Who "Created" the Universe?

(Buddha's Wisdom) Who created the Universe? | Buddhism's answer according to Matt

Baka Brahma, luminous,

entertained these [wrong] views:

“I AM that God, the One who makes,

Father of the whole World.

I flourish from My own purity.”

But He had wrongly conceived of

views that wrapped around Him

as tight as serpents’ coils:

The supreme wandering ascetics

conquered Him by knowledge.

He was cured. Source

Why don't [some] Buddhists believe in God? | Buddha's Wisdom

I am that I am?

A god (brahmā) known as Baka once reflected privately that he and his heavenly plane of existence were everlasting. He thought that it was not possible that there could be a higher plane of rebirth and was therefore convinced he had overcome all rebirth and suffering.

The Buddha discerned his deep-seated wrong view and decided out of sympathy to pay Baka a visit in his heaven. When the Buddha appeared in that brahmā world, Baka Brahmā welcomed him formally but immediately announced:

“Now, good sir, this [place] is permanent, this is everlasting, this is eternal, this is total, this is not subject to pass away; for this neither is born nor ages nor dies nor passes away nor reappears, and beyond this there is no escape” (MN 49).

The Buddha, however, contradicted him, pointing out that every one of his claims was wrong. Just then Māra the Tempter [a kind of Lucifer figure] joined their conversation. Māra’s task is to prevent beings from being won over to the Dhamma, to keep them trapped in the cycle of rebirth and death, what Mara views as his personal domain [11].

Taking possession of one of the brahmā’s attendants, Māra urged the Buddha, with a display of sympathy, to accept this brahmā as God, the creator of all other beings.

He told the Buddha that wandering ascetics of the past who delighted in things of this life and “who lauded Brahmā” won happy rebirths afterwards, while those who disbelieved and rejected Brahmā had to endure terrible punishment [in hells].

The Awakened One (the Buddha) let Mara have his say and then called his bluff: “I know you, Evil One. Do not think, ’He does not know me.’ You are Māra, Evil One, and the Brahmā and his assembly and the members of the assembly have all fallen into your hands, they have all fallen under your power. You, Evil One, think, ’This one, too, has fallen into my hands. He, too, has fallen under my power.’ But I have not fallen into your hands, Evil One. I have not fallen under your power.”

“All beings subject to craving—humans, subhumans, devas (celestial deities), or brahmās (grand divinities)—are said to be under Māra’s power because they can all be moved by their mental defilements and must drift along in the current of rebirth and death.

But the Buddha and the other arahants (fully enlightened ones) have permanently and completely escaped Māra’s circle of influence, for they have eliminated all defilements. They have exhausted the fuel that leads to rebirth and thus have vanquished the Lord of Death (Mara).

Baka Brahmā begins to speak on his own behalf. He reminds the Buddha of his opening statement on permanence. He warns him that it is futile to seek “an escape beyond” his own brahma realm. Then he cajoles and threatens the Buddha in the same breath:

“If you will hold to earth… beings… gods… you will be close to me, within my domain, for me to work my will upon and punish.”

The Buddha agrees that if he clung to earth (or any other aspect of existence) he would remain under the control of Mahā Brahmā ("Great Supremo") and Māra, too, but he adds:

“I understand that your reach and sway extend thus: Baka the Brahmā has this much power, this much might, this much influence.”

The Buddha points out that beyond the thousandfold world system over which Baka reigns there are planes of existence of which Baka is totally unaware, and beyond all conditioned phenomena there is a reality that transcends even “the allness of the all”—a consciousness without manifestation, boundless, luminous on all sides—to which Baka has no access whatsoever.

The Buddha, demonstrating his superiority in knowledge and power, then uses his superior psychic powers to humble Baka in front of his entire assembly. By the end of the discourse, these once haughty divine beings marvel at the might of the wandering ascetic Gotama:

“Though living in a generation that delights in being…he has extirpated being [becoming, bhava] and its root” [12].

A brahmā with wrong view

Once an unnamed brahmā gave rise to this deluded thought: “No ascetic is powerful enough to reach my [divine] realm.”

The Buddha read his mind and proved him wrong by simply appearing before him and sitting at ease in the air above his head, while radiating flames from his body in a dramatic display of supernormal powers.

Four great arahant (fully enlightened) disciples—Mahā Moggallāna (the monk the Buddha declared "foremost in psychic powers" among his disciples), Kassapa, Kappina, and Anuruddha—independently realized what had happened and decided to join their Teacher on this divine brahmā plane.

