By Victor M Fontane
Why Buddhist don’t believe in God?
First, this isn’t about convincing you to abandon your beliefs. Buddhism is all about free inquiry and questioning everything, even its own teachings. Whether you’re a devout believer, a skeptic, or just curious, this information of Buddhist philosophy will challenge your assumptions and open your mind to new possibilities. Stay curious, stay compassionate, and remember - the truth is waiting to be discovered within you.
When I say God is about the all powerful, all knowing creator who rules the universe. But, the Buddha himself never focus on this idea, he was more interested in solving the problem of human suffering in the here and now no speculating about human origins. In fact, when questioned about universe origin he remained silent not considering important for human liberation. Centuries after, Buddhist in the world don’t care about that God but not necessarily means that they are atheists as they believe on different Deities that are representation of different enlightenment qualities but not a creator. Buddhism is about self empowerment; every single human has the wisdom and compassion to free himself from suffering and don’t need to rely on any savior or deity. The key of liberation is in a super hero hiding inside us and waiting to be unleashed. This idea of radical responsibility is a game changer and our happiness and spiritual goal is in our own hands. We cannot pray and make offering and wait for a divine being to solve our problems.
Buddha’s final words were: “Be a lamp unto yourself, trust your own wisdom, question everything and don’t blindly follow any leader or doctrine”. Also, karma and rebirth taught by Buddha, will shape through cause and effect our life experiences and also our evolution and path to enlightenment. There is no need for a divine judge or accountant to keep record of our life and behavior. We are the one who shape our destiny or life experiences.
Another important concept is the Buddha’s idea and teachings about the non-self. Buddhism says that everything including our sense of self is impermanent and constantly changing. There is not some eternal soul that was created by a God, instead we are eternal shifting thoughts, feelings and experiences and for Buddhism that clinging is the source of continuous suffering. Letting go of our ego and embracing the continuous change drive us to our freedom.
Buddhism also focus on meditation and mindful living to bring to reality this concepts that may sound abstract and, cultivating awareness we can cut through the illusion to discover the ultimate nature of reality. Buddhists believe that the higher truth is beyond thoughts, concepts and even beliefs and can only be known by looking inside, spiritual practice and pure not contaminated analysis.
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