Buddhism and monotheism
By: Peter Harvey
Series: Cambridge elements. Religion and monotheism; Cambridge elements
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2019
Place of publication: Cambridge, UK; New York, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 77
ISBN-13: 9781108731379; 9781108617123
Copyright date: 2019
Subjects: Nirvana; God; Buddhism; Doctrines; Buddhist interpretations
Description: Buddhism is a religion lacking the idea of a unique creator God. It is a kind of trans-polytheism that accepts many long-lived gods, but sees ultimate reality, Nirvana, as beyond these. It does, though, see Dhamma/Dharma as a Basic Pattern encompassing everything, with karma as a law-like principle ensuring that good and bad actions have appropriate natural results. This Element explores these ideas, along with overlaps in Buddhist and monotheist ideas and practices, the development of more theist-like ideas in Mahāyāna Buddhism, Buddhist critiques of the idea of a creator God, and some contemporary Buddhist views and appreciations of monotheisms.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 72-77).
Table of contents: title: The Indian religious context of the rise and development of Buddhism --; title: The different traditions of Buddhism --; title: The historical Buddha and past Buddhas --; title: Rebirth --; title: Karma --; title: Suffering: its causes and its transcending --; title: Pessimistic? --; title: Buddhist ethics --; title: Buddhist practices --; title: Buddhist meditation and Christian contemplation --; title: The cosmos at large --; title: The realms of rebirth --; title: Mara, the Satan-like deadly one --; title: How Buddhists see and relate to the gods --; title: Comparisons to monotheistic views on the heavens --; title: The Buddhist 'creation' and 'fall' story --; title: Buddhism on the supposed creator God, great Brahmā --; title: The lovingkindness and compassion of great Brahmā --; title: The Dhamma as the basic pattern structuring the world --; title: Dhamma ... and God --; title: A person as a flowing dance of conditioned, impermanent, selfless processes --; title: God as 'I am who I am' --; title: Nirvana ... and God --; title: The nature of the Buddha in the Theravada --; title: Faith and prayer in Theravada Buddhism --; title: Bodhisattvas in the Mahāyāna --; title: Buddhas in the Mahāyāna --; title: The Mahāyāna pantheon --; title: The three-body doctrine --; title: Amitabha Buddha --; title: Key Boddhisattvas: the all-encompassing Avalokiteśvara and the wisdom-embodying Mañjuśrī; --; title: Revelation, faith and prayer in the Mahāyāna --; title: The Adibuddha: a God-like figure? --; title: The Buddha-nature and the problem of evil --; title: Critical reflections on the idea of a god as creating living beings and the universe --; title: Buddhist general attitudes to other religions --; title: Conclusion.