Each disciple sat cross-legged in the air respectfully below the Buddha—but above that brahmā—in one of the cardinal directions, emitting fire around himself. A short dialogue in verse took place between Mahā Moggallāna, the Buddha’s second chief male disciple, and that brahmā:

“Today, friend, do you still hold that view,

The same view that you formerly held?

Do you see a radiance

Surpassing that in the brahma-world?”

“I no longer hold that view, dear sir,

[I reject] the view I formerly held.

Indeed, I see a radiance

Surpassing that in the brahma-world?”

Today how could I assert the view

That I am permanent and eternal?”

According to the Commentary (tika) to this story, the brahmā gave up his wrong view, his wrong belief in his own superiority when he observed the magnificence of the Buddha and a few of his arahants.

When the Buddha preached the Dhamma to him, that brahma was established in the fruit of stream-entry and stopped thinking of himself as permanent.

When this brahmā saw his own [radical] impermanence clearly and distinctly for himself, his former tenacious wrong view, wrong opinion that his world and life were immortal was uprooted.

Many aeons of preparation, the brahmā’s quick intellect, the Buddha’s perfect timing, and the support of the four arahants bore fruit in this divinity becoming a stream enterer (one who has reached the first stage of awakening).

After the Buddha and those arahants left and returned to Jetavana, the great brahmā wanted to learn more about the powers of Buddhist monastics. He sent a member of his retinue to ask Mahā Moggallāna whether there are even more monastics of this teacher who can perform such feats as he can. Maha Moggallāna replied:

“Many are the disciples of the Buddha

Who are arahants with taints destroyed,

Triple knowledge bearers with spiritual powers,

Skilled in the course of others’ minds”

(KS I, 182–84; SN 6:5).

Not only do large numbers of monastics have such special powers and the ability to know other people’s minds, but there are numerous fully purified arahant disciples of the Buddha as well. The emissary was glad to hear this answer, as was that brahmā when he received the report. Source

• Matt (Buddha's Wisdom); Susan Elbaum Jootla (Buddhist Publication Society, Wheel 414/415/416, Teacher of the Devas); Dhr. Seven and Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Death Sutra; 'The Seventh Seal' (film)

 

Buddhists invented chess? (Rules)

The Seventh Seal (Swedish Det sjunde inseglet) is a 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman.

 

Set in Sweden [3, 4] during the Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) and a game of chess he plays with [Mara] the personification of Death (Bengt Ekerot), who has come to take his life.

• Buddhism in Sweden
• Origins of chess (chess.com)
• The origin of chess (Silk Road Foundation)
• All the European names of the game of chess have roots in the Persian language. French Echec and English “Checkmate” originated thanks to their Persian roots. At the same time, Buddhist pilgrims are known to have carried it towards the East. Where several versions of the games (inscribed discs placed on the intersection of the lines of the board rather than within the squares)... Where did chess come from? | CHESS KLUB

The Seventh Seal, 1957

Bergman developed the film from his own play Wood Painting. The title refers to a passage from the Bible's Book of Revelation, used both at the very start of the film and again towards the end, beginning with the words "And when the Lamb had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour" [5].

 

Here, the motif of silence refers to the "silence of God," which is a major theme of the film [6, 7]. The Seventh Seal is considered a classic in the history of cinema, as well as one of the greatest films of all time.

It established Bergman as a director, containing scenes which have become iconic through homages, critical analyses, and parodies. More

Death comes rolling at us. Are we ready?

The Simile of the Mountain, Pabbatūpama Sutta (SN 3.2)

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in Sāvatthī.

King Pasenadi of Kosala came and respectfully sat to one side. The Buddha said to him, “Great King, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?”

“Venerable sir, there are anointed warrior caste kings who are infatuated with authority and obsessed with craving for sensual delights. They have attained stability in the country, conquering and occupying a vast territory. Today I have been busy fulfilling the duties of such a king.”

“What do you think, Great King? Suppose a trustworthy and dependable man were to come from the east. He would approach and say, ‘Please, Great King, know this: I come from the east. There I saw a huge mountain that reached the clouds. And it was coming this way, crushing all creatures in its path. Therefore, Great King, do as you see fit!’

• This extraordinary threat looms also in an Upanishadic passage: “Even if both the mountain ranges, the southern and the northern, were to rush at him determined to level him, they would not succeed in leveling him” (Kauṣītaki Upanishad 2.13, translation by Olivelle).

