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Do Buddhists believe in angels?
opiumpoetry
Delaware, Ohio, USA Explorer
I know that Hindus and Jains believe in vidyadharas (wisdom-givers.) But I've never heard them or anything similar mentioned in Buddhism (though some say that in Buddhism, the term devas encapsulates both gods and angels). I ask because my father told me he was seeing angels on his last day, and he was a hardcore atheist.
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Define angels? Buddhists talk about devas I.e beings that live in the heavenly realms.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deva_(Buddhism)
Mahayana, Tibetan version, talks about many beings like: Bodhisattvas, Dakinis, Nagas, Gandharvas. Sometimes a sutra mention that some of those beings were in attendance (sometimes across the universe) of a teaching of the Buddhas.
Only as a skilful mind project. They taste of chicken if properly cooked.
So ... cultural, folk dharma, pop Buddhism, we Buddisseds believe any old twaddle.
I like to call on fallen angels (fiends from the Buddhist hell realms) Buddhist bodhisattvas from past, future and other religions, regions and realms. I give them specific tasks. We might call this tantric task assignment of imaginary/subconscious and superconscious states of mind. The more real the visualisation, the better.
Then with a snap of the fingers I return to the present clarity ... yum ...
Some do some don't...it's not a prerequisite for practicing the Dharma.. each to their own
.It's a case of.... Different stokes for different folks whatever helps to float one's spiritual raft...
It seems when I think deeply of what I believe, then I do believe in angels. But I’m not too sure about god.
My initial response is similar to @Bunks. Being an Athiest, how would your father define "angel"?
I neither believe nor disbelieve in celestial beings but I am happy they make a difference in peoples lives. My sister being one. She believes in angels. That belief seems to comfort her and of course I love my sister.
I think I could equate a bodhisattva with an angel and some Buddhist traditions are based around their aspiration so in that vein, I think I might even know a couple.
I'm gonna tell you a story. Grab a coffee and buckle up, it's a bit long. I might have told this before, and if I have, forgive the repetition...
Back in what must have been 1998 or 1999, I went to what was termed to be a "Psychic Fair". Incense, crystals, rune stones, tarot cards, candles, t-shirts, dream catchers... all for sale, you get the picture... All these stalls lined up through the centre of a huge Hall... and around the periphery, people sat at tables, doing palm readings, tarot readings, tea leaf readings, you name it. Well, at the time, I was still wet behind the ears when it came to Buddhism, and I was poking around, with an open mind, just finding my way...when I caught the eye of a woman, sitting quietly at a table, on her own, and she caught my eye too, so I thought, "there we go, hell, why not?" so I approached her, and sat down.
He first question, after smiling and saying hello, was "Just how many guardians do you actually need...?! You have about 8 people with you!" Ok, I thought, that's nice... she then went on to describe them, and I recognised two. One was my English Grandfather, and the other, my Italian uncle. I didn't know any of the others. She explained that sometimes, we have relatives we never knew, and sometimes, stranger-spirits latch onto a good ride, because they find the person interesting.
Now I give this woman some credence, because she mentioned 2 things she could not possibly have ever known about, and I had never met or seen her before in my life. Firstly, she described my brother to a T, called him by his name, with no added guesses along the way, and advised me on how to help him approach a serious problem he had. Bang on in every way.
Secondly, she told me, very accurately, that I had embarked on a journey with a renewed faith in a new calling, and told me that rocky as it might be, this was a path from which I would never diverge... and she described a Monk. A Buddhist monk. Tall, with a cream-coloured robe that ended at about his shins, leather thong sandals, a cord belt, and a long stick. He was smiling. She said this monk was my Guardian, and even if I forgot him, he would never forget me. He was in step with me, every step of the way.
Well, naturally this buffed my ego and made me feel evah so important, but his image, as described by this woman, stayed with me, and even though I tried to draw him, I knew it wasn't accurate... it was just my interpretation of her description, but somehow, I just knew it wasn't a likeness...
Well, life, you know....
In August of 1999, my family and I moved to rural France, and I became involved with a School of Passive Martial Arts, where I began to help teach Qi Gong, and also ran classes of my own, nearer to my home. The Head of this School was a gorgeous Frenchman named Gabriel Maradan, who was at once jovial, funny irreverent, and at the same time, a true Master.
