Orange County Buddhist Church
Orange County Buddhist Church
A WAY OF SEEING (god?)
Do Buddhists believe in god? A god? Many gods? It used to be that many of us would hedge when answering this question. In some cases, it was apprehension, if not outright fear, of being physically harmed that made us (me) hesitate before answering, and then the answer would be in the form of a question: What do you mean by god? It is safer now in most places simply to answer, no. However, I, for one, would not give that answer in the Bible belt. Life is too short, as it is.
There was a time when a number of Buddhists would say, “Amida Buddha is something like God.” I cannot recall that they were ever challenged, nor can I recall what they meant by that. Since such statements were made before I had studied the Buddha Dharma, I did not challenge such statements either. Fortunately, such statements are no longer made; at least I have not heard any.
The Buddhas are said to be one in substance with us (butsu-bon ittai; literally, Buddha and ordinary mortals are one in substance), although it should immediately be said that that substance is non-substantial. It is, in fact, emptiness, which is itself empty.
It is what makes it possible for us to realize Buddhahood. It is also what makes it possible for us to remain ordinary mortals. It is what makes change possible, no, necessary. How we change depends to a great extent, but not totally, on our karma, the decisions we make to think in certain ways, to speak in certain ways, and to act in certain ways. The reason it is not totally dependent on karma is that karma itself is also empty, meaning that it, too, is contingent on myriad conditions.
In actuality, there is nothing that is not empty, including you and me. In a sense, that is all there is, keeping in mind that that, too, is empty.
God? No.
Namo Amida Butsu.
Donkon Jaan
Rev. John Doami
June 2007
