Robyn LebronHowever, at the same time, Buddha did not rule out the existence of a God or gods altogether.. With the growth and spread of Buddhism, local deities and religious practices w
Trang 1Robyn Lebron
However, at the same time, Buddha did not rule out the existence
of a God or gods altogether With the growth and spread of Buddhism, local deities and religious practices were included in it Today, Tibetan Buddhist cosmology talks about a large number of
“Divine Beings” believed to be representative of the psychic life One of the six realms of the Tibetan cosmology is the realm of Gods, who must take birth on earth as humans to attain enlightenment.7
In Mahayana Buddhism, however, the universe is populated with celestial Buddhas and bodhisattvas who are worshiped as gods and goddesses The historical Buddha is honored in this way, but most other Buddhist deities are adapted from the cultures Buddhism has encountered—from the pantheon of Hinduism to the indigenous religions of Tibet, China and Thailand Among the most popular Buddhist deities are Kuan Yin, the Medicine Buddha, the Laughing Buddha and the Green and White Taras.8
Christ
Not included in Buddhist doctrine However, the Buddhist connection to Christ is a very interesting and controversial topic There are many who believe that Jesus traveled to India during his “lost years” in the Bible and was influenced by Buddha’s teachings In 1887, Nicholas Notovitch discovered scrolls in a monastery in Hemis that purported to Jesus having traveled to the East when young and studied the scriptures of several faiths, including Buddhism Nicholas’s discovery was originally dismissed by scholars and theologians as a hoax; however, collaborative information has subsequently surfaced, and the controversy raised by the manuscript rages on today with new vigor
Basic Doctrine
The orm of Buddhism (based on the original form of Buddhism) is dominant in southern Asia, especially in Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia and Laos
means “The Way of the Elders” in Pali, reflecting the Theravadins’ belief that they most closely follow the original beliefs and practices of the Buddha and the early monastic elders.9
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