Statements regarding "God" concept

Unedited:
Hi Justin
I really liked you answers, many of them thoughtful and have answered many questions I had.
However one question I like to ask is concerning the Buddha's statements regarding "God". The culture of that time was predominantly Hindu culture with its Hindu gods. Now how is that beleif system different from the Christian concept of God, and do the Buddha's statements about the Hindu gods apply to the concept of the Christian God? Or is he taling about the
religion of the day?
My comment:
Hi "whoever you are",
Since the monotheist religions always claim that their respective Gods are the Only true God, then we can easily conclude that whenever we discuss the concept of "god" in our own interpretations, the "belief system" will automatically be different from their beliefs. So there is no issue on arguing, and trying to convince one another of each claim. To put it simply, take the Christian God; they believe that this is the Only God. But ironically they cannot register a "copyright" to this claim simply because they themselves have not seen it and can only describe in their own way. Same as other monotheistic religions. If there is really only One God, then only one of that type of religion can be right! But is there such a God?
To the Western mind, when the concept of god is discussed it is inevitably linked to the Christian God. But why must this be so? Before Christianity came into being, the Asian people had had already their concept of spiritual beings and gods. So why must we always bring the Christian God to compare and confuse ourselves? If one wants to believe in the Christian God so be it. It is a sheer waste of valuable time to compare or to rationalize and hope to find a common solution that what one believes is passable or agreeable with someone else's God.
Coming back to your question, the Buddha existed long before Christianity took roots. So of course he was referring to the Indian belief system. What the Buddha said about "gods" had nothing to do with the Christian concept. For the lack of a better English term, the word "gods" is used when the Buddha talked about terrestial beings. The closest to the Christian creator God is the Hindu god "Brahma". These terrestial beings have some powers over worldly affairs, and they may help or hinder human interactions. That's all. A better term for these "gods" would be deities or angels. In Buddhist parlance, they are called "deva" in Pali language.
Hope this helps. You have a happy day.
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Follow-up QUESTION: (Unedited)
Dear Justin
I agree with you, and have for a long time, that all the religions cannot be right, and each religion has a different description and attributes of what that religion's "God".
You mention that " What the Buddha said about "gods" had nothing to do with the Christian concept." The question remains though if the Judaic concept of God, the God of Isaac, the God of Abraham, existed before the Buddha, and if the Buddha had any knowledge of this concepts? Was the concept of a non-Hindu God, and creator of the universe a concept that the Buddha was unaware of? If he was aware of such a concept did he comment on it at all?
I am not talking about the existence of "God" but the Judaic concept of creator God, and why it is meaningless to discuss this concept in Buddhism, is it because the concept was never entertained by the Buddha or Buddist thought?
So is it correct to say that the Buddha did not say the Judaic God did not exist because he was not aware of the concept?
My comment:
Hi,
Thanks for returning. Let me put it in a very simple question. "If one is discussing about the art of carpentry, why waste time talking about how to swim?" The Judaic God concept or any other god concept has nothing to do with the teachings of the Buddha. Why bother about other people's beliefs and interpretations? The problem with foolish humans is that they will try to convince and rationlize that their beliefs are always and totally correct and that the others are wrong. Add intolerance into their mindset and we have what we are witnessing in the world today.
The Buddha's teachings are very direct. He merely pointed out the true nature of existence, and how to live a peaceful and meaningful life. It is up to the individual to decide. Why waste our time to indulge in matters that are of no concern with us, knowing that we will never resolve those issues? Do not chase after other people's shadows.
Be happy. Make life simple by not complicating unnecessary self-inflicting details.
Regards.
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Another FOLLOW-UP QUESTION:
(Unedited)
Dear Justin
I understand what you say.
"He merely pointed out the true nature of existence" . There is another site that says :
"A Buddha is not hindered by ignorance, but is omniscient (knows everything)."
He must have been all knowing to know the true nature of existence and that the true nature of existence, the universe, the cycle of life, of universes coming into being and disappearing, in all of it there was no God to be found and He does not exist.
Or he had potential access to such knowledge of the existence of God but did not take that path?
What do you think?
My comment:
Hi friend,
The Buddha had confirmed that there is no such "creator all-powerful" GOD who creates and controls us. There are only "gods" or beings who exist in other realms. These we call generally deities or angels. In Buddhist term it is called "deva".
Regards,
Justin Choo

Ghosts and aliens

Question : (Unedited)

do buddhists beliee in ghosts or even aliens, if so what r they then?

