories. [Reference] Therigatha, Verse 1."

To prevent AI hallucinations from displaying non-existent verses, the app always explicitly states the source. If no suitable verse can be found for the topic, it honestly replies that it cannot cite an original text. This reflects the sincere approach unique to VeritasChain.

(Quoted from Forbes JAPAN)

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◼️ About AI Buddha Zen AI Buddha for iOS

AI Buddha Zen is an AI dialogue service equipped with a proprietary RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) database containing over 10,000 Buddhist verses.

It responds to user worries and questions by providing citations and sources from actual Buddhist scriptures.

Every response includes the scripture name, chapter, and verse number, such as "Dhammapada, Chapter 1, Twin Verses (Verse 1)."

Rather than the AI answering based solely on its training data, the system is designed to search the scripture database every time and construct a response based on the relevant verses.

If the information is not in the database, it honestly answers "I don't know" and directs the user to consult a professional monk or temple.

The service is provided on two platforms: the iOS app and a LINE Bot (@buddha_zen).

The iOS version supports both Japanese and English.

AI Buddha for LINE

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◼️ Key Features * Contains over 10,000 verses from 18 scriptures, including 13 Pali Canon texts and 5 Mahayana sutras. * Explicitly states the source (scripture name, chapter, and verse number) for every response. * Image dialogue function: Send a photo and receive a response based on Buddhist teachings. * C-SSRS compliant 3-stage suicide risk detection. * Automatic spiritual bypassing detection (based on the SBS-13 scale). * AI dependency risk detection. * Privacy-focused design: Does not store original conversation text (only SHA-256 hashes are recorded). * No account registration required; free to start using.

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◼️ User Trends Based on usage data since the service launch, the following trends have been observed: * Approximately 42% of consultations occur during the late-night hours between 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM. * The most common consultation themes are "Wisdom," "Meditation," "Work," "Suffering," and "Anxiety," in that order. * Used by a wide range of age groups, from teenagers to those in their 60s and older.

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◼️ User Feedback (from App Store reviews) "I used it on a night when I felt self-loathing after a failure. I'm grateful that I could just write down my feelings and it would select a theme that matched. It wasn't a difficult sermon, but a gentle explanation, so I was able to read it with an open mind."

"I can use it without registering, so I open it whenever I feel like it. I was surprised to learn there are 18 scriptures; it's more authentic than I thought. Since it always includes the source, I feel secure knowing it's not just making things up."

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◼️ Future Developments We plan to implement the following initiatives: * Strengthening mental care measures for late-night hours. * Expansion into Asian markets (utilizing existing English-translated verses). * Development of voice dialogue functionality. * Research presentations in collaboration with academic institutions. * Development of an Android version. * Multilingual support beyond Japanese and English.

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◼️ App Information Service Name: AI Buddha Zen App Store: https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/ai-buddha-zen/id6760611471 Official LINE: https://lin.ee/msExrA1 LINE ID: @buddha_zen Official Website: https://buddha.aimomentz.ai Cost: Free (Free users have a daily limit on the number of consultations)

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◼️ Company Overview Company Name: VeritasChain Inc. Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Representative Director: Tokachi Kamimura Business Description: Development of AI safety infrastructure technology, planning/development/operation of AI services URL: https://veritaschain.org

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◼️ Inquiries Regarding This Matter VeritasChain Inc., AI Buddha Division E-mail: developers@veritaschain.org Official Website: https://buddha.aimomentz.ai

* App Store rankings are as of March 30, 2026. Rankings fluctuate over time. * This app provides dialogue as reference information based on Buddhist scriptures and does not provide formal religious guidance, counseling, or professional advice regarding medical, legal, or financial matters.