why don't buddhist believe in god

Buddhists do not have a god because the Buddha taught a path to the end of suffering through a rational examination of what we can know through our own direct experience -- through our senses. Again, may I offer you my deepest appreciation for all your sincere efforts to bring about a situation where we can freely discuss these things. What did the Buddha mean by "no truth can be spoken?". The upside of the personal development movement and of interventions such as mindfulness (that have filled the vacuum left by God in recent years) is that we recognise our own brilliance. We don't believe in a god because we believe in humanity. David. Best, David. And in the long term, I believe that Nam Myoho Renge Kyo (or similar teachings that affirm the dignity of Life) will be the tool that takes humanity to its next level of spiritual evolution, to the enlightened consciousness that our planet yearns for now. We believe that each human being is precious and Is it True that Buddhists dont Believe in God? - The Karmapa Thats why I included the quote from Eddy Canfor-Dumas in my blog post. He could decide to punish, and then change his mind and grant pardon. Hi Louis, thank you for your kind comments. forgive the part of mind in you It is one that I grappled with myself 30 years ago, on my journey towards Nichiren Buddhism and away from my devout Catholic upbringing. The Mystic Law is also often compared to the law of gravity, in that it is invisible and impersonal and yet it shapes your whole life (including what happens to you, based on karma from previous lifetimes). Therefore Buddhist do not believe there is a creator. While there is a more recent, modern trend to portray Buddhism as simply agnostic on the question of God, this is not the case if we are defining God as Christians (or even as Jews and Muslims) would use the word. David. 5, 2023, learnreligions.com/why-atheists-dont-believe-in-gods-248065. That power is the nature of the mind. We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe. PPS. @JonasBystrm Karma is a law on how eye & forms, ear & sounds, nose & aromas etc. Buddhists are of the opinion that human life is one of suffering and that a few things, like physical labor, meditation, and good behavior help to achieve enlightenment or nirvana. Nyanaponika Thera (recommended in the comments by @ruben2020) discusses this nicely in detail. That's why Buddhism is so compatible with other religions. What was the symbol used for 'one thousand' in Ancient Rome? Why Christianity and not Judaism? For example, the journey from Kamakura to Kyoto takes twelve days. In early Buddhist scriptures, the Buddha doesnt have Why do CRT TVs need a HSYNC pulse in signal. My last teacher said: "Utilize God". It only takes a minute to sign up. She was gesturing as if climbing a ladder God was here, and Buddha was the next step up. there is no eternal soul, but at the same time, his existence does not completely vanish, and he continues again in another birth. Lama Rangbar, Thank you very much Lama Rangbar I enjoyed reading your wise and eloquent comment you are spot on about peoples perceptions! This is the question Im asked. So the concept of a God, as opposed to the of a pantheon of Buddhist deities that appear in the multiplicity of Buddhist Sutras that Shakyamuni (Gautama) scrutinised over countless lifetimes, can be viewed from different perspectives, which are dependent of our placement of deities in the universal scheme of things. The hope of the Buddhist is to abandon any desire and indeed to lose his very self and for this reality to simply be. - Sabba sutta. I do not think that that applies. Why It is not inconceivable that there are beings with extremely long lives, who have powers and influence over other beings, but they cannot possibly be eternal, absolute or exclusively unique, according to Buddhism. In short, you could argue that God is the Mystic Law, but with a beard on. Anyway, I have indeed gotten so many benefits, so I continue despite my doubts or delusions, but f I could experience the Buddha within on a continuous basis, how glorious that would be. For example, if you take the personality and morality out of sin (leading to punishment) and out of virtue (leading to reward), youd get something close to the Buddhist notion of an impersonal Law of Cause and Effect. As President Ikeda (and, may I say, others who do not practice Buddhism) has so often said, it is an authoritarian outlook that inevitably leads to strict procedures based on the formalities of doctrinal ideology, and as such leads to individual oppression when the original purity of any teaching, such as Christianity and Islam and even Buddhism, is gradually corrupted to the point where the dignity of human life is violated examples of this being child abuse by Catholic priests and nuns, the abuse of children in Islamic Madrassas, and, I deeply regret to say, the historic abuse of acolytes, and the exploitation of gullible believers by the priests of some (but not all) temples of Nichiren Shoshu. If Buddhists do not believe in God in the Christian or monotheistic sense and are not to devote themselves to any god in the pagan or polytheistic sense, then is there anything in Buddhist doctrine and practice that might be called the Buddhist god? So if someone claims that 'God' is something other than a sensation or an idea(that simply arises and ceases), if questioned on what exactly might be the grounds for his statement, would be unable to explain, and furthermore, would be put to grief. and return to God. WebHowever, Buddhism is chock full of supernatural elements, including multiple gods as well as magic and miracles. and return to God. great question :-). Religion Is a Belief in Supernatural Beings, Should "Under god" Be in the Pledge of Allegiance, Simple and Easy Procedure to Become an Atheist, Albert Einstein Quotes Denying Belief in a Personal God. Buddhists do not accept that these places are eternal. the tree grows because of sunlight, water, dropping of seed, climate etc. The human person is conditioned, hence he does not exist eternally i.e. And great to hear we are on the same page! From this non-dualistic perspective, my power and the power of Absolute is the same power, my will and the will of Absolute is the same will, and my spontaneity and the spontaneity of Absolute is the same spontaneity. I believe this can ONLY be explained by a Divine or Infinitely Wise Being outside of ones self who knows so much more than you what would be the most beneficial pathway in order to gain wisdom, spiritually evolve, and accomplish your earthly mission. Why do Buddhists believe there is no creator? On strict Buddhist teaching, it is counterproductive to appeal to them in prayer and offerings or to seek anything from them. Why Don't Atheists Believe in Gods? So, back to my original question, why dont Nichiren Buddhists believe in God? On the other hand, When I was