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Buddha as a God

BekenzeBekenze
edited March 2012 in Buddhism Basics
Is the Buddha seen as a god in any sect of Buddhism?

Comments

  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    Philosophically I don't think so but in practice, particularly amongst the lay population, I think its actually quite common.
  • lamaramadingdonglamaramadingdong Veteran
    edited March 2012
    "Am I a god? No."
    "Am I a man? No."
    "I am awake."
    The Buddha
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    Is the Buddha seen as a god in any sect of Buddhism?
    The way we have temples, monks nuns, prostrations, mantras, incense and retreats, you'd think so.
    But then Buddha always denied being anything other than human, and as @lamaramadingdong he even pointed out himself, that he was simply 'Buddha'....
    No gender, no title, no divinity.

    just 'awake'....

  • ToshTosh Veteran
    Ajahn Brahm says that when he pays respect to a Buddha statue, he's not worshipping the man, but the virtues he has; love, compassion, truth, honesty (that kinda thing); virtues he wishes to develop in himself.

    Me? I always thank my Buddha statue after a period of meditation. I know that realistically the Buddha isn't around to acknowledge it, but it's useful to me to increase that sense of gratitude I have towards the Buddha. I know intellectually that the Buddha is dead and gone, however, my 'raft' helps me develop a positive quality I wish to have (gratitude).

    If a belief is useful to us, why not hold onto it, even though it's not 'real', and if a belief is harmful, why not discard it?

    Does that make sense?
  • BekenzeBekenze
    The reason I say this is because in a textbook I have, it specifically claims that "Mahayana Buddhists believe the Buddha is a god," and goes on to say that several times.
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    The reason I say this is because in a textbook I have, it specifically claims that "Mahayana Buddhists believe the Buddha is a god," and goes on to say that several times.
    I don't know about all Mahayana, but in TB there are many deities. Inside TB they aren't considered Gods but more as enlightened beings that we are meant to emulate. To an outside observer that may not be apparent and as per my earlier post that doesn't mean many Tibetans don't treat them as Gods.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    who wrote it?I don't know a single Mahayana practitioner who believes the Buddha is a god....
    I doubt it's written by a Buddhist, either....

    I read an article in a Sunday newspaper magazine, which included a short passage on something to do with Buddhism - it had so many holes in it i could have used it as a colander....
    I felt like writing to the journalist but then thought - "he will be so inundated by letters form people putting him right, i don't need to...."
    sure enough, the magazine published an apology a couple of weeks later, about a 'previous article having had a number of inaccuracies....'

    No, no tradition considers the buddha to be a god, as far as i am aware.
    Certainly not in Mahayana, as we know it......
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    I certainly can't speak for Theravada in terms of what should be. But I can relate some experiences in Thailand. I remember being in one temple, for example, when some young monks ask me to explain Christianity to them. So I gave them a quick outline, and I remember them thinking it was very odd to think that by praying to Jesus that anything you'd ask for would happen. "What can dead man do?", one asked.

    But on the other hand, when I would spend some time in a temple with Thai friends who were Buddhist, I would sometimes ask them what their thoughts were while "meditating". Surprisingly often they would say, "I was praying to Buddha for..." Other times I would talk to a friend who was going to the temple to "pray" for good luck with a lottery ticket. Another went regularly to "pray" that he and his wife would finally have a child.

    These were people who had almost no real experience with Christianity. Yet, they were treating meditation as praying...and it was their choice of words, not mine.
  • Invincible_summerInvincible_summer Heavy Metal Dhamma We(s)t coast, Canada Veteran
    I certainly can't speak for Theravada in terms of what should be. But I can relate some experiences in Thailand. I remember being in one temple, for example, when some young monks ask me to explain Christianity to them. So I gave them a quick outline, and I remember them thinking it was very odd to think that by praying to Jesus that anything you'd ask for would happen. "What can dead man do?", one asked.

    But on the other hand, when I would spend some time in a temple with Thai friends who were Buddhist, I would sometimes ask them what their thoughts were while "meditating". Surprisingly often they would say, "I was praying to Buddha for..." Other times I would talk to a friend who was going to the temple to "pray" for good luck with a lottery ticket. Another went regularly to "pray" that he and his wife would finally have a child.

    These were people who had almost no real experience with Christianity. Yet, they were treating meditation as praying...and it was their choice of words, not mine.
    The whole praying thing is the same in Chinese and Korean forms of Buddhism. I know lots of Chinese people go to temples on auspicious dates and "pray" (their words, not mine) and make offerings for "good luck" or health or whatever.

