There is an ambiguous answer to the question of whether there is a god in Buddhism. Different schools of this philosophical doctrine interpret this concept with some differences. The Buddha himself in every possible way rejected the idea of the existence of a creator God, who created the world and all living things in it. Buddhist meditators generally view faith in God as something that gets in the way of achieving nirvana.
Key features of the concept of God the Absolute
This is not to say that Buddhism is a religion without God, although it denies it as such. The problem should be considered much broader:
1. In the teachings of Buddhism there are beings, in some way close to the deities (devas), but not in the same sense as the deities of Western religions. They, just like people, experience suffering, being reborn in the "wheel of samsara." Buddha is understood as the wisest among the deities, the "teacher of the gods."
2. In different schools of Buddhism there are concepts identified with God - the single nature of Buddha or Tathagatagarbha.
God in Buddhism is called by different names:
1. Creator or root cause (the reason for the appearance of the world and everything in it). Reason cannot comprehend the root cause. If you perform the "correct" actions, then the person will be able to find out the answer himself.
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2. Brahman is the "soul of the world." He is unchanging, endless, immovable. It is closely associated with the concept of atman - "selfhood", "higher self", "spirit". That is, it is a spiritual entity that realizes its existence after "awakening".
3. The Absolute is the fundamental principle of everything. Identical concepts - absolute mind, absolute spirit, absolute consciousness, etc.
The concept of God is sometimes associated with the veneration of the "three jewels": Buddha, teachings (dharma), community of monks (sangha). Regarding the Buddha himself, the two schools of Buddhism have their own ideas. In the Mahayana, he is understood as the Dharmakaya, who appeared in the world for good purposes not as an ordinary person, but as a supreme being. The Theravada holds the belief that Buddha is a person who managed to achieve nirvana by his own efforts.
Perhaps one of the most important doctrines of Buddhism is the doctrine of personality (anatmavada). According to her, there is no concept of an individual and eternal "I", also considered as a soul (atman). According to the teachings of Buddhism, it is the "I" that is the cause of attachments, drives and passions, and this is the continuous suffering generated by samsaric existence.
Buddhism in the Himalayas
Brahma and other deities mentioned in the Pali Canon
The creator of the universe, that is, Brahma, is one of the gods mentioned in the Pali Canon or Tipitaka.
(early Buddhist texts written in Pali language). There are several worlds and types of Brahmas, but all of them, just like people, are drawn into samsara, which is why they are subject to aging and death.
Other gods of Buddhism are also mentioned in the texts: Lakshmi, Prithvi, Shiva, Saraswati, Vishnu, Yaksha, Prajapati and others. But if in Hinduism they are really accepted as the embodiment of a supreme deity, then in Buddhism they are exactly the same captives of samsara, like people.
According to the Buddha's teachings, the gods in Buddhism exist in agony between an excess of pleasure and constant worry.
Bodhisattva
Let us also mention the concept of a boddhisattva (bodhisattva, bodhisattva). He should be understood as a being with an enlightened consciousness, one who attained nirvana, but refused to go into it for the sake of saving all living things from suffering and samsara.
The meaning of the Tathagatagarbha
Tathagatagarbha is a two-word concept. Tathagata means “one who left like that” or “one who came like that” (one of the names of Buddha), and “garbha” has two meanings:
1. Embryo, embryo. This means that the state of Buddha is inherent in every living being. Initially, everyone is endowed with a divine nature and can become a Buddha. This point of view is inherent in almost all areas of the Mahayana.
2. Receptacle, bosom. According to this view, there is indeed an entity in every being called Buddha nature. But, contrary to the previously described garbhi theory, it is proclaimed that all living beings are already Buddhas. Within this understanding, there are two opinions. The Tibetan branch of the Mahayana is of the view that in order to become Buddhas, it is simply necessary to awaken potential. Other directions (for example, Far Eastern Chinese Buddhism) believe that Buddha nature is already awakened and nothing needs to be done for this.
Statue of buddha
From all of the above, it follows that the concept of God in Buddhism is very contradictory. Denying his existence, Buddhists, however, cannot say with certainty that there is no God. Based on the complexity of this issue, different schools of Buddhism have formed different opinions regarding the search for an answer.