My comment:

Hi T,

The Buddha spoke of beings in existence in different planes of existence in our world system. 　There are countless other world systems where beings may exist. 　The universe is endless, beyond our imagination and reckoning. 　The Buddha called the universe "loka dhatu" and the world system "cakkavala" spiral cosmos. 　

In our world system there exists 31 planes of existence (depending on classification, the number of planes differ; but all the planes are included). 　We as humans occupy one plane, sharing with animals which is considered a separate plane. 　There are ghosts plane which in itself is a form of existence. 　The higher planes will be the planes of gods whose life spans are unimaginably long. 　In our terminology "aliens" would be those beings from other world systems. 　All these planes of existence, although with very different conditions and life span are all subject to impermanence. 　All life forms come into life, exist for a period, and ultimately disintegrate. 　Apart from human and animal planes, the other planes exist in different dimensions. 　That is why only very few people could see ghosts.

Buddhists are fearless!

Questions: (Unedited)
Is believing in Karma and believing in an active God, incompatible?

Thank you for your response to the above question. It was clear and concise and very helpful. I would like some clarification.
Is there a God, or a "prime mover" beginning the acts of karma in the first place?
I noticed Buddhism does have a list of "gods" what is there purpose if they cannot interfere with karma? Do you, for example, pray for guidance?
I have also read that when the Buddha was asked about God, he merely laughed, or said, no one really knows. This to me implies Buddhism is not an atheist belief, but agnostic, would this be accurate?
Thank you again so much for the clarity of your response.

I read that karma is based on conditionality, cause and effect, and therefore there is no autonomous creator in the form of God. Or to put it differently, if we create our own karma, a God cannot intervene. The Buddha said, "Because this was produced, that followed." So, is believing in karma and in an active God, incompatible?

My comments
Hi Mc,

Thank you for asking me.

The Buddhist concept of kamma is volitional action. Action that is done on purpose. This natural law is the law of cause and effect, or the law of retribution. It is neither moral nor immoral, but amoral. Irrespective of who you are or what you believe, this Law holds supreme. It is just like electricity or fire. If you misuse or being careless, you will be electrocuted or burnt. This is the universal truth which transcends race, nationality, culture, belief, time and space. The idea of a creator god who is all powerful and having full control over us is not in the domain of the teachings of the Buddha. Therefore, believing in kamma and in an active God is incompatible.

We are what we were, and we will be what we are. In other words, we are the results of our past kamma; and our future will depend on our present actions. We are in control of our lives here and now. In this respect, Buddhists are fearless and enjoy complete freedom in the conduct of their lives.

Before signing off, below is a very pertinent quotation:

"If you want to know what you did in the past,
Look at where you are at present.
If you want to know where you will be in the future,
Look at what you are doing at the present."

--------------------------------------------

Your qn: "Is there a God, or a "prime mover" beginning the acts of karma in the first place?"

My comment: Our limited mental capacity coupled with our ignorance always lead us to want to know the beginning and the end of everything. There cannot be a beginning and an end in the order of existence. The Buddha warned that the beginning and the end are illusive ideas. If you do some studies on astronomy, you would know that the universe is endless. At a moment in time some stars expire, while others are being formed. The end of a phenomenon is actually the beginning of another. It is just like sunset and sunrise.

Having established that, the idea of a beginning will lose its mystery.


Your qn: "I notice Buddhism does have a list of "gods". What is their purpose if they cannot interfere with karma? Do you, for example, pray for guidance?"

My comment: There are two main "schools" of Buddhism. The Theravada school (which I follow) is more "orthodox". The emphasis is on the teachings of the historical Buddha. Whereas the Mahayana school has introduced several Bodhisattas (Buddhas-to-be) and Amitabha Buddha. The Chinese have a pantheon of "Buddhas, Bodhisattas and deities". Each has certain "specialties" and "powers". As for the Theravadians, we emphasize on the practice of the Buddha's teachings instead of "praying" for salvation.

