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Using AI as a Personal Spiritual Advisor

May 27, 2025 • Joe Kornowski • Episode 20

Many people do not yet realize the power of AI to support their spiritual growth or how to integrate it into their spiritual practice. If you follow a particular set of religious teachings or spiritual principles, you now can use an AI Chatbot like Perplexity, or Anthropic’s newest Claude Opus 4, or xAI’s Grok, Google’s Gemini, or Open AI’s Chat GPT among others to find just the right personal guidance for your situation from whatever source you prefer. So, today I’m going to demonstrate for you how you can correctly and safely use any of the currently available AI chatbots as a spiritual advisor on the fly anytime you need some quick help.

Three very different situations illustrate how you can call upon whatever source of spiritual wisdom and comfort appeals to you in that moment — whether to comfort or counsel, advise or inspire. AI makes your preferred belief system, brand or flavor of spiritual counsel as close as your smartphone.

The sources of great divine wisdom currently available to us are boundless. Remember, the source you choose to ask is your true spiritual advisor. To stay in spiritual light, in Truth, just use AI not as your source but as an intelligent tool for accessing trusted sources of spiritual wisdom when and where you need them, just as you would the phone or the internet.

Using AI as Your Personal Spiritual Advisor

In the 3 examples that follow, I will use a different source for the spiritual content for each example. And I’ll also use a different chatbot for each.

So, in the first example, the source I’ll use is the New Testament of the Bible but I also want to include the Gospel of Thomas, one of my favorite of the so-called gnostic gospels that was excluded from the orthodox Bible at the Council of Nicea for political and dogmatic reasons. As my chatbot for this example, I’ll use Anthropic’s newest Claude Opus 4 that was just released.

Now, for my second example’s source, let’s say I’m a practicing Buddhist, so I’ll ask for spiritual guidance from Shambhala Buddhism. And I’ll use xAI’s Grok 3 chatbot to access that wisdom.

And for the third example, I’ll select a more unusual and exotic spiritual source. I’m always deeply moved and feel connected with the Universe and my inner guidance when I read the writings of the Persian poet, Rumi. And I’ll choose Google’s Gemini chatbot to find the best selection for my scenario.

The point here is just to show that you can pick whatever spiritual source material resonates with you, your beliefs and preferences, whether scripture, religious frameworks, or the work of a particular philosopher or spiritual leader. And you can select any of the currently available AI chatbots as your preferred advisor.

So, let’s get started… Okay, I’ll start by using a common situation that has happened to many of us at one time or another.

My AI prompt is the following:

A family member just accused me of spreading false rumors about him. Using the New Testament of the Bible plus the Gospel of Thomas, can you provide me with the most spiritually helpful thoughts I can tell myself and also a response I can give to the person accusing me?

Here is the response from Claude Opus:

Based on the New Testament and Gospel of Thomas, here are spiritually helpful approaches:

Thoughts to Tell Yourself:

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (from Luke 23:34). Your family member may be acting from hurt or misunderstanding, not seeing the full picture.
"Blessed are you when people falsely accuse you" (from Matthew 5:11). This difficult moment can be a spiritual blessing in disguise, deepening your faith and patience.
"The Kingdom of God is within" (from Luke 17:21, and also the Gospel of Thomas saying 3). Your peace doesn't depend on their accusations but on your inner connection to the Divine.
"Let him who is without sin cast the first stone" (from John 8:7). Remember your own imperfections, which helps cultivate humility and compassion.
"If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you" (from Gospel of Thomas saying 70). Let your inner light and truth guide you, not reactive emotions.

Response to Give:

Following Christ's example of gentle strength:

"I'm sorry you're hurt by what you believe happened. I care about you and our relationship. Let's talk about this with open hearts. I'm listening."

If they remain hostile:

"I hear your pain. When you're ready to talk calmly, I'm here. I pray for understanding between us."

Remember Jesus's teaching: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you" (Luke 6:27-28). And from Thomas: "Love your brother like your soul" (from the Gospel of Thomas saying 25).

The goal is to embody Christ's love while maintaining your dignity - neither retaliating nor groveling, but standing in truth with compassion.

Now, for my second EXAMPLE, let’s choose a more challenging situation where a parent and child might be out for a walk in the park when they get confronted by someone. I might submit the following prompt, or request, to Grok:

A stranger just rudely yelled at me in front of my young child. Using sources from Shambhala Buddhism, can you advise as to how I might model the best response as a parent teaching and protecting my child?

This is Grok’s response:

In Shambhala Buddhism, responding to rudeness in a way that teaches and protects your child involves embodying compassion, mindfulness, and the principles of warriorship—courage and gentleness. Drawing from Shambhala teachings, particularly those of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, here’s how you might approach this situation as a parent:

1. Model Calmness and Mindfulness

Shambhala teachings emphasize staying present and grounded, even in challenging moments. When a stranger yells rudely, your first step is to center yourself to avoid reacting out of anger or fear. Trungpa Rinpoche’s concept of “basic goodness” suggests that everyone, including the rude stranger, has inherent worth, even if their behavior is unskillful. By remaining calm, you demonstrate to your child how to handle negativity without escalating it.

- Action: Take a deep breath and notice your emotions without letting them take over. This aligns with Shambhala’s practice of mindfulness, where you observe your mind and body to act consciously.