introduced to Buddhism, I felt that my prayers had been answered by learning about Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Starting the Prompt Design Site: A New Home in our Stack Exchange Neighborhood, Statement from SO: June 5, 2023 Moderator Action. As a follower of Jesus and a former Nichiren Buddhist, I am happy to say I experienced a major and liberating differences between Nichiren Buddhism and Christianity. Interesting to me, the typical arguments for the efficacy of Amidaism have a logical form, but make some large assumptions-- namely, The Amitabha vowed to save all beings before becoming a Buddha, the Amitabha has become a Buddha, therefore faith in Amitabha is efficacious. She totally ignored my views and faith of Nichiren Buddhism but I want to thank her for making me chant even more! Yet, at the same time, they are supposed to be supernatural, fundamentally different from human beings or anything on earth. Well done indeed. Join our growing community of mindful writers, and contributors. Even if one assume planting to exist by itself, it is not, because for Christians, there is a God who did the planting, thus the law of dependency still applies, and since the law of dependency applies, there is no independent Creator. According to Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, by attributing to God the power to save us or to send difficulties etc. WebIn a famous story from early Buddhist scripture, a man asked the Buddha if he was a god. I use the word regime here quite deliberately as this is the factor that separates Buddhism, as practised by followers of Nichiren Daishonin, from other religions that have authoritarianism as their bedrock. WebNo, we do not. From the perspective of Buddhism, such a being displays all the marks of conditioning, hence cannot be eternal or absolute. Because it lies beyond range. speak. [1] Was the phrase "The world is yours" used as an actual Pan American advertisement? Update crontab rules without overwriting or duplicating. Theistic questions and answers don't contribute to that end, so they aren't treated as very important. Not only is what happened instead infinitely better for your life, but it then allows you to realize just how disastrous and wrong what you thought youd wanted would have turned out. See people who are suffering and try to remember or reflect your own life and experiences as well. Materialists don't believe in rebirth and Karma. it is no accident Jesus message Best wishes, David, We had yet another wonderful discussion meeting this morning in which everybody gave sincere and convincing testimony of the actual proof gained from this supreme practice. WebWhy dont Buddhists believe in a God? In TikZ, is there a (convenient) way to draw two arrow heads pointing inward with two vertical bars and whitespace between (see sketch)? Over the years, I've spoken to many people within the oneness Pentecostal movement. I would like to add to Sankha Kulathantille's comment but I lack the reputation here to comment directly on the subthread. One might say, then, that most Buddhists acknowledge gods but are not instructed to believe in them in the sense of any sort of faith or religious devotion (though in practice this kind of religious devotion is common in many Buddhist countries). So there is no discussion of higher powers. Do Buddhists Pray We can reach for similarities but we can do that with anything cant we? He perceived no god and therefore taught his students to not look for a god because there was no god to be found. @TheDBSGuy As an ordained Buddhist monk, it is not appropriate for me to discuss such personal matters. As a reference, you could look up siddhi in Wikipedia. The Buddha realised that our mind is so powerful, it can "create" anything- our mind can even create God and gods. WebOr speaking for myself, what makes that Buddhism doesn't believe in a God, whereas virtually all the other religions, and most people do. The Buddha's teaching isn't about belief. They suggested the Sabbasutta "Sermon on the All", and another user pointed out that a "die-hard materialist" could use the same sermon. It left a very strong impression on me. Can you pack these pentacubes to form a rectangular block with at least one odd side length other the side whose length must be a multiple of 5. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Prayers are powerful and hence Buddhism helps us grow in the same spirit as nature does. not sure where I am going but I can see its not exactly all the same but its all the same placewe are headed toits clear to me Buddhism is quite complete and I find less tainted with Mans translation of Christs teachings. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/why-atheists-dont-believe-in-gods-248065. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Theravada Buddhism, on the other hand, emphasizes Buddhist meditation and a monastic lifestyle as a way to enlightenment. It is not at all like what a Christian would call God or even what an ancient polytheist would call a god, but it is the central focus of the Buddhist religion and their hope for deliverance from the suffering of life. Buddhism This is its only aim and object. It is about this state of being, this understanding of reality. Then what are you? the questioner asked. We chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo to put ourselves in rhythm with it. And just because they don't believe a "divine hand" lies behind all of life's actions doesn't mean they can't appreciate the intricate web of relationships that underlies life on Earth. We do not believe in a creator God, because it is a "wrong view", and not part of the Buddha's teaching. Wouldn't that be equally 'obvious' for 'concious' entities in a computer simulation? And yet I would also argue that the concept Also, your answer could be a little more more precise. An unusual question! Most religions assert that there is more to life than the matter we see around us. Numerous characteristics are attributed to their gods, some of which are impossible if you consider them rationally. that created the physical universe. Most claim that their gods are loving. No concrete evidence is necessary to believe in God or gods. So I invite anyone, anywhere who can present a reasoned argument, based on theoretical, documentary and actual proof, to offer me a better way to lead my life and I will abandon my faith immediately ! Indeed, I would say beyond any doubt that it is a view intrinsic to all traditional branches of Buddhism. Therefore, the concept of WebBuddhists don't believe in a creator God. How to cycle through set amount of numbers and loop using geometry nodes? WebIn other words, Buddhists believe that people linked by a chain of rebirths may be said to be "the same", by the same convention as when a 40-year-old person is said to be "the same" as an 20-years-old person he evolved from.

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