The Buddha revealed that there were other planes of existence. There are the hell planes and the heavenly planes. There are the "neighbourhood heavenly planes" where beings have some power to aid humans. We refer to them as Devas or heavenly angels (for lack of a better term in the Engliah language). These Devas may help us if we radiate our good thoughts to them. However this is mainly on worldly problems. As for ultimate salvation we still have to cultivate by ourselves.

Your last question: "I have also read that when the Buddha was asked about God, he merely laughed, or said, no one really knows. This to me implies Buddhism is not an atheist belief, but agnostic, would this be accurate?"

My comment: Merriam-Webster's definition of "atheist" is "one who believes that there is no deity" and
"agnostic" as "one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistence of God or a god"

Base on the above definitions, Buddhism is neither. The Buddha had confirmed that there were beings in other planes. Those existing in the heavenly planes are referred to as deities or gods. They are not all-powerful but merely have greater "worldly" powers than us. They are as mortal as us. They have a very long life span but in the end will succumb to death. As such, existing in the heavenly planes is no great deal. Buddhists have a higher goal, that is not to exist in those planes which are impermanent and still imperfect, but to gain entry into a totally new dimension...Nibbana...no more rebirth into the imperfect and impermanent planes.

Hope you are happy with the comments.

Don't believe in electricity; just use it.

Question: (Unedited)

I asked you just yesterday about the compatibility of Karma and God and I would like to ask just a few more questions which would clear up this issue for me.
I greatly appreciate your responses which greatly assisted my understanding of Buddhism and I thank you so much for your time and trouble. After this, I believe I will have a better understanding
One; What is the evidence that there is rebirth and Karma? How do we Know "subtle consciousness" exist?
Two; If there is no God, how is karma determined? Throughout history there have been evil people who thought they were doing the right thing, Stalin was deluded by conspiracies and therefore thought the purges were justified and Hitler was so ignorant, he died honestly believing what he did was in the best interest of Germany. If deluded people are under ignorance, they cannot determine their own next life, and yet you said there is no God. Who then determines karma and the next life?
Three; If one lives in ignorance and therefore must burn off negative karma in the next existence, then as a result, in that existence he may have frustrations with his situation. How is anything supposed to improve?
And lastly, Four; Isn't accepting the idea of compassion, accepting the 3 jewels on some level enough, without going into Buddhist theories which can be complicated, can you be a Buddhist by accepting compassion and discipline without karma? Or, does that just make you "like a Buddhist."
Thank you again for your time and trouble and I'm sure this will clear up any questions I have. I am very grateful for all you've done. Mc

My comment:

Hi Mc,

Your qn: "What is the evidence that there is rebirth and Karma? How do we know "subtle consciousness" exists?"

My comment:
A word of caution is that no one will be fully satisfied with the answers on Kamma. The Buddha had warned us that we could not fully understand kamma. But we can try to better understand kamma, that's all. Take empirical experiences. When we do something really bad, we are mentally affected. The fear and guilt confront us. This is the immediate effect of kamma. Likewise, when we do something really wholesome, we immediately enjoy the bliss of happiness. Those who live by the swords die by the swords. Irrespective of whether we believe in kamma or not, Buddhism teaches us to be good moral humans. The Buddha advised us to use our common sense and human intelligence to know what is right and what is wrong. We actually do not need any teacher to tell us what is right and what is wrong. Killing is wrong, stealing is wrong, telling lies is wrong, sexual misconduct is wrong, and getting intoxicated is wrong. These are universal truths. What is important is for humans to conduct their lives in a harmless, peaceful and fair manner.

Case studies on rebirth experiences have been documented. You can google "case studies on rebirth" and go from there. The Tibetan lamas (monks) have countless documentations on rebirth. That's how they search for their leading monks when the latter pass away. Actually, it depends on the person's mindset. If he stubbornly refuses to believe, no amount of proofs will convince him.