“Then suppose another trustworthy and dependable man were to come from the west… a third from the north… and a fourth from the south, approaching to say, ‘Great King, know this. I come from [that direction]. There I saw a huge mountain that reached the clouds. And it was coming this way, crushing all creatures in its path. Therefore, Great King, do as you see fit!’

“Should such a dire threat arise—with so grim a loss of human life when human rebirth is so preciously rare—what would you do?”

“Venerable sir, what could I do but practice the Dhamma (Buddha's Teachings), practice morality, doing skillful and profitable kamma (deeds, actions)?”

“I say, Great King, I announce: Old age and death are advancing upon you. Since old age and death are advancing upon you, what shall you do?”

“Venerable sir, what can I do but practice the Dhamma, practice morality, doing skillful and profitable kamma?

“Venerable sir, there are anointed warrior kings who are infatuated with authority and obsessed with craving for sensual delights. They have attained stability in the country, conquering and occupying a vast territory. Such kings engage in battles with elephants, cavalries, chariots, or infantries. But there is no place, no domain for such battles when old age and death are advancing.

“In this royal court there are ministers of wise counsel who are capable of dividing an approaching enemy by wise counsel. But there is no place, no domain for such diplomatic battles when old age and death are advancing.

“In this royal court there is abundant gold, both minted and unminted, stored above and below ground. Using this wealth we can bribe an approaching enemy.

• Bhūmigata is explained as “underground” at Bu Pj 2:4.2.1 (there bhūmaṭṭha). | Vehāsaṭṭha is explained as “above ground” at Bu Pj 2:4.5.1. | Upalāpetuṁ (“bribe”) is a means by which Vassakāra suggests the Vajjis can be overcome (DN 16:1.5.8, AN 7.22:12.3).

“But there is no place, no domain for such monetary battles when old age and death are advancing.

“When old age and death are advancing, what can I do but practice the Teachings, practice morality, doing skillful and profitable deeds?”

“That is true, Great King, so true! When old age and death are advancing, what can one do but practice Dhamma, practice morality, doing skillful and profitable karma?”

That is what the Buddha said. Then the Awakened One, the Teacher, summarized in verse:

“Suppose there were vast mountains

of solid rock pressed against the sky

drawing in from all sides

crushing the four quarters.

So, too, old age and death

advance upon all living beings—

warriors, priests, peasants,

menials, corpse-workers, and scavengers.

They spare no one.

They crush all under them.

There is nowhere for an elephant to take a stand,

neither chariot nor infantry.

Mountains cannot be defeated

by diplomatic battles or wealth.

That is why an astute person,

seeing what is good for oneself,

being wise, would place confidence (faith)

in the Awakened One, the Dhamma, and the Saṅgha.

Whoever lives by the Teaching

[skillful in actions of] body, speech, and mind,

is praised in this life

and departs to rejoice in heaven(s).”

• Ingmar Bergman; SN 3.25: Pabbatūpama Sutta—Bhikkhu Sujato (trans.), suttacentral.net, edited by Kalyani, Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Poem: Death, be not proud; Buddhism

Why Death is NOT the end – The Buddha’s Wisdom on Dying and Beyond
(Buddhism Podcast) Sept. 11, 2025: Buddhism Explained. Discover the historical Buddha’s timeless wisdom on life, death, and what lies beyond [rebirth in endless samsara]. In Buddhism, death is not the end—it is a transition in the endless cycle of rebirth. This video explores key teachings such as

• mindfulness of death (maraṇasati),
• the Five Remembrances, and
• the Path to Nirvana (Nibbana)—the ultimate freedom beyond rebirth and death.

Through the story of the mother Kisagotami, the Buddha’s “Three Knowledges,” and profound insights into impermanence, we learn how to transform fear into understanding and live with clarity, compassion, and purpose. Let Death become a teacher, not something to fear.

• 00:00 - Death in Buddhism: Teachings from the Awakened One
• 06:56 - Why the Buddha understood Death so deeply
• 13:08 - From doubt to understanding, from understanding to liberation
• 19:03 - Living with this understanding.

Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud

By John Donne

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;

For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow

Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,

Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,

And soonest our best men with thee do go,

Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,

And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,

And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well

And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?

One short sleep past, we wake eternally

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

• "Death Be Not Proud," Wikipedia:

Mara's daughters: Craving, Lust, and Surfeit

"Sonnet X" is also known by its opening words as "Death Be Not Proud." It is a 14-line poem, a sonnet, by English poet John Donne (1572–1631), one of the leading figures in the metaphysical poets group of 17th-century English literature.

Written between February and August 1609, it was first published posthumously in 1633. The poem is included as one of the 19 sonnets that comprise Donne's Holy Sonnets or Divine Meditations, among his best-known works.

