♥ And what about God ? (Part 2)

But since so many people believe in some form of a Creator, it must be true.

Not so. There was a time when everyone believed that the world was flat, but they were all wrong. The number of people who believe in an idea is no measure of the truth or falsehood of that idea. The only way we can tell whether an idea is true or not is by looking at the facts and examining the evidence.

If people continue to believe in God, they do so through faith, and faith is simply holding on to a belief when reason, logic and the evidence says otherwise.

So if Buddhists don't believe in God, what do we believe in? We believe that each human being is precious and important, as all have the potential to develop the qualities of a Buddha – a perfected human being.

Human beings can outgrow ignorance and irrationality and see things as they really are. Hatred, anger, spite and jealousy can be replaced by love, patience, generosity and kindness. All this is within the grasp of each person if they make the effort, are guided and supported by fellow Buddhists and inspired by the example of the Buddha.

So if Buddhists do not believe in God, is it an atheistic religion? Buddhism is an atheistic religion only because it rejects the theistic and primitive concept of a Creator-God. The idea of God as a bearded old man looking down at us from the heavens and manipulating humans like in a puppet show appears ridiculous.

Instead, Buddhists have as their highest ideal the state of Nirvana. The Buddha calls it the highest bliss. It is a state beyond all conceptual thought and is described by the Buddha as the Unborn, the Uncreated.

Buddhism teaches that the focus of our attention should not be an imaginary God and pointless speculation about what such a God did in the past and what he will do in the future. Instead, Buddhism is immensely more pragmatic. It teaches to focus our attention on ourselves, - to determine what is the cause of our sorrows and pain and to find a way to liberate ourselves from these. These teachings are encapsulated in the Four Noble Truths.

Born a man, living as a mortal, by his own exertion Lord Buddha attained the supreme state of perfection called Buddhahood, and without keeping his Enlightenment to himself, he proclaimed to the world the latent possibilities and the invincible power of the human mind.

Instead of placing an unseen Almighty God over man, and giving man a subservient position in relation to such a conception of divine power, the Buddha demonstrated how man could attain the highest knowledge and Supreme Enlightenment by his own efforts. He thus raised the worth of man.He taught that man can gain his deliverance from the ills of life and realize the eternal bliss of Nirvana without depending on an external God or mediating priests.

He taught the egocentric, power-seeking world the noble ideal of selfless service. He protested against the evils of caste-system that hampered the progress of mankind and advocated equal opportunities for all. He declared that the gates of deliverance were open to all, in every condition of life, high or low, saint or sinner, who would care to turn a new leaf and aspire to perfection.

He raised the status of down-trodden women, and not only brought them to a realization of their importance to society but also founded the first religious order for women. He banned the sacrifice of unfortunate animals and brought them within his compass of loving kindness.

Most importantly, He did not force his followers to be slaves either to his teachings or to himself, but through teaching the famous Kalama Sutta, granted complete freedom of thought and admonished his followers to accept his words only after subjecting them to a thorough examination.To buddhists, Buddha is not our God. Instead, he is our Teacher.