Your qn: "If there is no God, how is karma determined?......If deluded people are under ignorance, they cannot determine their own next life, and yet you said there is no God. Who then determines karma and the next life?"

My comment: Let's assume that there is this God who determines whether we go to eternal heaven or to hell. How does he do it? Do you think everyone will accept whatever answer there is to it? Again, it depends on the person's mindset. If one can really and honestly have an open mind, then there is hope for some acceptance based on common sense and some human intelligence. We can say, which is more plausible. To believe in an all-powerful God who has full control over our conduct, or to believe that good begets good and evil begets evil, irrespective of who one is or what one believes? Can God have all the time to judge each and everyone of us? Is it fair for God to send us to eternal hell just because we do not believe in him? Is it fair for God to reward us to be in heaven just because we believe in him, even though we may be bad? And there are millions of questions that we can ask. But does this questioning exercise lead us to any consensus? NO. Likewise, no amount of reasoning and answering will convince anyone to believe in rebirth and kamma if the person is dead set not to believe! Likewise the concept of creator God!

To answer your question, again you need to have an open mind. The Buddha's explanation of the nature of life and existence was very alien to Western mind, especially when the person has been indoctrinated since birth to believe in the Creator God. We have 2 components in us. The physical body and the mind which is the storehouse of consciousness. This storehouse is the accumulation of all our kammic force. From here I quote a passage from an article:
"As long as this kammic force exists there is rebirth, for beings are merely the visible manifestation of this invisible kammic force. Death is nothing but the temporary end of this temporary phenomenon. It is not the complete annihilation of this so-called being. The organic life has ceased, but the kammic force which hitherto actuated it has not been destroyed. As the kammic force remains entirely undisturbed by the disintegration of the fleeting body, the passing away of the present dying thought-moment only conditions a fresh consciousness in another birth. It is kamma, rooted in ignorance and craving, that conditions rebirth. Past kamma conditions the present birth; and present kamma, in combination with past kamma, conditions the future. The present is the offspring of the past, and becomes, in turn, the parent of the future."


Your qn: "If one lives in ignorance and therefore must burn off negative karma in the next existence, then as a result, in that existence he may have frustrations with his situation. How is anything supposed to improve?

My comment: It is not in the improving, but in the paying-back of past debts. Having paid up, you are free to start with a clean slate.


Your last qn: "Isn't accepting the idea of compassion, accepting the 3 jewels on some level enough, without going into Buddhist theories which can be complicated, can you be a Buddhist by accepting compassion and discipline without karma? Or, does that just make you "like a Buddhist."? "

My comment: Whether you believe in electricity or not, that does not exempt you from being electrocuted if you place your bare hand on a life wire! Being a Buddhist actually does not require one to believe in anything. It just requires one to reduce one's greed, hatred and delusion; and to have inner peace living a harmless and peaceful life. Can we do that? (Across the room I've just heard from the TV news that the Israelis have fired another of their rockets into Palestinian territories!)

See, I told you so. You are still not fully satisfied with my answers!! Just the same, have peace.

Got God or not?

Question : (Unedited)

Buddhism does not accept the idea of a creator God, but did the original Buddha expressly state that, or, is it implied by the logic of his teachings?

My comment:

Hi Mc,

This is a follow-up comment to my previous answer which you can ignore for I have included it in here. My earlier answer was done on the spur of the moment without in-depth thinking. As I said I need to check the text. So here is the full answer.

If you mean creator God to be the Christian concept of God, then your question will have no answer because this creator God was not "known" during the Buddha's time; in fact this God was not "created" yet, bearing in mind that Christianity came into being during the time of Jesus. Even if you mean a Judaic God, it was also not known in India during the Buddha's time.

Actually when one asks a Buddhist of his opinion about the Creator God, it will be a nondescript terminology because this Creator God idea was never a contention in Buddhist teachings. So to believe or not is never a problem to the Buddhist. It is just like asking a Christian whether the scriptures reject the concept of Nibbana. As far as he is concerned this concept is irrelevant and a non-entity. He will tell us that what is not written in the Bible is not truth. There is not a need to reject specifically, as such.

