An Online Temple Where Visitors Cannot Chat
Thursday, November 5, 2026205 words3 minutes262 reads
An online Buddhist temple in South Korea has attracted attention by removing a familiar internet feature: chat. Sansa, created by 26-year-old jobseeker Park Jin-won with assistance from AI, allows visitors to share a space without exchanging messages.
Users guide characters dressed as young monks through a forest temple. They can sit on cushions, listen to chants, handle prayer beads or bow before a Buddha statue. Other visitors remain visible, but there is no expectation to introduce oneself or sustain a conversation. This deliberate absence of communication distinguishes Sansa from platforms built around constant interaction.
Park attributes the project to his own exhaustion while preparing job applications after university. Although he wanted to rest at a Buddhist temple, travelling required resources he did not always have. AI-assisted coding helped him create a more accessible alternative. Its appeal has also inspired online Catholic and Protestant spaces.
Religious studies professor Sung Hae-young suggests that some young people seek peace without pressure to join a religious community. That interpretation does not establish what all visitors want. Nor can a digital sanctuary reproduce a physical temple or resolve unemployment and personal stress. Nevertheless, Sansa suggests that an online space can attract interest by allowing quiet companionship rather than demanding participation.