Most editions number the poem as the tenth in the sonnet sequence, which follows the order of poems in the Westmoreland Manuscript (c. 1620), the most complete arrangement of the cycle, discovered in the late 19th century.

However, two editions published shortly after Donne's death include the sonnets in a different order, where this poem appears as 11th in the Songs and Sonnets (published 1633) and sixth in Divine Meditations (published 1635).

What is it about?

What I meant was... (John Donne)

"Death Be Not Proud" presents an argument against the power of death. Addressing Death as a person, the speaker warns Death against pride in his power.

Such power is merely an illusion, and the end Death thinks it brings to men and women is in fact a rest from world-weariness for its alleged "victims."

The poet criticizes Death as a slave to other forces: fate, chance, kings, and desperate men. Death is not in control, for a variety of other powers exercise their volition in taking lives.

Even in the rest it brings, Death is inferior to drugs. Finally, the speaker predicts the end of Death itself, stating, "Death, thou shalt die." More

• Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud | The Poetry Foundation

Where is the Western Pure Land?

Self-power versus other-power

Amitabha: Infinite Light (Alamy)

"Amida Manifesting in the Dharma-body of Expedient Means," Japanese painting, at The Met.

"Self-power" (Chinese zìlì 自力, Japanese jiriki) and "other-power" (Chinese tālì 他力, Japanese tariki) are key terms used to explain and define Pure Land practice in East Asian Buddhism [179].

• Main article: Other-power

It was Shandao who first argued that Amitabha's power helped take people to the Pure Land after death (previous authors having held that Amitabha created the Pure Land and it was up to an individual's own effort to make it there).

This other-power relationship was compared to how a lowly man who is accompanied by a king can enter previously inaccessible places [180].

Did Christianity just steal this idea of tariki in whole, or is it a natural devolution of religion?

.

Whose power, my own or a magic Cosmic Buddha?

Chinese Pure Land Buddhism never denied the importance of self-power. Instead, according to Jones, Chinese Pure Land generally holds that "Rebirth in the Pure Land results when the two powers work together, an idea that the modern Taiwan Pure Land master Zhiyu (Zhìyù 智諭, 1924–2000) captured with the phrase "the two powers of self and other" (zì-tā èr lì 自他二力)" [179].

Thus, in Chinese Pure Land, rebirth in the Pure Land arises from a cooperation of the practitioner and the Buddha [179].

方便法身尊影: Amida's Dharma-
body of Expedient Means (The Met)

Yúnqī Zhūhóng argues that the practitioner's efforts connect with the Buddha's power through "sympathetic resonance" (gǎnyìng 感應) which links them with the Buddha, attuning their mind with that of the Buddha, much like one plucked string in a lute can make another string nearby resonate in sympathy [181, 178].

According to this view, the more that one practiced nianfo, the stronger and more enduring this bond with Amitabha became [182].

However, Chinese Pure Land masters also argued that one certainly cannot rely on self-power alone, which they denigrated as a futile effort [183]. More

Winter Solstice: The Sun is Reborn

Maybe visiting Newgrange in Ireland or Adam's Calendar in Africa would be better.

The Irish Winter Solstice: A Journey through Time and Spirituality

Happy Solstice wishes

It's interesting that the most recent full moon was the most northerly Luna (Soma, Chandra) ever gets and that at this time it seems to pause in the sky, beckoning us to pause and reflect. Winter is like that, a time for rest and wise reflection. The light is reborn and continues to increase throughout the year. Urth (Bhumi, Tierra, Earth) has rhythms that though the Church has tried to obscure them are still there to notice and sync up with. The Moon is a clock and a calendar, the Sun a guide. There is rhythm to the seasons and an orderliness to Nature. If we ever pause to notice, we may see that things are okay. We have been made to worry by thinking and fretting, projecting into the future, but when we reflect on the now, everything is instantly okay. This is the meaning of mindfulness, to bring ourselves fully into the present. Things unfold. They work themselves out. We have our duties. And why would we be anywhere when we can be here now?

Ceremony takes place at Stonehenge to mark winter solstice 2024: Watch live

(Sky News) Streamed live. Happy first day of winter. Thousands of people are celebrating the winter solstice, one of the rare occasions visitors can touch the great stones, at Stonehenge. It means from tomorrow (Dec. 22), days will start to get a little longer again. #Stonehenge #Winter #Sunrise

☀️ Is the winter solstice still important today?

