# Brahmā (Buddhism)

Brahmā is a leading God (deva) and heavenly king in Buddhism. He is considered as a protector of teachings (dharmapala), and he is never depicted in early Buddhist texts as a creator god. In Buddhist tradition, it was the deity Brahma Sahampati who appeared before the Buddha and invited him to teach, once the Buddha attained enlightenment.
Brahma lords over the heavenly realm of rebirth called the Brahmaloka, one of the highest realms in Buddhist cosmology. Brahma is generally represented in Buddhist culture as a god with four faces and four arms, and variants of him are found in Mahayana Buddhist cultures.

## Origins and nomenclature

The origins of Brahma in Buddhism and other Indian religions are uncertain, in part because several related words, such as the word for metaphysical "Ultimate Reality" (Brahman) and the word for "priest/wise person" (Brahmin), are both found in the Vedic literature. According to K. N. Jayatilleke, the Rigveda expresses skepticism about major deities such as Indra; whether he even exists, whether the universe has any creator, and whether this can ever be known, as evidenced in the Rigveda’s eighth and tenth books (particularly in its Nasadiya Sukta).
The late Vedic hymns had begun inquiring about the nature of valid knowledge, empirical verification, and absolute reality. The early Upanishads built upon this theme while, in parallel, there emerged Buddhism, Jainism, and other traditions. Buddhism used the term Brahma to deny a creator, as well as to delegate him (and other deities, such as Indra) as less important than the Buddha.
Early Hindu literature mentions Brahma with Vishnu and Shiva in the fifth Prapathaka ("lesson") of the Maitrayaniya Upanishad, which was probably composed in late 1st millennium BCE after the rise of Buddhism. The theological concept of Brahman is far older, and some scholars suggest the deity Brahma may have emerged as a distinct being and icon with attributes (as saguna) of the impersonal though universal principle called Brahman. The Buddhists attacked the concept of Brahma, states Gananath Obeyesekere, and thereby polemically attacked the Vedic and Upanishadic concept of a gender-neutral, abstract, metaphysical Brahman. This critiques of Brahma in early Buddhist texts aim at the Vedas, but the same texts simultaneously call metta ("loving-kindness" or "compassion") as a state of union with Brahma. The early Buddhist approach to Brahma was thus to reject any creator aspect while retaining the Brahmavihara aspects of Brahma in the Buddhist theological system. The deity known as Brahma is also found in the samsara doctrine and cosmology of early Buddhism.
Brahma is known as Fantian (梵天) in Chinese, Bonten (梵天) in Japanese, Hoān-thian (梵天) in Taiwanese, Pomch'on in Korean, Phạm Thiên in Vietnamese, Phra Phrom in Thai, and Tshangs pa in Tibetan.

## Classification

The term Brahmā in Buddhism refers to the leading god, but in some Suttas the term broadly refers to all deities who live in the realm of form. Ancient and medieval Buddhist texts define seventeen, or more, heavenly Brahmā realms (along with demi-gods, hungry ghost and hellish realms), in a stratified manner, which are reached in afterlife based on monastic achievement and karma accumulation. A brahma in these texts refers to any deva in the heavenly realms. The Buddhist god Brahmā himself resides in the highest of the seventeen realms, called the Akaniṣṭha. The multitude of Buddhist brahmas can refer to:
* Any of the deities of the formless realm of existence called Ārūpyadhātu brahma, who enjoy the highest heavenly pleasures in afterlife;
* Any of the deities of the anthropomorphic form realm of existence called Rūpadhātu brahma, who enjoy moderate heavenly pleasures;
In the Niddesa, the Buddha is devatideva, the god beyond the gods including Brahma.
In Thailand, Brahma or Phra Phrom is typically seen as the Buddhist god of order, government, law, students, the police, education, and the physical world. He also has a role of both making the universe from chaotic, primordial matter and states of existence, and afterwards continually maintaining it by mitigating the depredations of these forces, with his efforts both being helped and hindered by the order and chaos of humanity and its civilizations. Although, in modern and historic Thai religious writings, depictions that resemble the Hindu Brahma much more existed.

### Baka Brahmā

Baka Brahmā (literally "crane-Brahmā") appears in the Majjhima Nikaya, where he is a deity who believes that his world is permanent and without decay (and that therefore he is immortal), and that therefore there are no higher worlds than his.

