The Buddhist Creator-God

Today is Rosh Hashanah, Judaism's New Year's -- the anniversary of the day Jews mark as the "creation of the world." Did YHWH (Maha Brahma, the Buddhist creator-god) in fact "create" the world as the commencement of the High Holidays ending in Yom Kippur (ten days later) suggests? No.

While few American care or know much about Jews, only interesting themselves with the state of Israel as a place to send Jews or as the equivalent of "ten CIAs" (as a former head famously admitted in a rare moment of candor), the majority-religion is inextricably tied to Judaic beliefs. Americans' view of Jews is perhaps best revealed (somewhat offensively) in massively popular cartoon portrayals, such as Family Guy ("When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" episode), which today represent the single best way of tapping into the nation's zeitgeist.

The Greek God "Thor," the Indian version of "Indra" (home.planet.nl)

The human world (manussa-loka) has existed, cyclically, for a duration better measured in geologic-time than in terms of calendars and great events. The Buddha and Hindu texts such as the Vedas describe time in terms of epochs and aeons (kalpas) and beyond that great-aeons (maha-kalpas), indeterminate periods on a staggering scale. Furthermore, the evolution and devolution of world systems, or "world periods," is sometimes reckoned as a unit of time. When asked for a definition of an aeon, the Buddha responds that it is not easy to reckon in terms of this many or that many years but must resort to analogies that oppress the mind that attempts to conceive them and sicken the spirit that understands that they may as well be called "eternities."

As a Wikipedia author announces: Since the time of the Buddha, the refutation of the existence of a creator has been seen as a key point in distinguishing Buddhist from non-Buddhist views.[1] While Buddhism is called a religion, it might better be described as a "spiritual philosophy" due to the absence of an absolute creator god. Rather, Buddhism teaches that through persistent meditation practices and efforts to perfect morality, practitioners (and, by extension, all sentient beings) can dispel ignorance and relieve suffering. As taught in the earliest Pali texts, practitioners may through these practices become inheritors of the Dharma, and thus embody the Buddha's word (Buddha vacanam) as his hearers (savaka).

All that having been said, the rank of Buddhist creator god is a title more than a personal name -- Maha Brahma (the great supremo). Buddhist cosmology states that the various planes of existence correspond to the karma (consequential actions of moral significance) of individuals. Some of the most positively weighty karma are the Eight Jhanas ("meditative absorptions") -- four material, four immaterial -- and their degrees of refinement. This correspondence is explained in detail in a free ebook 31 Planes of Existence (Ven. Suvanno Mahathera).

Hindu God Rama (indianchild.com) often a trinity of Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva

BUDDHISM & THE GOD IDEA

Ven. Nyanaponika

Quite contradictory views have been expressed in Western literature on the attitude of Buddhism toward the concept of God and gods. From a study of the discourses of the Buddha preserved in the Pali canon, it will be seen that the idea of a personal deity, a creator god conceived to be eternal and omnipotent, is incompatible with the Buddha's teachings. On the other hand, conceptions of an impersonal godhead of any description, such as world-soul, etcetera, are [ultimately] excluded by the Buddha's teachings on [the basis of the Buddhist principle known as] Anatta, "non-self" or "unsubstantiality."

In Buddhist literature, the belief in a creator god (issara-nimmana-vada) is frequently mentioned and rejected, along with other causes wrongly adduced to explain the origin of the world. The same is true, for instance, about a world-soul, time, nature, and so on. God-belief, however, is placed in the same category as those morally destructive wrong views which deny the karmic results of action, assume a fortuitous origin of man and nature, or teach absolute determinism. These views are said to be altogether pernicious, having definite bad results due to their effect on ethical conduct.

[Editor's note: There are gods, devas as well as brahmas, but they do not have the abilities people presume. The mistake is attributing to them some special status beyond karma or Samsara. Some of the monotheistic notions, particularly Christian, are very misleading, while others approximate the claims made by superior beings, such as claims of immortality, omnipotence, omniscience, and the like. These should be understood as extreme longevity, great puissance, knowledge or even wisdom, and so on. The hyperbole that honors them misleads many followers who then fail to notice, or at least acknowledge, any limitations to their deities.]