The Irish Winter Solstice: A Journey through Time and Spirituality

(𝕴𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖍 𝕻𝖆𝖌𝖆𝖓 𝕮𝖔𝖗𝕶) Premiered Dec. 7, 2024: BLARNEY ROAD The Winter Solstice, marking the shortest day and longest night of the year, has held profound significance for the people of Ireland for millennia. This pivotal moment in the solar calendar was a time of great anticipation and reverence for early societies who lived in harmony with the natural world. In Ireland, this relationship with the solstice is perhaps most vividly preserved in the ancient monuments built to honor it, such as Newgrange in the Boyne Valley. These structures, with their precise alignments to the sun, reveal the extraordinary astronomical knowledge and spiritual depth of Ireland’s early inhabitants. For these ancient communities, the solstice symbolized the cyclical nature of life, marking the transition from darkness to light and the promise of renewal in the year ahead. Over time, this observance evolved, with Bronze Age and Iron Age societies incorporating the event into their spiritual and agricultural practices, while stone circles like Drombeg in County Cork and Dromnagorteen at the Cork/Kerry border continued to highlight the connection between humanity and the cosmos. The Winter Solstice is not just an ancient relic of the past; it is a living tradition that has woven itself into the fabric of Irish culture, spirituality, and identity, remaining an awe-inspiring moment of cosmic alignment and human reflection.

SUTRA: That time I met God (DN 1)

CIA Agent Stan Marsh can be a bit of a control freak. Here, he puts a gun to God's head to get his way. And God laughs...then shoots Stan in the head because that's just the kind of god he is, all vengeful and full of love (American Dad, "Rapture's Delight").

Before Genesis

(Bible Wisdom Chronicles) Before the Book of Genesis: The Untold Story of Creation (Gnostic)

The origin of the belief in a Creator God

I am the Great Supremo, Almighty creator, Brahma

THE BUDDHA: Now, there comes a time, meditators, when, sooner or later, after the lapse of a [cosmologically] long period, this world-system [devolves and] passes away.

When this happens, beings have mostly been reborn [due to their previous skillful karma, their wholesome deeds] in the World of Radiance (ābhassara deva loka), and there they dwell made of mind and feeding on joy, emitting light from themselves, traversing the air, continuing in glory (streaming radiance). They remain this way for a long period of time.

Now, there comes a time, meditators, when, sooner or later, this world-system begins to re-evolve. When this happens the Palace of the Supreme (Brahmā-loka) appears, but it is empty. And some [high-born] being or other, either because its* span of years has passed or its merit [the store of karma that allowed it to live there] is exhausted, falls from the World of Radiance and reappears [is reborn, comes to life] in the Palace of the Supreme.

• [*Brahmas do not undergo sexual dimorphism and therefore are neither male nor female, as is true of all beings above the level of brahmas, but may be said to be androgynous, encompassing or capable of encompassing characteristics of either gender.]

So this God is the be-all end-all?

And there also that being lives made of mind and feeding on joy, emitting light from itself, traversing the air, continuing in streaming glory, and thus remains for a long, long period of time.

Now there arises in this being, from dwelling alone there so long, a dissatisfaction and a longing: "O, would that other beings might come to join me in this place!”

• [NOTE: Buddhism is not atheistic but ultimately nontheistic, with many polytheistic overtones. There is not just one God but many gods (brahmas and devas), none of whom are the actual ultimate creator or first cause. Because time and universes happen in cycles, evolving and devolving, there could be an alpha and omega of sorts, but it isn't real or ultimate because there are higher-born beings than that. A brahma sees to the extent of its plane of existence and not hire, where it cannot access. So it is not omniscient nor omnipotent and either is not aware of the other "Gods" or is willfully ignorant so as to not have to ponder how they came to be there.]

And, just then, either because their span of years had passed or their merit was exhausted, other beings fall from the World of Radiance and appear in the Palace of the Supreme as companions, who in all respects are like it.

• There are many heavenly worlds (sagga, deva-lokas) and many Gods (brahmas) and gods (devas) among the general 31 Planes of Existence. There are countless individual worlds categorized into these general planes. See Buddhist cosmology.

On this happening, meditators, the one who was first reborn there thinks to itself:

“I am Brahmā [the Supreme], the Great Brahmā, the Supreme One, the Mighty, the All-Seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of All [the Universe], the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of All, appointing to each its place, the Ancient of Days, the Father of All who are and are ever to be. These other beings are of my creation. Why is that so? A while ago I thought, 'Would that they might come!’ And on my mental aspiration, behold the beings came!”