    When I taught ESL, lots of Korean students who were Buddhist would say their parents (as Buddhism is seen as a thing of generations past in Korea) would do hundreds (one even said over a thousand) of those prostrations Korean Buddhists like to do so they "would do well on an exam" or something like that.
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran

    The whole praying thing is the same in Chinese and Korean forms of Buddhism. I know lots of Chinese people go to temples on auspicious dates and "pray" (their words, not mine) and make offerings for "good luck" or health or whatever.

    When I taught ESL, lots of Korean students who were Buddhist would say their parents (as Buddhism is seen as a thing of generations past in Korea) would do hundreds (one even said over a thousand) of those prostrations Korean Buddhists like to do so they "would do well on an exam" or something like that.
    As principal, my favorite thing to do was visit the ESL classes!

  • WallyBWallyB
    edited March 2012
    Is the Buddha seen as a god in any sect of Buddhism?
    Bekenze

    what exactly is being referred to here when the term "god" is used? :confused:

    i think the term "god" must be defined to make the original question clear
  • cazcaz Veteran United Kingdom Veteran
    Gods are beings trapped in Samsara, Buddha is beyond Samsara so he is superior to Gods.
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    The Buddha is the teacher of Gods. :)
  • CinorjerCinorjer Veteran
    edited March 2012
    The reason I say this is because in a textbook I have, it specifically claims that "Mahayana Buddhists believe the Buddha is a god," and goes on to say that several times.
    Your textbook is wrong. To begin with, you can't even really say "Mahayana Buddhists believe..." because that's includes everything from Pure Land to Zen. Like the folks here point out, saying any Buddhist believes the Buddha is a god is definitely wrong on several levels. Perhaps the author is referring to Buddhists praying to Buddha and such, or taking refuge in the Buddha during times of suffering. This cuts across all schools of Buddhism and says more about human need than theology.
  • mind7mind7
    The Buddha is the teacher of Gods. :)
    I like this :)

    The Buddha is more of a teacher, a role model...not a god at all

    Buddhas are wiser than gods
  • KarunaDharmakayaKarunaDharmakaya
    Buddha isnt a god,Buddha is the teacher of gods,or the higher being(highest state of mind or whatever word we try to use to define the "it"

    also its a common misconception that Buddhist dont pray to the Buddha,this is due to the lack of sutras we have translated into english(Mahaparinirvana sutra has much praying in it) there are a few instances of prayer in the pali canon,(mostly though the Buddha just reads their minds and answers they thoughts or "prayer" needs.

    peace and love
  • Invincible_summerInvincible_summer Heavy Metal Dhamma We(s)t coast, Canada Veteran
    I'm noticing two different streams of answer here:

    1 - How the Buddha is/is not a god, according to suttas, and
    2 - How followers of Buddhism may/may not treat the Buddha as a god.

    Although the actual teachings in Buddhist sects may not treat the Buddha/Buddhas as a god/gods, that's not to say laypeople may treat the Buddha, Bodhisattvas, etc as such.
  • IñigoIñigo Explorer
    edited March 2012
    That is a useful clarification Invincible_summer.

    I have observed that in the Indian contenent (specifically Hindu thought), a person or Guru who recognised the Truth/God was considered no less than "God" (note the singluar).

    I personally found this observation useful to keep in mind as it helps me to understand why people may treat Buddha as a God (your number 2) yet not find confirmation as such in the suttas (your number 1) as Buddha did not say it as he taught only the end of suffering.

    Also Gods (plural) can be born and die if they take the material form. This is the same in some other Dharmic thought and hence can be found in and outside of the Buddhist suttas.
  • Invincible_summerInvincible_summer Heavy Metal Dhamma We(s)t coast, Canada Veteran
    That is a useful clarification Invincible_summer.
    I have observed that in the Indian contenent (specifically Hindu thought), a person or Guru who recognised the Truth/God was considered no less than "God" (note the singluar).

    I personally found this observation useful to keep in mind as it helps me to understand why people may treat Buddha as a God (your number 2) yet not find confirmation as such in the suttas (your number 1) as Buddha did not say it as he taught only the end of suffering.
    Yes, this sort of high level of reverence for a person/guru who has "recognized the Truth" as you say may be misinterpreted by outsiders as treating said person/guru - in this case, the Buddha - as a "god."

    However, knowing how Chinese and Korean laypeople treat the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, it's not the same. Some truly believe that Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have power to change things and aid them if they pray/prostrate/etc enough. This is beyond reverence/deep respect, and more in line with deification.

  • IñigoIñigo Explorer
    edited March 2012
    I am not sure if it is outsider misinterpration, it could be, my point above is that my impression is that the lack of boundaries between an enlightented being and "God" is cultural, hence supplication and prostration. I will have to find a lay Buddhist to teach me more :)
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