### Brahmā Sahampati

Brahmā Sahāmpati, said to be the most senior of the Mahābrahmās, was the deity who visited the Buddha when he attained enlightenment, and advised him to teach the Dharma to humans.

### Brahmā Sanatkumāra

Brahmā Sanatkumāra (Sanskrit) or Brahmā Sanaṅkumāra (Pāli), the "Ever-young", appears in the Janavasabha-sutta (DN.18), where he is recalled as having created an illusionary presence to make himself perceptible to the coarser senses of Śakra and the gods of Trāyastriṃśa.

### Mahābrahmā

The singular leading deity and the king of heavens Brahmā is sometimes referred in Buddhist texts as Mahābrahmā. However, the Suttas are inconsistent in this regard and several early Buddhist texts depict Sakra (Pāli: Sakka) – who is same as the Hindu Vedic god Indra – as more important than Mahabrahma.
The Mahābrahmā, or the Great Brahma, states Peter Harvey, is mentioned in Digha Nikaya as the being who dwells in the upper heaven; a Buddhist student can join him for one kalpa (eon, Brahma-year in Indian religions) after successfully entering the first jhana in the form realm of Buddhist practice.

### Subrahmā and Suddhāvāsa

A pair of Brahmās who are usually seen together while engaging in conversation with the Buddha.

## Brahmaloka in Theravada Buddhism

Arupa worlds are the highest among all divine worlds Brahma worlds. Since the beings born in these Brahman worlds with very long lifespans are formless worlds, many Buddhas were born and preached the Dhamma, even if the beings are filled to the point of Ama Maha Nirvana, they do not get to hear the Dhamma. During the time when our great Bodhisattva was performing difficult tasks, Alara Kalama and Uddakaraputta, who were teachers, were born in these worlds after giving birth to Dhyana, so they did not get nirvana in this Buddha seat.
Those who have acquired formative meditation will be born in the formless Brahma worlds after death, and those who have attained higher formless meditation will be born in the formless Brahma worlds after death. For that, the Dhyanas acquired must die without deterioration. But worldly meditation taken as Ashtasamapatti can deteriorate. Therefore, those dhyanas acquired by meditating with vigor should be preserved without deterioration.
The kirya mind was born in connection with the rupavachara and arupavachara meditations associated with Buddhas and Arhats. These rupavachara arupavachara meditation minds are also called Mahaggata minds in Abhidhamma. Meritorious minds, meritorious minds and meritorious minds are considered for those who are not rahats. Arhats will have milky hearts. There is no power of reciprocation in the mind. In this way, like the emotional mind, the Pratishandhi mind is also a Vipaka mind. That is, what is the purpose of the mind is also the purpose of the Pratishandhi mind. And among the above-mentioned Brahma worlds, there is also a Bambalo, where the fourth Dhyana Vaduvas are born as Asanjasanta. Sages, yogis who have grown into intense meditation, are born here and have only a physical body. There is no mind. Yogis take the mind out of the body by gradually focusing the mind on one goal at the same time as the fourth meditation. For this one must have strong mental concentration. This world of Brahma is born from animals in the same posture as when it was born from the world of man. Chaturtha Dhyanaddo should resolve to be born in this world of Brahman. Even though this is a metaphorical world, it should be abandoned when the specified life span is over. The reason for this is that the impermanence that affects other worlds is common to this world of Brahma. Also, when born in the worlds of Brahma, such as Suddhavasa, the lifespan is very long, so a noble person who has all the paramitas can listen to the teachings of a Buddha and see nirvana in the worlds of Brahma.
The Buddha says so because during the lifetime of the Brahman worlds, a large number of Buddhas appear in the world. All the Buddhas who appear in this way go to the world of snakes to preach the Dhamma.
And the nature and composition of the worlds of Brahma are as follows. That is, the people of the great Brahma reside in the Brahma Parisajja In the Brahma Purohita resides the advisors of the great Brahma The Great Brahman is the world where the Great Brahman resides. Phrathabhaya is a world of Brahman with dim light The light of appamanabha spreads immeasurably. In Abhassara resides the Brahmas whose body light is very vast.In Paritta Subha dwells the Brahmans who spread their light in a little way. Brahman, who spreads the immeasurable light of the infinite bliss closes.Brahmas who radiate unchanging bodily light in Subha Kinha reside.The Brahmins who have attained Mahatphala Mahanisamsa in Vehappala are closed The Dhamma also mentions the above-mentioned body light as Khyama Prabhava.
According to Buddhism, the number of Brahma worlds Twenty is more than the number of divine worlds. According to the teaching of Buddhism, the details about Brahma Loka are given below.