A.I. almost gets it right, missing sight of what the

Buddha really was: a human who rose above Gods.

The Gods are not awakened/enlightened. He was.

Moreover, those beings themselves also think: “This must be Brahmā, the Supreme, the Mighty, the All-Seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of All, the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of All, appointing to each its place, the Ancient of Days, the Father of All who are and ever are to be. And we must have been created by this being. Why? It is because, as we see, it was this being who was here first, and we came after.”

On this, meditators, the one who first came into existence [on that plane] is of longer life and more glorious [brighter, streaming more radiance], and more powerful than those who appeared afterward.

And it might well be, meditators, that some being on falling from that state, should come here. And having come here, he might go forth from the household life into the left-home life. And having become a wandering ascetic he, by reason of ardor, persistent exertion, consistent application, earnestness, and careful thought [balanced effort] reaches such rapture of heart [piti born of meditative absorption called jhana] that, rapt in heart, he calls to mind his past life (his last dwelling-place) but not the ones prior to that.

God didn't really create the world out of nothing?

Buddhism and the God-Idea

He says to himself, “That illustrious Brahmā, the Great Brahmā, the Supreme One, the Mighty, the All-Seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of All, the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of All, appointing to each its place, the Ancient of Days, the Father of All who are and ever are to be, the One by whom we were created, that One is steadfast, immutable, eternal, of a nature that knows no change and will remain so for ever and ever, whereas we who were created by that being have come here as beings who are impermanent, mutable, limited in duration of life.”

This, meditators, is the first state of things on account of which, starting out from which, some wandering ascetics and Brahmin priests, being Eternalists as to some things and Non-Eternalists as to others, maintain that the soul [self, atta, atman] and the world are partly eternal and partly not.

• Seth MacFarlane, American Dad; Long Discourses of the Buddha (DN 1), "The All-Embracing Net of Views," Dīgha Nikāya 1, Brahmajāla Sutta, translated by Prof. Rhys Davids and edited by Dhr. Seven (Dec. 2024), from Ven. Nyanaponika (formerly Mr. Siegmund Feniger) Wheel #47: Buddhism and the God-Idea: Selected Texts, 1962 (Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, Sri Lanka) for Wisdom Quarterly

9th avatar of Vishnu, Jesus or Buddha?

What the cartoonist (Dan Piraro) doesn't realize is that the Buddha did set down such a rule.

Great teachers of world's religions (Where's Mo?)

Christianity (particularly imperialist universalist Catholicism and hegemonical American Protestant Evangelism) is closer to Hinduism than Buddhism is, for all of their apparent similarities. The historical Buddha did not teach what Jesus or Krishna (avatars of a God like Vishnu), Brahma or Shiva taught.

All of these, we are told promoted devotional practices as the best that could be done by most humans during the Dark Age or Kali Yuga. Hinduism, to be more popular and tolerant, accepts other religions enough to swallow them and call them part of its own Eternal Teaching or Sanatan Dharma.

Hindu holy man, sadhu, sannyasin, ganja smoker

If Brahmin priests could not rid themselves of pesky wandering ascetic or shramanic traditions like Buddhism and Jainism, it simply dealt with them by incorporating them into its own structure and pantheon just as it did the ancient Vedas ("Knowledge Books") of proto-India and the Indus Valley Civilization, extending Hinduism (which was systematized and established by Adi Shankara a few centuries ago by coordinating and getting major points of agreement for many and diverse "religions" around the Indus River, thus resulting in the name of one conglomerate religion of Indus-ism where previously people did not live with the modern idea of being in a "religion" or doing anything more than practicing spiritual things as part and parcel of daily life).

• Was Jesus a Hindu avatar? | Catholicism Coffee

Tribal Jewish God in a polytheistic world

The British imposed the idea that one must name "spiritual" practices and/or superstitions and beliefs a "religion" and that those practicing in accordance or adhering to such beliefs must be "members" of that religion. The ancients in India, proto-India, Egypt, and elsewhere simply did not have this belief but simply went along when told by the dominant and oppressive colonizing culture. One has to imagine that pre-Christian pagans in Europe did not think they had a "religion" but were just living their cultural life and holding popular beliefs about how the world (with its spirits and mysteries) works.

Amitabha Cosmic Buddha

While Early Buddhism, just like Jainism, rejected the Vedas and gods as ultimate sources of wisdom or liberation, later (Mahayana) Buddhism was co-opted by the Brahmin priests and turned into a kind of Hinduism by other names. While there are certainly many devotional practices in modern Theravada Buddhism, a back-to-basics movement to preserve the historical Buddha's Teachings, many Mahayana traditions and practices went overboard to devote themselves to anyone but the historical Buddha.

