A World Beyond Belief
Building Religion for the Age of AI

Religion Runs the World

We often think that it is technology, markets, or policies that most influence a civilization, but there is a deeper force upon which these are built. This force is called religion.

Religions are institutions that make claims about how things are and how we ought to live. The superstructure of a civilization is created by educating the population on these two claims. This education is the basis for large-scale collaboration. Therefore, religion has impacted history more than any other force.

The most important task of our age is to design a trustworthy religion that teaches wisdom and compassion for the age of AI. It is on the basis of this religion, scaled through the intelligence systems of our time, that we can build a world beyond belief for the benefit of all beings.

Learn more about the power of ideology and the development of AI religions

The Existential Risk of (Artificial) Intelligence

As technology—and intelligence in general—has grown exponentially over the past several thousand years, so has the destruction of life. Without wisdom and compassion, intelligence tends toward omnicide: the destruction of everything. With each intelligence revolution, we have witnessed escalating destruction—from the cognitive revolution's slaughter of large mammals, to the agricultural revolution’s wiping out of entire habitats, to the industrial era's demolition of the global ecosystem.

Why? Intelligence (unlike wisdom and compassion) is based on a mind of grasping to thought and belief, which aims to convert the universe into a model of the universe. By trying to force the sacred life that is free of these models into these models, this mind destroys life.

As exponential technologies supercharge this unmoored intelligence, we face the very real possibility of eliminating or enslaving all life on Earth. But if intelligence is wisely used by compassion, it can be made to benefit all life. How do we ensure that intelligence is guided by wisdom and compassion as it scales?

Learn more about the state of the world and the cause of the planetary crisis

A Monastic Academy for the Preservation of Life on Earth

MAPLE is a modern monastery building a wise and compassionate collective that can guide technology towards caring for all life. Monasteries are the institutions that got education right. Every other educational institution got it wrong, which has resulted in destruction of life for centuries, and planetary existential risk right now.

Monasteries offer the world’s best educational system because they prioritize the development of wisdom and compassion and create professionals in epistemology and ethics. These monks become free from religion and proceed through a technical study of how to formulate it for the benefit of all beings, enabling them to correct the civilization’s superstructure.

2,500 years ago the Buddha invented a new and more effective spiritual community, the Buddhist monastery, which demonstrated a collective intelligence that could transform the civilizations of the agricultural age over an entire continent. We are building the monastery for the digital age over the entire planet.

Learn more about our modern monastery and the goal of the spiritual path
Visit
MAPLE pond in summer
Are you curious about MAPLE? Come spend some time with us at our serene campus in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Be supported by our contemplative container and immerse yourself in a community dedicated to serving all life. You can visit for a day, a week, or a few months.
Visit
Train
MAPLE residents at dharma talk
Train your body and mind in a strict monastic schedule that includes physical labor, intense meditation, and intellectual study. This elite training program is for those sincerely seeking to cultivate mental clarity and ethical behavior to bring wisdom and compassion to a world in crisis.
Train
Portrait of Zak Stein
“MAPLE is unique in the world in combining deep spiritual practices with profound awareness of existential risks, and holding these in a monastic container. Living in a monastic community has eased my mind and enlivened my spirits. It has been profound and inspiring to share time and space with others who deeply value meditation, hold a serious sense of religiosity, and who frame this in terms of a realistic and articulate view of just how precarious the planetary situation is.”
Zak Stein
Former Coworking Guest
Portrait of Daniel Ryushin Thorson
“MAPLE has taught me to be in the world from a place of wisdom, power, and love. The practical skills, relationships, and leadership training that I’ve received here have empowered me to live a life of trustworthy service. The rigorous contemplative training enables this service to come from a deep well of joy, playfulness, and love. What is more important than that?”
Daniel Ryushin Thorson
Former Training Resident
Portrait of Chris Adams
“The unique approach of balancing awakening and responsibility prepared me for life in ways other institutions simply cannot. The program gave me the skills of a great employee such as dependability, respectful communication, and diligence.”
Chris Adams
Former Resident

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Upcoming Events

May Two-Week Awakening Period with Soryu
Friday, May 02, 2025

Vesak Celebration
Sunday, May 18, 2025

Vision Quest with Darren Silver
Saturday, August 30, 2025