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Buddhism and belief in God
Buddhism believes in the existence neither God nor soul in a
theistic sense. It is basically a religion of the mind, which
advocates present moment awareness, inner purity, ethical
conduct, freedom from the problem of change, impermanence and
suffering and reliance upon one's own experience as the sole
teacher, rather than an external authority, on the Eightfold
path.
Unlike other major religions of the world, Buddhism is not
centered around the concept of God or a universal supreme
being, who is responsible for the creation and dissolution of
the world and the existence of Sentient beings.
Buddhism does not even support the existenceof an eternal and
unchanging soul. According to Buddhism the whole existence is
in a state of flux and there is nothing that is either
permanent or unchanging.
The Buddhist scriptures, however do confirm the existence of
Devas or Celestial Beings, Bodhisattvas or pure beings, both
heavens and hells and other planes of existence.
But none of these are permanent entities. They all are
subject to change and evolution. It is said that the Buddha
either maintained silencee or discouraged questions when he
was asked to confirm the existence of a Supreme Being.
Buddha's views on God
The Buddha did so with a purpose. He wanted his followers to
remain focused upon Nirvana without distractions. Therefore,
he did his best to keep them focused upon that single and
virtuous goal, without getting distracted by theological
speculation or intellectual disputation, which was the common
preoccupation for many scholars and religious teachers of his
time.
However, this does not mean that he favored the notion of God
as the ruler and creator of the worlds and beings. The Buddha
did not believe in hidden causes but apparent causes that made
sense to the mind and the intellect. Karma was a hidden
process, but its effects could be felt and experienced by one
and all. Hence no supernatural testimony was required to
establish its universality or working.
Once in a while, he expressed his opinions about creation and
the role of God. When Ananthapindika, a wealthy young man met
the Buddha at the bamboo grove at Rajagriha, the Buddha made a
few statements about the existence of God and the real cause
behind the creation of beings in this world. These views are
summarized as below:
1. If God is indeed the creator of all living things, then
all things here should submit to HIS power unquestioningly.
Like the vessels produced by a potter, they should remain
without any individuality of their own. If that is so, how
can there be an opportunity for any one to practice virtue?
2. If this world is indeed created by God then there should
be no sorrow or calamity or evil in this world, for all deeds,
both pure and impure, must come from Him.
3. If it is not so, then there must be some other cause
besides God which is behind HIM, in which case HE would not be
self-existent.
4. It is not convincing that the Absolute has createdus,
because that which is absolute cannot be a cause. All things
here arise from different causes. Then can we say that the
Absolute is the cause of all things alike? If the Absolute is
pervading them, then certainly it is not their creator.
5. If we cnsider the Self as the maker, why did it not make
things pleasant? Why and how should it create so much sorrow
and suffering for itself?
6. It si neither God nor the self nor some causeless chance
which creates us. It is our deeds which produce both good and
bad results according to the law of causation.
7. We should therefore abandon the heressy of worshipping God
and of praying to him. We should stop all speculation and
vain talk about such matters and practice good so that good
may result from our good deeds.
The Buddha did not encourage speculation on the existence of
Isvara, (God), among his disciples. He wanted them to confine
themselves to what was within their field of awareness, that
is , to understand the causes of suffering and work for its
mitigation.
He preached that initially each being was a product of
ignorance and illusion and subject to suffering, karma and
transmigration. He therfore urged his disciples to
contemplate upon the Four Noble Truths and practice the
Eightfold Path,lead a virtuous life by performing good deeds
and works towards their final liberation from all becoming and
changing.
It is difficult to categorized Buddhism as an atheistic,
theistic or agnostic tradition. There is enough justification
to place Buddhism in any or all these categories. As
explained in the concluding part of this article, Buddhism has
elements of both theistic and atheistic traditions of ancient
India, but none of them provide us with a comforting ground to
categorize it in either of them with conviction.
Although founded by the Buddha, Buddhism, like Hinduism, is a
complex religion, which underwent profound changes after his
death, resulting in the formation of many sects and subsects,
some of which made a radical departure from the original
teachings of the Buddha to the point of standing in their own
llight as independent religions.
Were he alive, the Buddha would be surprised to hear about
many traditions that rely upon his name to promote their
teachings but show marked disregard for his original
teachings, doctrinal matters and stand points. What bindds
them to Buddhism and keeps them in its fold is their adherence
to the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
While scholars may keep arguing about the essential nature of
Buddhism, it is the firm opinion of this writer that based
upon the teachings of the Buddha, it is difficult to place
Buddhism on the same footing as Hinduism or Christianity and
consider it a theistic tradition.
The Buddha ascribed no role to God in creation, in human
suffering or in the liberation of beings. For the Buddha the
world was a Godless world in which bothe good and evil were
produced by the acctions of individual beings. While many
beings had no choice, human beings and those above them had a
unique opportunity to exercise their discerning intellect
(buddhi)(((?))) abd chose right living to excape from the law
of Karma and the cycle of births and deaths.
Therefore, to awaken their minds to the idea of righteous
living and virtuous actions, he taught the worldd the Four
Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, acscribing no role to God
in either of them and putting the entire burden of resolving
indiviual suffering upon the individuals themselves.