Kwan Yin (female Avalokiteshvara)

That Buddha is respected but then quickly disregarded, forgotten, or shunned for "better" Mahayana Buddhist figures like the Cosmic Buddhas Amitabha (and His promise of praying to Him to be reborn in His heavenly Western Paradise, the Pure Land, where one can make efforts to reach enlightenment and liberation without bothering to do anything toward that here other than praying and devoting oneself to Him here and now) and Vairocana, or the ever-popular Virgin Mary figure Kwan Yin (Guanyin, Kwannon, Chenrézik, or Avalokiteshvara, the Goddess of Compassion, who like many other Mahayana figures is actually a bodhisattva, a person striving for Buddhahood, not a buddha at all) and Kṣitigarbha, who saves beings from the hells, which they fall into on account of their own deeds and views.

Pals Jesus, Budai, and Krishna with a cow

This devotional bent of Mahayana Buddhism has gotten so severe that who "the Buddha" is is often blurred, with most of the world mistaking him for the Mahayana figure Budai/Putai/Hotei the "Fat Happy Bodhisattva," the obese guy revered in Chinese restaurants around the world. Moreover, a distinction at one point had to be made between what Western elucidator of Buddhism Alan Watts points out in the Japanese Buddhist terms jiriki versus tariki -- enlightenment by one's own efforts or by outside help.

• Jiriki (自力, "one's own strength" [1]) is the Japanese Buddhist term for "self-power," the ability to achieve enlightenment and liberation (in other words, to reach bodhi and nirvana) through one's own efforts, whereas tariki (他力, "other power," "outside help") is the belief that it cannot be done on one's own. These two terms in Japanese Buddhist schools classify how one becomes spiritually awakened [2]. The first is commonly practiced in Zen Buddhism, whereas the much more popular Pure Land Buddhism refers to the power of Amitābha Buddha to "save" beings who merely have faith, believe, and worship an outside force like the mythological Amitabha [3].

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Does Christianity teach Christians and Catholics that they can save themselves, awaken themselves, enlighten themselves, or even get into heaven (which is viewed as final salvation) by their own efforts? Certainly not. Most modern Christian schools teach that it is ONLY by "grace" (God's underserved gift or His whimsical feeling like it) and never by "works" (one's own efforts) that anyone can be saved.

All three religions (Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism) believe in karma (the power of deeds to bring about a result, but Christians insist everything is either God's will or not and nothing we can do can change that, other than perhaps groveling, begging, bargaining, self-abnegation, and absolute devotion and throwing ourselves on His mercy can save us.

For Christians killing isn't so bad compared to not loving the God enough because that God can erase that karmic debt and sin, wipe it away in an instant of devotion, obedience, adherence, and voluntary slavery, whereas not killing in the first, who cares? That's not a big deal to most Christians or apologists. Of course, Hinduism now talks about karma a lot, but it is said that the Buddha was the first sage to go around telling ordinary people about the importance of their deeds.

Up until then it was more or less a secret among Brahmin priests and preservers of the Vedas, who were not keen on telling anyone other than Brahmins. The Buddha, who was regarded as a Karmavadin (Teacher of the efficacy of actions) not as a Buddhist (which came later with the Western idea that things have to be a "religion"), went around telling everyone, emphasizing karma to everyone as a principle, a fixed law, an orderliness to the universe we live in, be it a simulation or a real place.

One has to eventually put forward the endeavor and effort to awaken oneself; it simply cannot be "given" or gained by devotion. It does not belong to anyone to give, not even "God," who Himself, Herself, Itself is not enlightened nor liberated but rapt in this samsara.

So while it is beautiful that we can all be Hindus now, all go back to a time when there was just one universal religion everyone had to follow, a worldwide belief system with an all-attractive cult figure like Krishna, Christ, Thor, Zeus, Sophia, Aphrodite, Brahma, Mithras, Ahura Mazda, Allah (or His Prophet), the Great Spaghetti Monster, Odin, or countless other astrotheological figures, Buddhism does not need the Buddha to be an "incarnation of Vishnu."

• The great thing is, of course, that "Hinduism" is not really a religion even now when it is treated like one because it has always meant a collection of disparate views, practices, belief, and preferred central gods (one choice in picking any incarnation of an essential Brahman, or "reality behind all illusion") presenting itself as an avatar or aspect of the One True God(hood). The yogis have their way, as do the Shaivites and Vaishnavites, agnostics, atheists, Kali worshippers, devotees of the Goddess Saraswati, Ma Durga, Radha (Krishna's partner), Krishna, or 100,000 others.