He practised a hands-off Reiki type of therapy, and asked me one day if I wanted a treatment, due to a recent back injury (this was in 2003 - a disability that plagues me to this day!) so I agreed.
Well, after all this time I still remember how amazing it felt... he took about an hour but it felt like 10 minutes... By the time he had finished, he had worked up a sweat, and my hands and entire back tingled, and I had a warmth in my hara which was indescribable, and had never felt, before or since.
But when he spoke, what he said, absolutely floored me.
"That's the first time I have ever beheld someone's internal Guardian", he said. And described the Monk, exactly as the woman had, four years previously, right down to the sandals, cord belt and stick.
I had never told anyone about my monk, because to my shame, I had largely forgotten him. But he had obviously never forgotten me.
You just have to avoid the thinking bias known as: the Barnum effect. Which is when you see personal specifics in vague statements by filling in the gaps.
To think critically see how things could be interpreted to apply to anyone and not just you.
Not saying @federica story was an example of Barnum effect, rather I am just enjoying my deck of Critical Thinking Cards from School of Thought org that arrived recently that were a present to myself and they have 24 biases cards and 24 logical fallacy cards.
Pain killers, drugs and changes in our physical nature (nearing death) can alter our mentation. No surprises there ... I prefer Real Angels. Here is another story:
Two days ago my mother who I am shielding during this corona time, suddenly slumped forward at breakfast and was unresponsive. I was convinced she was dying. However I know very little about the death process or what was happening. Got my sister up, to ensure mother did not fall off her chair. Mother seemed to be slipping away.
Turned on our emergency mobile phone. Two green angels arrived within five minutes. They came by ambulance; paramedics.
... meanwhile just before the angels arrival, dying mother had taken a few unconscious/semi conscious deep yawns, and started moving her hand. She was regaining life. ✅🙏🏽🌈
A series of questions and angel type tests: cardio, blood pressure, oxygen levels etc and near death experience over.
–––
Now your question is about other realm angels. I tend to prefer reality as experienced ... Another time ... What do you prefer?
I read recently that the Japanese believe in angels which they call tennin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennin Funny that my father also mentioned that he was having "Japanese dreams" in the last weeks of his life. Hmmm....
My father was too ill to explain exactly what he was seeing, but that's what he said, "angels."
Well, people believe or don't believe many things until they see it. "Seeing is believing," as the saying goes.
Yes, balance is a good thing.
When I first started seriously practicing nianfo (Chanting the Buddha's name) last year I had two interesting experiences that could either be interpreted as signs or as mere coincidence.
1) I was chanting "Namo Guan Shi Yin Pusa" (basically asking Avalokitesvara to help me and all beings) I had the thought that it would be nice to get a little card or picture of her to sit in my altar while chanting. Around about an hour later I was buying a coffee at the local cafe and I rummaged through my wallet to see if I had one of those "Buy 10 get one free" cards for this cafe and what should I find? A credit card sized picture of Avalokitesvara sitting in my wallet! Now it's no mystery that it was there. I vaguely recalled purchasing it a couple of years before. But I hadn't seen it for so long it just seemed quite freaky.
2) I was driving in my car about six months ago with mindless talk back playing on the radio. I thought I should turn it off and do some nianfo practice. The exact moment I switched it off I heard "Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo...." playing in the car? I thought I must have switched stations or put a CD but I checked and the audio system in the car was off. Then I realised a YouTube video in my pocket of a nianfo video I had been watching earlier had started again at the exact moment I switched the car radio off.
Coincidences? Perhaps....but they both made me think.
Coincidence as @Bunks mentions, become part of our acceptance. I am very wary of supernatural favours. Initially they reinforce our practice.
Here is another angle on angels:
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/jootla/wheel414.html
Yesterday my nianfo machine switched on in my back pack and started chanting. Quite freaky!
I do believe in voices that can come and visit you. Whether they are angels is indeterminate, but there is so much other conceptual rubbish that comes with the idea of angels.
Sometimes, strange spooky stuff.
This is part of the focus or concentration aspect of practice manifesting. It really is as simple as that … but nonetheless may surprise us.
In vajrayana this sort of thing is favoured …
The Zen people deal very well with this, 'nothing to see, pass along'.
Mantra notoriously invokes the angelic/deity/quality of its nature.
No need to believe. Practice and experience.