In drawing his conclusions and formulating Dharma and the Code
of Conduct (Vinaya) for the monks, he assiduously avoided all
manner of speculation about the supernatural to the extent
possible, keeping his focus firmly fixed upon the causes as
well as solutions to the problems of human existence within
the realm of the mind and its abilities, and without alluding
to anythings beyond that.
If he believed in transcendence or eternal realities, he kept
them out of the purview of his discussion and deliberation,
even when he was pressed for a clear answer, considering that
it was a major distraction for his followers in their quest
for Nirvana and for himself, in his attempts to show them the
right way.
Belief in Gods, Bodhisattvas and Primordial Buddhas
While Buddhism does not believe in the existence of an all
pervading eternal God who is the cause of the causes, it does
believe in the existence of Noble beings or gods of heaven.
The Buddhist texts mentin the names of serveral gods, whose
names are similar in many cases to the names of their
counterparts in Hinduism.
However, while the deities of Hinduism are eternal, those of
Buddhism are not. They live for longer duration of time, but
lie all beings, they are prone to decay and subject to the
cycle of births and deaths.
Some of the gods whose names appear frequently in the Buddhist
Canon are Brahma, Indra, Aapo (Siva), Vijja (Saraswati), Usha,
Pathavi (Prithvi) Sri (Lakshmi) Kuvera (Kubera), and Garuda.
The texts also refer to the existence of celestial beings such
as yakkhas (Yakshas), gandhabbas Pali Canon, which refers to
not one but several Brahmans inhabiting different planes.
Like other gods, Brahma in all these worlds is subject to
change and decay.
Apart from them, Mahayana Buddhism refers to the Bodhisattvas
or compassionate beings and primordial Buddhas who inhabit the
higher heaven and act as the guardians of the world.
The Bodhisattvas are truth beings, who are fully qualified for
Nirvana. However, out of compassion they decide to postpone
their liberation and work for alleviating the suffering of the
sentient beings upon earth.
The primodial Buddhas are personalized embodiments of
different aspects of Buddha nature, possessing Dharmakayas
(bodies of truth), such as Samantabhadra, Vajradhara,
Vairochana, and Adi-Buddha, among others.
Thegods of Buddhism have greater powers than humans, but
unlike the gods of Hinduism, they do not enjoy absolute
powers. They have the ability to impact our lives, but they
cannot change or alter the course of life upon earth beyond a
point.
Besides, since the gods are not liberated beings, their
actions have consequences and like humans, they are also
subject to the laws of karma. Therefore, if gods indulge in
wrong acctions, it will lead to their downfall. The same is
not true in case of primordial Buddhas. They are not subject
to decay and they possess immense supernatural powers.
Life in heaven is not a class privilege. The gods are not
created by a supreme being. They reach the world of gods
through self-effort and good karma. Ordinary human beings,
through their good effort can be reborn in the worlds of gods.
Although it is not encouraged, Buddhism does not rule out the
possibility of humans taking birth in the world of gods and
gods, having lost their virtue and due to bad karma, taking
birth in our world. Since life in heaven is equally
conduccive to suffering, Buddhists aim for liberation rather
than rebirth in the heavens.
Devotion in Buddhism
The origin of Buddhism is rooted in the ascetic and monastic
traditions of ancient India. The Buddha did not advise the
the monks to indulge in ritual worship or venerate him or
other beings with devotion.
However, a few centuries after his death, a schism in Buddhism
led to the formation of Mahayana sect of Buddhism which made a
radical departure from the traditional teachings of the
Theravada or Hinayana Buddhism and projected ritual worship of
venerable Buddha in his highest and purest aspect as worthy of
worship and devotion.
The Mahayana tradition supports the worship of Buddha to
cultivate virtues, practice love and compassion and receive
enlightenment. The purpose of worship in Buddhism seems to be
to enable the worshippers to form a clear concept of the ideal
of Buddhahood and understand the Buddha nature rather than
seeking his grace or intervention in their personal lives for
the alleviation of their suffering.
Conclusion
Buddhism is primarily a monastic and scetic religion, with
some aspects of theism, borrowed mostly from Hinduism and some
aspects of atheism similar to Jainism. Buddhism adapted the
theistic practices of Hindusm mostly in the context of iits
own teachings and for the ultimate purpose of facilitating
nirvana through individual efforth rather than divine
intervention.
While in Hinduism, followers may strive for the four chief
aims, namely Dharma, Artha (wealth), Kama (pleasure) and
Moksha (liberation), in Buddhism folllowers aim for only two,
namely Dharma (Dhamma) and Moksa (Nirvana).
In ancient India, the atheists like the Lokayatas, on the
other hand, ignored these two and imed for Artha and Kama.
For them, life was a unique opportunity to strive for
happiness and death was the Nirvana, the end of all. They
found no justification to suffer here and now in the hope of a
better life in the next birth or hereafter.
Thus, even in this regard, Buddhism retains its distinct
character as a spiritual religion that can be categorized
neither as a theistic traditin like Hinduism nor as an
atheistic tradition like that of the Carvakas or Lokayatas.
It is a tradition uniquely human, intellectual, practical and
rooted in verifiable, perceptual experience.
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