In fact, it is insulting as it shows a severe lack of understanding by Brahmins and Hindus that such things could even happen. A buddha is an arhat (fully enlightened being), who therefore by that supreme enlightenment is never again reborn, does not incarnate, does not reappear or rearise. Of course, there will be other buddhas, like Mahayana Buddhism's second favorite buddha of all time, the Buddha-to-come, the Future Buddha, Maitreya.

But that being will not be the last one (Siddhartha Gautama Buddha) coming again. It will be a new one, just as there have been ones in the ancient past and in the distant future. It is never the same being returning to teach beings how to make an end of all suffering and all rebirth after realizing the too-subtle unique teachings of Dependent Origination and anatta (the impersonal nature of all existence) or egolessness.

The Lord's Prayer (Medieval English)

• Text by Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells, Pat Macpherson, Wisdom Quarterly

Happy Mother's Day, Buddha (video)

WARNING: Who is your mother? It is your current mother. The others were past mother so are not your mother. Do not cling even to your current, beneficial, wonderful mother. How much less to the others. Not every daughter will be a mother, but every mother was a daughter. Love your parents. Be grateful. Repay them with Dharma. Or (like, you know, if they were horrible) leave them be. This is what is best for you. Let them be what they will be. You don't own them. They don't own you. Do you owe them? Yes, very likely. If you refuse to repay them, okay then let them be. You are missing out on a rare chance because no ordinary karma is so powerful as what we do to or for our parents. They are like the Buddha for us, so valuable and extra-meaningful is what we do to and for them. That is how karma is. This is part of right view as the Buddha defined it. And because of wrong view, we suffer much. To not suffer, let us have confidence and believe the Buddha. Above all karmas is one karma: making an end of karma. And how do we do that? Awaken, know-and-see, and touch nirvana.

The Buddha's mothers (Mother's Day Special)

(Alan Peto) UNITED STATES. Mother's Day is a popular holiday, but is there a Buddhist equivalent? Did the Buddha ever speak of "mothers"? Yes, often! In addition to past lives, karma (actions) supporting his parents, he helped one of his closest disciples in a practice to help his mother who was reborn as a hungry ghost (preta). This became so popular among laypersons that there is a festival for it. We can also practice loving-kindness, compassion, and generosity for mothers right here and now. These are foundational Buddhist values that are perfect for Mother's Day (and every day).

Contact Alan Peto:  alanpeto.com/contact. Video disclaimer:  alanpeto.com/legal/video-disc...

Is the first video mockery? Whether said in jest or semi-seriously, it is nevertheless profoundly true. How long is samsara? That's easy to answer but, first, What exactly is samsara?

• Samsara is the "Endless Cycle of Rebirth," the spinning "Wheel of Life and Death," the "Revolving in the Ocean of Death, Suffering, and Rebirth" because every time one dies, one meets with rebirth -- and this has been going on since the beginningless past and will go on into the unforeseeable future.

Ah, in that case, who knows? A billion years?

Buddhist Mother's Day

(single_cell) Happy Mother's Day to all moms from the Buddha's moms (Maya and Pajapati) to God's wife, Asherah, to Jesus' mom Mary (Miriam) [both at one time or another being called the "Queen of Heaven"], to our mom, Eve of Eden (and the first female in the Agganna Sutta, the "Discourse on Beginnings [of Life on Earth]" (a.k.a. "A Buddhist Genesis") to the progenitor mother in science, also called Eve.

Beautiful Scythians/Shakyians of Central Asia

Hooray for moms! Can we agree that when we first began as a single cell, we were already composed of two halves embedded in a mother (or petri dish), cared for by a mother (or lab workers), and someone somewhere was a father, participating or not. Parents are very important because parenthood is karma. We are fortunate in having parents, but this fortune is not for nothing. We, too, have been mothers.

And samsara is so long, has been going on for so many billions of years and far longer than that, for aeons (kalpa) without discernible beginning, which is not to say there was no beginning but only to say that no beginning is visible, apparent, or sensible to our logic and assumptions about its nature. What is the nature of an answer that would fit the question? It must satisfy the question based on our other assumptions. So if we ask, "When did it all begin?" we are in no way prepared for the real answer. We're only hitting our head against a paradox of our own making.

• Single_cell, May 13, 2012; Alan Peto, May 7, 2022; Dhr. Seven (text), Ashley Wells (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly