It is becoming easier to create AI avatars of the deceased − here is why Buddhism would caution against it

A grief-stricken woman, Kisa Gautami, pleads with the Buddha to resurrect her dead child. Anandajoti Bhikkhu via Flickr

In a story in the Buddhist canon, a grief-stricken mother named Kisa Gautami loses her only child and carries the body around town, searching for some way to resurrect the child.

When she encounters the Buddha, he asks her to collect several mustard seeds from a family that has never experienced death. Not surprisingly, Kisa Gautami is unable to find a single such family. She buries her child and decides to cultivate a spiritual life.