Likewise, if we study the Buddha's teachings we will come to realize that if we agree with the Buddha, then the creator God is irrelevent and a non-entity. The Buddha did not need to specifically refute, because as far as he was concerned the creator God idea was not in his teachings. As a matter of interest, there was indeed mentioned by the Buddha of a different Creator God which in Brahmanism (the original form of present Hinduism) is called Brahma, the Creator God. In the first sutta of the Digha Nikaya, called the Brahmajala Sutta, it is said along these lines:
"DN I (Sutta 1) Brahmajala (The Perfect Net)
The world system will pass away. Then after a long time, this world system begins to re-evolve. Palace of Brahma appears but empty. Then some being falls from the World of Radiance and comes to live in the Palace. Being lonely he wishes that other beings might come to join him. Just then other beings also fall into this Palace. This Brahma thinks that he has created the others, and the others also think likewise, and Brahma being regarded as the Creator."


So in this context, the Buddha did expressly state that the concept of Brahma as the creator god was false. In the Judaic context we may conclude that it is implied.

Mahabrahma.

Question : (Unedited)
Why is Mahabrahma also called the Creator God? Does he play a role in the beginning of a new world system? Do we and dewas basically look alike (ie. have a face with 2 eyes, 2 ears,1 nose and 1 mouth and 2 hands and 2 legs)? Is it true that in the beginning of a new world system, the brahmas decended to the earth surface and gradually evolved to become human beings?



My comment:
Mahabrahma is called the creator god only by the Hindus. Maha means great, and Brahma means god. The story goes that this Brahma was the first to descend to the lower realm and feeling lonely wished for companions. Later others also descended and the self-fufilling prophesy was created. This Brahma thought that he had great power in creating the others, while the others thought that this Brahma really created them; thus he became Maha Brahma!
The beginning of the world and life are described in the Brahmajala Sutta (the first sutta in the Digha Nikaya) and the Aganna Sutta (Vol 3 Digha Nikaya).

From the description of the planes of existence, devas are also sensual beings which I would assume that they are similar to us, except more refined.

Devas

Question (Unedited)
Can dewas interfere with our practice of dhamma? If so, how?


My comment:
Devas are those beings in higher realms than us. There are good and not so good devas. Those devas who are our "neighbours" can influence our worldly lives. Buddhists perform chanting and puja at the Bodhi trees for purpose of requesting worldly favours and protection from them. Before formal chanting, we always invite the devas to participate and listen and share our merits. This is the Buddhist way of seeking "spiritual" protection.

Mara

Hi Dhamma Learner,

Welcome back. Here it goes:

(1) Is Mara the most powerful dewa, the fact that he is the king of the highest dewa realm?
Mara is one of the 2 most powerful devas in the highest sensual realm. The righteous king is Vasavatti Deva, and the other is this Mara Devaputta.

(2) Why is Mara not supportive of those practising dhamma? (eg. in a story of Arahant Uppa Gupta, who existed 300 years after Buddha's passing away)

Mara was jealous of those who could attain jhana as they would be reborn higher than him. Mara has great power that he can enjoy objects created by others for him. The story goes that Upagotta had subdued Mara and he had promised not to disturb any follower of the Buddha ever again.

A dangerous question!

(The perfect shot by CK Hon)

Question:(unedited)
Does (do) God (Gods) exist? How about spirits?

My comment:
Hi D........,

Thank you for asking me. First we must define what we mean by "God". In terms of monistic theology "God" is supreme, the creator, the all powerful. Within this framework of belief of the creator god, it is then virtually impossible for a Buddhist to provide an "acceptable" answer to this question. This is because the questioner has already had a fixed preconceived belief system indoctrinated over a period of time, usually since childhood. It will be a spiritual shock to receive an answer from a Buddhist. The questioner will not accept an answer that is contrary to his belief system. The result will be catastrophic if he feels that some bigots are trying to insult or belittle his uncompromisable belief system. So, this is a very "dangerous" question!

However, since you ask a Buddhist in this Buddhist website, I will take a chance to put my neck out. Buddhists do not subscribe to the existence of a creator god who is all powerful.

