Concept of God in Buddhism

• Buddhism is basically a non-theistic religion, also considered a philosophy and moral discipline 

The idea of God has been a constant source of debate and conflict throughout the world. The existence versus non-existence of God and all things related to him is a question that has baffled and plagued mankind from the time of recorded history. Religious people who are theistic would say, well of course God does exist, while non-religious people who are atheistic would say no, he does not exist.
Diverse and different views that have been expressed by religious scholars and teachers on the subject of God and the Buddha’s view on this subject was not to accept or reject the idea of God. 

Buddhism is basically a non-theistic religion, also considered a philosophy and moral discipline, originating in India during the 6th and 5th centuries BC. It was founded by Siddhartha Gautama who later became enlightened as Buddha. The concept of an omnipotent omniscient creator God does not feature in Buddhism.
Buddhism differs from many other major religions by not being based on the belief in a creator God but upon human potential. Unlike other major religions of the world, Buddhism is not centred on the concept of God as the omniscient, omnipotent universal supreme being, who was responsible for the creation and dissolution of the world and the existence of sentient beings. 

The entire teaching of the Buddha is absolutely free from the notion of a permanent Creator-God who rewards and punishes the good and misdeeds of the beings, and a permanent self or ego entity

According to Buddhism, the whole existence is changing in a state of flux, and there is nothing that is either permanent or unchanging.  Buddhism is essentially a religion of the mind that advocates awareness, inner purity, ethical conduct, impermanence and reliance upon one’s own efforts and experience rather than an external authority other than the Dhamma. 
The entire teaching of the Buddha is absolutely free from the notion of a permanent Creator-God who rewards and punishes the good and misdeeds of the beings, and a permanent self or ego entity. 

Christianity, Islam and certain other religions are essentially monotheistic believing in only one God who created heaven and the earth. God is believed to have the qualities of holiness, justice, omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence, omnipresence and immortality.  
 Buddhism’s central vision can be summed up in the following stanza. “Sabba papassa akaranam -Kusalassa upasampada- Sacitta pariyodapanam etam Buddhana Sasnam”. Which means abstaining from evil, doing meritorious deeds purifying one’s mind is the essence of Buddhism.

One of the most salient features of Buddhism is its emphasis on self-reliance and the rejection of the notion that one can gain salvation by relying on an external agency or authority

Although Buddhism is a non-theistic religion, it does not specifically negate gods, as Buddha talked about many gods and other celestial divine deities, but did not mention anything about the creator God. In a sense, Buddha could be described as being agnostic as he did not accept or reject the idea of god. He was of the view that none of these divine deities or gods is a creator and that an eternal being could not interfere with the universe or human affairs and they too are trapped in the cycle of rebirth. 

Buddha believed that religious ideas and the notion of god have their origin in fear. The Buddha says. “Gripped by fear men go to the sacred mountains, sacred groves, sacred trees and sacred shrines”. (Dhammapada).  Primitive men when found themselves in a dangerous and hostile world, such as the fear of wild animals, of not being able to find enough food, of injury or disease, and natural phenomena like thunder, lightning and finding no security, created the idea of gods in order to give them solace and courage in times of danger and crisis. Therefore, the idea of God originated as a response to fears that people entertained.

Buddhism believes in the existence of neither God nor an eternal and immutable soul in the theistic sense. According to Buddhism, the whole existence is changing in a state of flux, and there is nothing that is either permanent or unchanging

Although many theistic religions and other faiths have for many centuries tried to prove the existence of god, there is still no real, concrete, substantial, irrefutable or conclusive scientific evidence available to prove its existence.  It appears the debate of the existence versus nonexistence of God will continue to be a perpetual one without a finality being reached. 
People who belong to theistic religions maintain that belief in God is a necessary prerequisite to lead a happy and meaningful life. But the fallacy of this argument is seen when there are millions of atheists and freethinkers who live a useful, happy and meaningful life. 

People worship the Buddha not as a God or a deity but merely as an act of commemoration of the founder of the great tradition and the Buddha is not an object of prayer or devotion. 
One of the most salient features of Buddhism is its emphasis on self-reliance and the rejection of the notion that one can gain salvation by relying on an external agency or authority. Buddha says “By oneself is evil done, by oneself is one defiled. By oneself is evil left undone., by oneself is one purified. Purity and defilement depend on oneself, no one can purify another”. 

Buddha in his numerous discourses laid emphasis on our capacity to liberate ourselves and the unlimited human potential. This is a distinctive feature of Buddhism.
The Buddha does not claim any divine status for himself, nor does he assert that he is an agent of human salvation. He is only a guide and teacher. According to Dhammapada “You yourselves must strive; the Buddha only points the way.  Throughout his ministry, Buddha counselled his followers to “be islands to yourselves, be refuges to yourselves, without looking to any external refuge,” 

People worship the Buddha not as a God or a deity but merely as an act of commemoration of the founder of the great tradition and the Buddha is not an object of prayer or devotion

Another question, which has agitated the minds of many is that If God exists, why is there so much suffering in the world? There is so much misery all around us. People are suffering untold agony and hardship at all times. We live in a world that is marred by gruesome murders, suicides, rape, and deadly diseases such as cancer and other pandemics, plucking the life out of so many young and vibrant people. We all have encountered suffering in our life.  Can the existence of such widespread human and non-human suffering be compatible with an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good being. Given the amount of significant and horrendous evil in the world, it is not possible for a morally good God to exist. As per the anthropic argument, if God is omniscient, omnipotent, and morally perfect he would have created morally perfect human beings in the world. 

As a theistic religion, Buddhism neither believes in God nor an eternal unchanging soul. It is essentially a religion of the mind, which advocates present moment awareness, inner purity, ethical conduct, reliance upon one’s own experience and the dhamma as the guide, rather than an external authority.
Buddhism confirms the existence of devas and other celestial pure beings and also other planes of existence. None of them are permanent entities, they all are subject to change, impermanence and evolution. It is said that the Buddha either remained silent or discouraged speculation when he was asked questions about the existence of a creator God or a supreme being.

Although many theistic religions and other faiths have for many centuries tried to prove the existence of god, there is still no real, concrete, substantial, irrefutable or conclusive scientific evidence available to prove its existence

He wanted his followers to remain focused on Nirvana and the permanent resolution of the problem of suffering without wasteful speculations, which was prevalent among many scholars and religious teachers of the time. His silence does not mean he was agnostic or he favoured the notion of God as the ruler and creator. His silence was not an affirmation of the existence of an eternal creator
Out of the founders of the world’s major religions, the Buddha was the only teacher who did not claim to be other than an ordinary human being. Other teachers were either God or directly inspired by God.. Only a man can become a Buddha. Every man has within himself the potential of becoming a Buddha if he so wills it and works at it. 

According to Buddhism, man’s position is supreme, and there is no higher being or power that sits in judgement over his destiny. His emancipation depends on his own realization of Truth, and not the benevolent grace of a God, or any external power as a reward for his obedient conduct. 
Buddha claimed to be an ordinary man and not a God or prophet. Buddha presented himself as an enlightened human being. The Buddha declared that human beings are fundamentally ignorant of the nature of existence and that everything in life is Unsatisfactory (dukkha) and is caused by ignorance (avidya) and selfish craving.