### rǣpāvacara brahma lōka

1. brahma pārisadya
2. brahma purōhitaya
3. mahā brahmaya
4. parittābhaya
5. appamānābhaya
6. ābhassaraya
7. parittasubhaya
8. appamāna subhaya
9. subhakiṇhaka
10. vehapphalaya
11. asaṁgna talaya

### śuddhāvāsa brahma lōka

12. avīhaya
13. atappaya
14. sudassaya
15. sudassiya
16. akaniṣṭaya

### arūpāvacara brahma lōka

17. ākāsañacāyatanaya
18. viññāṁcāyatanaya
19. ākiṁcaṁñāyatanaya
20. nēvasaññānāsaññāyatanaya

## Brahmavihara

In the sense of "a being of the Rūpadhātu", the term Brahmā may be related to Brahmavihāra, a term referring to the meditative states achieved through the four Rūpajhānas, which are shared by the inhabitants of the Rūpadhātu. Prior to the advent of the Buddha, according to Martin Wiltshire, the pre-Buddhist traditions of Brahma-loka, meditation and these four virtues are evidenced in both early Buddhist and non-Buddhist literature. The early Buddhist texts assert that pre-Buddha ancient Indian sages who taught these virtues were earlier incarnations of the Buddha. Post-Buddha, these same virtues are found in the Hindu texts such as verse 1.33 of the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali. According to Peter Harvey, the Buddhist scriptures acknowledge that the four Brahmavihara meditation practices "did not originate within the Buddhist tradition". The Buddha never claimed that the "four immeasurables" were his unique ideas, in a manner similar to "cessation, quieting, nirvana". These meditation practices are named after Brahma, a god also found in Hinduism texts as well as Jainism text wherein he is equated with Rishabhanatha – the first Tirthankara in Jaina tradition.

## Chronology and Non-Buddhist views

The old Upanishads mention both Brahma in the masculine gender deity "Brahmā", as well as gender neutral "Brahman" as the impersonal world principle.
According to David Kalupahana, the Upanishads do not strictly distinguish between the two. In contrast, Damien Keown and Charles Prebish state the texts do distinctly present both the male deity Brahma and the abstract Brahman, however, in the Upanishads, deity Brahma is only referred to a few times. The Brahman as the eternal, absolute metaphysical reality – along with Atman (self, soul) – is the predominant and frequent teaching in the Upanishads and other Vedic literature of the Upanishadic period, so much so that early Hinduism is also referred to as Brahmanism. The Pāli scriptures, which were written centuries after the death of the Buddha (although understood as representing the memorized word of the Buddha), mention Brahma, but there is no unambiguous mention of the gender neuter Brahman concept.
Buddhism denies both Brahman and Atman concepts in ancient Hindu literature, and posits Śūnyatā (emptiness, voidness) and Anatta (non-Self, no soul) concept instead.
The word Brahma is normally used in Buddhist sutras to mean "best", or "supreme". Brahman in the texts of Advaita Vedanta and many other Hindu schools, states Nakamura, is a concrete universal, manifesting itself as phenomenal reality which is not illusory and nondual.
In the earliest Upanishad, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the Absolute, which came to be referred to as Brahman, is referred to as "the imperishable". The Pāli scriptures present a "pernicious view" that is set up as an absolute principle corresponding to Brahman: "O Bhikkhus! At that time Baka, the Brahmā, produced the following pernicious view: 'It is permanent. It is eternal. It is always existent. It is independent existence. It has the dharma of non-perishing. Truly it is not born, does not become old, does not die, does not disappear, and is not born again. Furthermore, no liberation superior to it exists elsewhere." The principle expounded here corresponds to the concept of Brahman laid out in the Upanishads. According to this text the Buddha criticized this notion: "Truly the Baka Brahmā is covered with unwisdom."
The Buddha confined himself to both ordinary empirical sense experience and extrasensory perception enabled by high degrees of mental concentration. The Upanishadic scholars, according to Francis X Clooney and other scholars, assert their insights as a combination of intuitive empiricism, experimentalism, and inspired creative perception.