There is another definition of "gods". These are the higher beings existing in different (higher) planes of existence. The Buddha revealed that there are other planes of existence which we can't see with our naked eyes. We can only see in 3 dimensions. What about 4th, 5th, and other dimensions? These beings generally referred to as "devas" in Buddhist terminology. There are good and bad devas. These devas have higher powers than us and can sometimes help or harm us. You may equate this as good and bad "angels". Within this definition, "spirits" fall into this category.

Gods in our homes

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tygerlyl/248220831/

Question: (unedited)

I don't known if it's possible to throw some light into this matter. I would like to know, briefly if it's possible, the basic teaching/behaviour or concepts of people towards their parents, or old people in general. Of course, in a Buddhist perspective. All the best......

My comment:
The Buddha reminded us that there were gods (Brahmas) in our homes. We are supposed to pay great respect to them. These "gods" or Brahmas are our parents. Need we elaborate further?

As a good Buddhist, one is to practise compassion for all. It is most pertinent to pay more attention to members of our family. Respect of elders is deeply ingrained in Asian cultures.

However, with the changing trend of modern life-style, the family unit is under pressure and being challenged. People just cannot find enough time to care for one another. Everyone is so busy trying to make ends meet, trying to better one's standard of living, finding financial security to safeguard old age. In everyone's mind, the fear of being neglected by family members when one is old and useless, creates enormous pressure to seek financial independence.

In developed Western countries, this problem may not be so apparent as the social security and care for the aged are well organized and implimented. Taking care of our aged parents is not much of a problem if they are healthy. The big problem comes when they are frail and cannot take care of their personal hygiene. This will be a big test in our compassion and love for our parents. It will test our resilience and affect our financial position if we are not financially sound. And if brothers and sisters are not staying together, the big question of who is to take care of mum and dad.....????

How good a Buddhist will reflect on how much one can cope with the above scenario.

Seeing spirits

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_caono/2468039019/

Question: (unedited)
I was wondering is it often buddihist see spirits? I met a buddihist he took me to a monks house. Now I see spirits did I recieve this gift from them. Also do monks keep around guardian angels? I think that is what took me over to this house in the first place. thanks Becki

My comment:
First, I must comment that Buddhism is about realising truth and understanding the true nature of this world. The Buddha taught that we faced a lot of problems in our lives. He showed us the way to reduce these problems so that we could have peace of mind. What you are experiencing is most probably your own hallucination. The mind can trick us to believe and experience things that we want to experience. Take for example, if we are fearful of ghosts and darkness; when darkness comes and if we are alone, we will immediately become fearful and all sorts of imaginations and hallucinations take control over us.

The Buddha revealed that the mind is the most powerful force that controls us. An untrained mind is an uncontrolled mind. We become slaves to this untrained mind and succumbed to all sorts of fear and superstitions. This is because we are ignorant of the real nature of this mind. Once we understand this mind and begin to cultivate it with real insight by calming the mind, we will begin to understand our lives and will be free from fear and superstition.

There are people who have the "ability" to feel the presence of spirits. In your case, it was only after the visit to this monk. I doubt what you have experienced is real. I wonder why should a monk be transferring this "gift" to you. But be careful if it is real, then I wouldn't treat this as a "gift". To be able to see "things" does not mean that you are lucky or have acquired certain power. You may see MORE than meets the eye; those things that you may not want to see.

What you are doing is not Buddhism. Buddhism is training oneself to be a good-hearted person and be able to live in peace with oneself as well as with others. If a person is pure and peaceful, "guardian angels" are all around. It is just like a beautiful garden, where colourful birds and beautiful butterflies hovering around the myriads of sweet-scented flowers. But if one is evil, it will be like a trash can (for non-U S, rubbish bin), where ants, cockcroaches, rats, worms, and other disgusting and smelly creatures make their home. Hope you are not offended by my comments; but it's the truth that I am sharing with you.

The Devil (Comment)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmtimages/2215855522/

To-day we shall take the devil by its tail! Well, the devil is supposed to possess a tail, isn't it?