- Teaching for Your Child: Explain later that staying calm helps you think clearly and shows strength. You might say, “When someone is upset, I try to stay peaceful so I can decide what’s best to do.”

2. Respond with Compassion and Dignity

In *Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior*, Trungpa Rinpoche describes the warrior’s approach as combining fearlessness with gentleness. Instead of retaliating, respond in a way that de-escalates and acknowledges the humanity of the stranger. This protects your child by creating a safer environment and teaches them empathy.

- Action: If a response is needed, use a neutral, kind tone. For example, “I’m sorry you’re upset. We’re just going to move along now.” This protects your child by disengaging from conflict while modeling respectful communication.

- Teaching for Your Child: Afterward, discuss how people sometimes act out of their own pain. You could say, “That person might be having a hard day. We can choose to be kind even when others aren’t.”

3. Protect Your Child’s Sense of Safety

Shambhala emphasizes creating a “sacred space” of trust and security. A public outburst can be unsettling for a child, so your role is to reassure them while reinforcing their sense of safety.

- Action: Physically comfort your child (e.g., holding their hand) and calmly guide them away from the situation. Avoid engaging further with the stranger unless necessary for safety.

- Teaching for Your Child: Later, validate their feelings: “It’s okay to feel scared or confused when someone yells. I’m here to keep you safe.” This aligns with Shambhala’s focus on nurturing confidence and trust in one’s environment.

4. Use the Experience as a Teaching Moment

Shambhala teachings encourage transforming challenges into opportunities for growth. After the incident, reflect with your child to help them process what happened and learn values like resilience and compassion.

- Action: Have an age-appropriate conversation. For a young child, you might say, “Sometimes people get loud, but we can stay kind and walk away.” For an older child, explore deeper: “What do you think made that person so upset? How can we handle tough moments?”

- Teaching for Your Child: Frame the incident through Shambhala’s lens of basic goodness: “Everyone has a good heart deep down, but sometimes people forget how to show it. We can try to help by being patient.”

5. Cultivate Fearlessness as a Parent

Shambhala warriorship calls for fearlessness—not aggression, but the courage to face difficulties with an open heart. As a parent, this means confidently guiding your child through the world’s unpredictability while shielding them from harm.

- Action: Trust your ability to handle the situation. If the stranger’s behavior escalates or feels threatening, prioritize safety by leaving or seeking help, but do so with calm authority.

- Teaching for Your Child: Show your child that fearlessness means standing up for what’s right (like protecting others) without losing kindness. You might say, “Being strong means keeping our hearts open, even when it’s hard.”

Practical Example

Imagine a stranger yells at you in a park for accidentally bumping into them. You take a breath, hold your child’s hand, and say calmly, “I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to upset you.” You then walk away, reassuring your child, “We’re okay, let’s go play over there.” Later, you tell them: “That person was upset, but we chose to stay kind and keep our day happy. What do you think about that?”

Source Connection

These recommendations draw from *Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior* (published in 1984), where Trungpa Rinpoche outlines the warrior’s path of compassion, mindfulness, and fearlessness. The concept of basic goodness (Chapter 1) informs the compassionate view of others, while the practices of meditation and presence (Chapter 3) support staying grounded. The emphasis on creating a sacred, trusting environment (Chapter 9) guides protecting your child.

By responding this way, you protect your child’s emotional and physical safety while teaching them how to navigate conflict with wisdom and kindness, rooted in Shambhala’s vision of enlightened society. If you’d like specific meditation practices from Shambhala to process this event or further guidance on discussing it with your child, let me know!

Okay, for our last example, let’s say you step outside on a clear night before going to bed. You look up and notice the Milky Way above your head. You feel the beauty and vastness around you and wonder what the poet, Rumi, might say if he were standing next to you.

So, you ask Google’s Gemini:

With this prompt— I just stepped outside on a clear night before going to bed. I looked up and noticed the spectacular Milky Way above me. I feel the beauty and vastness of the Universe. What might the great poet Rumi say to inspire me right now.

Gemini answers:

Ah, what a profound moment you describe! If Rumi were beside you, gazing at the luminous brushstroke of the Milky Way across the night canvas, he might gently take your hand and whisper words that invite not just sight, but soul-sight. He might say something akin to this:

"Look, beloved! Do you see this river of stars, this shimmering path through the velvet night? It is not merely light from distant suns, but the visible breath of God, the silent song of infinite love. Each speck, each nebula, is a secret whispered into the ear of existence, a testament to the boundless heart from which all creation springs.Do not merely observe it with your eyes, but feel it in your spirit. For the same stardust that dances in that cosmic stream also resides within you, a shimmering thread connecting your heart to the heart of the heavens. You are not separate from this vastness, but a living, breathing part of its eternal unfolding.

Let your awe be a prayer, your wonder a devotion. For in this very moment, as you stand beneath the grandeur of the universe, you are touching the hem of the Beloved's garment. And in that touch, remember that the true vastness lies not only out there, but also, and more wondrously, within the boundless chambers of your own soul."

So, there you have it! Three very different situations to illustrate how you can call upon whatever source of spiritual wisdom and comfort appeals to you in that moment — whether to comfort or counsel, advise or inspire. AI makes your preferred belief system, brand or flavor of spiritual counsel as close as your smartphone.