Theism, however, is regarded as a kind of karma-teaching in so far as it upholds the moral efficacy of actions. Hence a theist who leads a moral life may, like anyone else doing so, expect a favorable rebirth. He may possibly even be reborn in a heavenly world that resembles his own conception of it, though it will not be of eternal duration as he may have expected. If, however, fanaticism induces him to persecute those who do not share his beliefs, this will have grave consequences for his future destiny. For fanatical attitudes, intolerance, and violence against others create unwholesome karma leading to moral degeneration and to an unhappy rebirth.

Although belief in God does not exclude a favorable rebirth, it is a variety of eternalism, a false affirmation of permanence rooted in the craving for existence, and as such an obstacle to final deliverance.

Among the fetters (samyojana) that bind to existence, theism is particularly subject to those of personality-belief, attachment to rites and rituals, and desire for fine-material existence or for a "heaven of the sense sphere," as the case may be.

As an attempt at explaining the universe, its origin, and man's situation in his world, the God-idea was found entirely unconvincing by the Buddhist thinkers of old. Through the centuries, Buddhist philosophers have formulated detailed arguments refuting the doctrine of a creator god. It should be of interest to compare these with the ways in which Western philosophers have refuted the theological proofs of the existence of God. More>>

Aion and Gaia (Earth) with four children, perhaps the personified seasons, mosaic from a Roman villa in Sentinum, first half of the 3rd century BCE, Munich Glyptothek, Inv. W504 (Wiki).

THE GREEK GOD-IDEA

The Greek Pantheon better approaches the Indian and Buddhist version, replete with Titans (Asuras) and monsters (Nagas, etc.).

Greek mythology is ambiguous. Click a name for its Wikipedia article. Download the PowerPoint version.Other Greek Gods trees: from Edith Hamilton's Mythology • by Jimmy Joe • at theoi.com • by Clint Terwilliger • on Wikipedia known errors: Generally inconsistent sourcing (no clear prioritization). Hyperion is also a Titan. Missing Priapus, and several others.

Question: What about the Christian God?

Answer: The Christian God Jehovah exists but is neither sole creator, nor almighty, nor all-knowing. On a Buddhist cosmological scale, it is possible to place Jehovah at Level 10. That realm is called "Devas Delighting in Creation" (nimmanarati). If that is the correct placement (others may argue for a different placement; see 31 Planes of Existence), the God of the West still deals with desire, anger, and delusion.

The arch-opponent of Christian lore, "Satan" (in Buddhism "Mara") might be placed at Level 11: "Devas Wielding Power over the Creation of Others" (paranimmita-vasavatti). But like the Christian devil, Mara does not refer to a single being. Mara-Devaputra is a deva (a kind of "Lucifer"); another Mara is a personification of Death, which rules the Sensual World in its entirety (because all being are of a nature to eventually die and be reborn). Other beings on earth are called "Maras," and these may be thought of as "demons" or spiritual soldiers dedicated to the cause of Death, corruption, anger, revenge, and spoilage. Lucifer, Satan, demons, and "unclean spirits" -- just like God, godlings, angels, light-beings -- all still deal with varying degrees of lust, hatred, and ignorance. Mara/Satan may have developed a particularly polluted mind (as for example the story of Mara Dusi, MN 50).

Buddhas and Arhats are beyond and above deities, gods, and other beings, since they irreversibly have eliminated all greed, all hate, and all delusion! They have transcended existence and continued wandering in Samsara by attaining nirvana. Nirvana is the deathless absolute peace, the supreme bliss, the highest bliss. No trace of craving, anger, or confusion remains.

More Details

• See the 31 levels of existence.
• On the recurring re-Creation, or cyclic genesis of the world, see the Aggañña Sutra (DN 27).
• Understanding Beginnings is a fundamental book on the historical Buddha.