This was my comment:

All spiritual seekers always encounter the problem of the inability to reconcile or "match" their preconceived ideas of their understanding of what religion is, with the "new" religion that they are learning, or interested in. We try to bring in those beliefs and ideas of our familiar religion that we have inherited from our family and culture. We have already been indoctrinated since childhood of what our religion is, what we must believe, and what we must obey. With this fixed mindset we then undertake to learn a new religion assuming that this new religion must also embrace all those beliefs that we have been led to believe and accept.

A good example is the learning of a new language. We have our fixed ideas of the English language which has tenses, and, singular and plural nouns. Now, assuming you are learning the Chinese language, and I am to tell you that the Chinese language has no tense, and no singular and plural nouns. So, what are you going to do about it? Would you still insist that the Chinese language must have tenses, and must have singular and plural nouns? Or would you be wise enough to accept the Chinese language syntax and to learn as being taught? Of course, you will be wise enough to leave aside whatever you have of the preconceived ideas of the English grammar, and to have an open mind, so to speak, to accept the Chinese syntax.

Westerners have this problem of reconciling the concepts of the Creator God as well as the Devil, with the concepts of Buddhism. Suddenly, everything that they have been taught and believed in the name of religion is being questioned! It is therefore, easier if one is to start from a clean slate, so to speak.

The Devil in the Christian concept is non existent in Buddhism. This much I will comment. What the others choose to belief is of no concern to a Buddhist. We will not go into a debate over this.

As for "the equivalent", yes. The Buddha revealed that there are 31 planes of existence. We do not monopolize life. There are other planes of existence that our human faculties could not see or understand. We should know by now that what we cannot see or understand does not necessarily mean is not true. There are planes where there exist ghosts and aggrasive demons.

If we have a deeper understanding in the Buddha's teachings, we will realize that the greatest devil is our untrained mind! It is the devil that caused us misery and agony because of our own ignorance of the true nature of this world and of life. The crux of the teachings of the Buddha is to understand this devil inside us, so that we will have peace in our lives.

The Devil (Question)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/71755828/

Someone asked a very simple question. But do we have a simple answer for him?

He asked:(unedited)
[Do buddhists beleive in the Devil(Satan) or the equivalent? ]

We'll meet the devil to-morrow! Don't be afraid to visit this site then.

The age-old question (Comment)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdeziire/633167076/

As I said before, it is actually a waste of valuable time arguing over this age-old nebulous question. So a general comment would suffice:

Hi,

Actually your question was answered in my earlier reply that Buddhism (to the best of my knowledge) is the only religion that does not subscribe to the existence of a Creator God. As Buddhists, we are not concerned of what others claim themselves to be. Our mission is to practise the Buddha's teachings, to avoid doing evil, to do good, and to purify our mind. To avoid doing evil, means not to hurt all live forms to the best of our ability. To do good means to help others including being kind to ourselves. To purify our mind means to train our mind to be alert and mindful in order to practise the above 2 principles at all times.

The age-old question (Question)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevehopson/511818391/

Some would like others to prove that God doesn't exist. The irony of this is that these same people, in the first place, would not be able to prove that God exists. Buddhists do not have this problem. They simply are not interested; whether God exists or does not exist. The concept of God, the all powerful, the creator, etc, etc, is never in the vocabulary of Buddhist teachings.

This person didn't sound like asking a question, but expressing doubt about the existence of God: (unedited)

[Justin,

Thanks for the response, i got it now. This is off that topic but i was wondering what buddhists views were on Jesus. Not his teachings but his claim to be God. I have not even come to a conclusion on that but i figure that if he did claim to be than i dont believe he was a liar and i dont believe he was insane therefore he has to know what he is talking about. BUT if he wasnt claiming be God thats another question. Im just curious but i see this as the most important question when looking at religions or ways of life because Jesus and Krishna were the only people i know of who claimed to be God so we have to examine if they were lying or if they were even claiming that. Thanks again, ]

We may speculate until the cows come home, or in this case, until Kingdom comes; we will still be in square one. So are we still going to answer such nebulous question? Will tell you to-morrow. In the meantime you can think about it.