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Spiritualseeker
07 June 2009, 07:48 AM
Hello all,

I have heard that Buddha is accepted in Buddhism as an incarnation of Vishnu. I was at a temple yesterday and noticed an image of Sidhartha Gautama. This awakens some questions within me. Did Buddha teach about GOd or not? According to buddhism he did not. Is Buddha Himself a manifestation of God? Were there any spiritual beings sent to the buddhist to remind them that they need to worship God?

hindustallion
07 June 2009, 10:47 AM
Nope. In the ancient times, people started to eat meat and do evil things in the name of God such as sacrifising animals and stuffs. To make a stop at it, Buddha was born as an incarnation of Vishnu. Buddha doesnot believe in God. He said that the suffering of the world is itself is a proof of God's false existence. Buddhists doesnot believe in God and they neither consider Buddha as one. Buddhists are people who follow the teachings of Buddha. They consider Buddha as a teacher.Buddha didnot established the religion as well.
Buddhism spread quick and swallowed the Indian sub-continent + China + other asian countries. After some years, Sankaracharya was born. His teachings contradicted the teachings of Buddha and Sankaracharya's teachings proved better. People started to think and they converted back to Hindus all because of Sankaracharya's valuable teachings. But his teachings didn't spread the whole continent, it was limited to India. While Indians converted back to Hindus, Chinese and others stayed Buddhists.

shian
07 June 2009, 12:14 PM
dont see Buddhism only by view of Theravadin


we also learn or to know about Mahayana and Vajrayana

there is have step of teaching
there is have a meaning in some teaching

Hindu saint also teach dont attach by images, we must deeply feel God , and some times beat other Devas or Devis puja, are this is mean the saint dont want us to respect other God or the saint reject the other Devas or the saint said other Devas is not God form ?

you also can find many story in Hinduism about the fact , the fact about what Saints do to Devas who they not use to meditation ? and also extreme example

the problem of Buddhist teaching just like Hindu problem about different sect

who learn Hindu history carefully must know this and not to be surprized about doctrin the diferent of Truth personification or teaching

even what do you believe is God for you, same Hindu people can said what do you believe is not true Higest God.

let me ask you :
"In this world, debate about God is always hapen, so many live, so many time is washed to it, so many peace, so many heppines is sacrified to this thing. But are human beings is already get one perspective about "ONE" God?"

Spiritualseeker
07 June 2009, 01:23 PM
Well if he is an incarnation of Vishnu wouldnt that make him God? Isnt vishnu a manifestation of God? Why is Sri Buddha images found in some hindu temples. The temple I went to yesterday had his statue there.

hindustallion
07 June 2009, 10:34 PM
Thats because Buddha himself denied the existence of God and those who follow his teachings will also accept it. Yes, Buddha's images are found in Hindu temples because the temple authority donot follow Buddha's teachings. They follow Hinduism which says Buddha is an incarnation of Vishnu and that is enough for Hindus to consider him as God but for Buddhists, Buddha is a teacher.

shian
08 June 2009, 12:17 AM
Thats because Buddha himself denied the existence of God and those who follow his teachings will also accept it. Yes, Buddha's images are found in Hindu temples because the temple authority donot follow Buddha's teachings. They follow Hinduism which says Buddha is an incarnation of Vishnu and that is enough for Hindus to consider him as God but for Buddhists, Buddha is a teacher.

this is not absolutely right

because even Buddhism self have many sect

you talk about Theravada

in Mahayana anda Vajrayana, Buddha is not denied God
the word who like reject some else is not only mean "REJECT"
Mahayana and Vajrayana is know about "Teaching for individual person" so what Guru teach to you is maybe cannot use to other student, maybe that is only for you.

what different about Guru and God?

in Vajrayana is nothing different betweeen Guru and Universe HIghest consciousness
nothing different between Buddha and 12 Gods who create and rule the world and universe
Samudra Dharmakaya
Vairocana samatha prabha

but if you think Buddha is only Guru and nothing conecction without God, this is no problem
acctually every beings is have different view for many names of God

so "we must have wisdom to know what things are good for spiritual development and what things is nothing any benefit, because our life time is very limited "

just like what Lord Buddha says

hindustallion
08 June 2009, 05:36 AM
So ur saying dat Buddhists believe in God and their God is Buddha like Jesus in Christianity. They both are teachers and the both have followers and the both religion was established by someone else.

MahaHrada
08 June 2009, 08:07 AM
So ur saying dat Buddhists believe in God and their God is Buddha like Jesus in Christianity. They both are teachers and the both have followers and the both religion was established by someone else.

In Vajrayana or Tantrayana Guru is one with the univeral Buddha mind, symbolised by different Adibuddhas (primal Buddhas, like Vairocana, Vajradhara, Vajrasattwa, diiferent namend depending on the lineage.) The Original teacher of this age the Shakyamuni Buddha was the Nirmanakaya, thid means the physical body manifestation of the Adibuddha, or Dharmakaya (highest body of the Buddha), which is the immutable impersonal ground of both samsara and nirvana.
Though this is not a personal god like ishwara it is nonetheless some eternally present though abstract ground of conciousness.

Thats why, if worshipping any Guru , or buddha , with the corect bhava or attitude, you worship the ultimate principle, same practice is observed in Hindu agamic or tantric teaching where the Guru is the same as the Devata.

Nondogmatic Nondualist
22 June 2009, 09:50 PM
Buddha was no more God than you or I. During his life, he always taught that he was not a god but only one who was "awake" (the meaning of Buddha). After his death, all kinds of theories were invented about him, including that he was an incarnation of Vishnu; I don't believe them myself, but it is for you to decide whether it appears true in your own experience.

Personally, I see no reason to believe in avatars (not that I see any reason to disbelieve either, if there is evidence for their existence). But why does it matter whether there have been avatars if all that exists is a manifestation of the Ultimate Reality? Have you considered the possibility that there is no need for any particular incarnation of God because all things emerge from God, exist in God and return to God? God is a word, but it points to the thing that is the basis for all life, all consciousness, all phenomena. Instead of asking whether someone was God, why not ask who in all of history was not God?

RamaRaksha
22 June 2009, 10:01 PM
"Buddha was no more God than you or I. During his life, he always taught that he was not a god"

Please note that neither did God Rama. In his lifetime Rama never once said that he was God. That's the greatness of Hinduism - it is asking us to see God everywhere, God is everywhere, but she can be seen clearly in people like Rama & the Buddha, maybe people just like you and me but who faught to make this earth a better world!

Hinduism is asking us to look for God in a different way - Abrahamic religions teach that some guy called God exists and he watches over us and is seperate from us. Hinduism is saying that God exists everywhere and is present in all that is Good and Beautiful! The word Namaste literally means I bow to the God within you.

Buddha was a Good and Beautiful person - that is why he is God!

That is the essential teaching of Hinduism - don't detach yourself from this world - before you leave, make this a better world and you will certainly reach God, whether you are a theist or an atheist does not matter.