17
votes
Why do Buddhists believe there is no creator?
For most people God is a dualistic concept. Meaning, for a typical person the unspoken assumption is: "I am here and God is over there". So when I think about God, when I speak to God -- I inevitably ...
- 58.3k
12
votes
Accepted
Why do Buddhists believe there is no creator?
First, some canonical background:
According to the Acintita Sutta, speculating on the origin of the cosmos or similar topics will lead one to confusion i.e. it cannot be understood.
According to the ...
- 37.4k
10
votes
Why do Buddhists believe there is no creator?
"Monks, I will teach you the All. Listen & pay close attention. I will
speak."
"As you say, lord," the monks responded.
The Blessed One said, "What is the All? Simply the eye & ...
- 25.7k
9
votes
Accepted
Why would the Buddha refrain from instructing?
I thus wonder, why wouldn't the Buddha wish to show the way to someone clearly mired in wrong view the right path to practice at his first request ?
It's difficult to exactly know what was going on ...
- 9,707
7
votes
Accepted
Does the universe ever end?
There were fourteen questions to which Buddha remained silent. The universe is eternal, The universe is not eternal.. were two of them. Read the following sutta.
MN 63 - Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta: The ...
- 9,695
6
votes
Why do Buddhists believe there is no creator?
For completeness, there isn't one Buddhism, there are many Buddhisms. The other questions already address the Buddhisms with either no god or no interesting and relevant gods.
By a process of ...
- 7,121
6
votes
What is the difference between right thinking and right view?
Samma Sankappa (right thinking) is the result of right view (Samma Ditthi).
If you have the wrong view your thinking will be wrong thinking. (Mittcha Sankappa)
Generally, right view is the forerunner ...
- 5,627
6
votes
Questions About Views in Buddhism
This is a long answer (below), so here is a summary up front:
"In Buddhism, what does it mean to hold a view?"
I think it means to get attached to a view, maybe to rejoice in or to delight in a view,...
- 46.3k
5
votes
Is Buddhism against scientific attitude?
No.
I'd say that Buddhism is or can be pro (in favour of) a scientific attitude. The structure of the four noble truths, for example, are analogous to medical thinking: symptoms, cause, cure, and ...
- 46.3k
5
votes
Why do Buddhists believe there is no creator?
The Buddha used to remain silent, when Hindu Brahmins used to ask him about his views on God. He used to give the example of a man carrying a lamp and walking along a village road in the night, trying ...
- 157
5
votes
Is "no-self" or "self" the more secure bet, e.g. for householders?
Your premise is that the Buddha taught a different Dhamma to householders, compared to monks.
This is incorrect, as according to SN 42.7, the Buddha taught the same Dhamma to monks, lay followers and ...
- 37.4k
5
votes
Did the Buddha ever refute the view of "extreme metaphysical nihilism" e.g. a view that "nothing is real"?
The Lump of Foam Sutta states:
Form is like a lump of foam,
Feeling like a water bubble;
Perception is like a mirage,
Volitions like a plantain trunk,
And consciousness like an illusion,
...
- 37.4k
4
votes
Why do Buddhists believe there is no creator?
Admittedly, I'm a beginner myself. However, it is my understanding that the Buddha took no position as to the existence/non-existence of a God who created everything we see, on the grounds that there ...
- 865
4
votes
Right view of the external modern world
The first thing that the story (i.e. "not got a particular position she rightfully deserved due to a conspiracy") reminded me of was verse 3 of the Dhammapada (i.e. "he robbed me" ...
- 46.3k
4
votes
Is Buddhism against scientific attitude?
The word ‘vijja’—translated here as clear knowing—also means ‘science.’ And just as science implies a method, there is a method—a discipline—underlying the knowledge that leads to Unbinding. If Dhamma ...
- 9,695
4
votes
Is Buddhism against scientific attitude?
Is Buddhism against scientific attitude? Is it against scientific research?
Kalama Sutta embodies scientific thinking where nothing should be accepted due to various non scientific reasoning. The ...
4
votes
What is Right View, and how can it be applied in the contemporary world?
In your daily life, as you go about things, just observe and analyse any negative thought arising in the mind without acting in response to them. One does not need a specific spot or time to do this. ...
- 9,695
4
votes
Accepted
Why have I awoken Now?
-- "why is it that in this life time I have became obsessively bent to attain nibbana"
There is a traditional Buddhist teaching that explains this Awakening through a combination of lucky causes and ...
- 58.3k
4
votes
Accepted
Why don't some buddhists believe in karma and rebirth?
If there are any Buddhists who hold the view that no beings are reborn, they are certainly right in that there is no absolute thing as a being or self, as Bhikkhuni Vajira reaffirmed to Mara in SN 5....
- 37.4k
4
votes
Accepted
How do we help people who have wrong views?
Before proceeding further, we should note that miracles should not play any role in convincing intelligent and rational people. Devadatta, the monk who tried to injure the Buddha and cause a schism in ...
- 37.4k
4
votes
Did the Buddha ever refute the view of "extreme metaphysical nihilism" e.g. a view that "nothing is real"?
Abhidharma deals with ultimate realities. Buddha rejected Nihilism (natthikavāda).
The ultimate realities of the world are hidden from us due to our lack of concentration to see clearly and the ...
4
votes
Democratic, not democratic, a valid and useful judging of a community?
Democracy often degenerates into foolish debates.
The Buddha was once asked to help a group of mendicants stop their ongoing harsh debate:
MN128:4.1: Then the Buddha went up to those mendicants and ...
- 9,336
3
votes
Accepted
Right view of the external modern world
The way Buddha explained these things, was not as much about justice/injustice as with references to how the world/society works.
For example he would say, if someone were to rob people, he will ...
- 58.3k
3
votes
Is Buddhism against scientific attitude?
Strictly speaking, Buddhism doesn't say "desire" is the cause of suffering, but that craving rooted in attachment is the cause of suffering.
Sometimes scientific curiosity is rooted in attachment, ...
- 796
3
votes
Eradication of identity view is a cause or effect of stream entry?
Sakkhaya Ditti is eradicated as a result of attaining stream entry. It's wrong to say that it is required to remove the identity view before attaining stream entry. Read the detailed answer given ...
- 25.7k
3
votes
Questions About Views in Buddhism
View is synonymous with a position (on something). It's a conviction that a concept or a cohesive set of concepts (a theory) is a valid (and complete!) description of reality, and that therefore any ...
- 58.3k
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