hasunoha

Please tell me the Buddhist interpretation of “the sole god of Abraham's religion.”

Buddhism is a world-famous religion, but the religion with the most followers is Christianity, right? Islam also has considerable influence, and I hear that Judaism, the founder of these, still has a strong influence on the American political and business world.

It's hard for me personally to think that Buddhism has never made any approach to the “sole god of the Abrahamic religion,” which has such global influence, but is it possible to add some kind of Buddhist interpretation and decide what position it is within Buddhism?

Incorporating polytheistic gods such as Hinduism and Shinto into Buddhism is something that has already been done, just as there was a history of Hontokutei in Japan, and I don't think it's something that would cause that much turbulence for me personally.

However, as a matter of fact, when trying to position “the only god of Abraham's religion” within Buddhism, each monotheist said, “That's not right, it's the only god! There seems to be a big bashing saying, “Don't get inside the Buddha,” and I feel that it's quite difficult.

It's a story about balance with other religions, but if there is a history of boldly trying to incorporate only one god as Buddhism, or what I think this way as an active monk, I would be happy if elementary school students could teach it to me.

※Finally, I'm just an amateur when it comes to Buddhism, Shinto, and monotheism. There may be a fundamental mistake in the question. If that is the case, please point it out.

4 Zen Responses

It's a case where I enjoy my personal fantasies

I'll write it because when I enjoy my personal fantasies, I think like this.
In Buddhism, God is a type of creature called heaven or bonten (higher level than humans).
I don't know when the Old Bible was created, but Christianity is about 500 years after the Buddha's time.
If God's attitude changed in a good direction after the Buddha appeared, it might be because God referred to the Buddha's teachings.
For example, you can “imagine” the possibility that God was impressed by the Buddha's compassionate spirit and sent Jesus Christ 500 years later, referring to Buddhist bodhisattvas.
It is unclear whether Jesus was actually influenced by Buddhism.

In any case, gods (Bonten and Heaven) have yet to attain Buddhahood, so gods also have worries.
If you have worries, God is also likely to make mistakes.

I think I didn't get used to it

I read it.
I'm not a religious scholar, and I'm not an expert. He's a monk, and he's an ordinary person.
Therefore, if you ask for an answer as a specialized position of monotheism within Buddhism, I think it is inappropriate, but I would like you to be aware of it.
I am also interested in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The monotheistic religion they show us probably has immeasurably strong power. Also, as you can see from the fact that it originated from the origin of the Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilization, which is Western culture, it is also the history of Western civilization itself.
To that end, I think the way of life that inevitably occurs when people are born in that land and have civilization, characters, and history has become their own arbitrary faith and religion.

If you look at the general framework of history, the history of people in that region is, in other words, a history of invasions.
There, various tribes seize power and create and destroy nations based on the idea that our tribe is legitimate and that it is right for us to live and rule. I think monotheism is absolutely necessary in order for them to recognize our legitimacy.
Also, I think the regional nature and climate of the land have had a big impact.
At the same time, people have been fighting for about thousands of years, betting on their own survival. Since IS is expressed as a crusade, the history of that conflict has continued ever since. Even now, they are arguing with each other about their own legitimacy.
At that time, religion is often used as a tool of war and aggression. It's been going on for a long time as a set.

Of course Japan also had an invasion. They have moved to this archipelago from various lands, and conflicts have probably been repeated between indigenous people and new invaders. I think it was a fusion where faith and religion got stuck in it. I think it wasn't easy to get used to the strong monotheistic beliefs there. Or maybe polytheism was easier to accept and control in order to achieve reconciliation with indigenous peoples.

Going back to the Buddhist point of view, Buddhism basically doesn't fight. This is because killing people is evil and a crime. This is because the precepts also include immortality. Even so, this is not the case when people ask if Buddhists or religious groups have ever fought a war. It had a negative history of killing people. This is a crime against the correct teachings of Buddhism.
I don't think monotheism was very familiar with the history of Buddhism in Japan. Sorry for the unanswered question.

There is no Buddhist interpretation

If the Buddha were there, they would say this.
“God? If they are there, I'd like to meet them.” and.
A divine person called Bonten appears in the sutras, and this is an expression of conscience in the Buddha's heart. There is also a demonic person called Mana, and this is a sign of nausea in the Buddha's heart.
The Buddha was in his heart, so they often had discussions with both of them.

There is no need to incorporate God into Buddhism.
Every person has different ideas, and it is natural for every person to have different thoughts and beliefs. It's personal freedom.
In the first place, Buddhism is about thinking for yourself.

However, there is also a theory that Amida, whom I believe in, is a god originally introduced from Iran. Believing in Amida and going to the Pure Land of Paradise after death is slightly different from Buddha's teachings, and is similar to heaven such as Christianity.
However, the purpose of going there to the Pure Land of Paradise is different from heaven, and it is a place for practicing in order to become a Buddha.
Perhaps some kind of divine belief was incorporated into Buddhism as Amida. This may be consistent with the need for some kind of salvation for people who can't become Buddhas in this world, or who can't become Buddhas.

Well, there's no need to force God into Buddhism. If you have a connection, you can take it in, and if you don't have a relationship, you can't incorporate it, isn't it?
Adopting it boldly leads to selfishness, greed, arrogance, obsession, and suffering, which makes Buddhism superior to other religions, so I think it's better to refrain from it.

God of Creation and the One Absolute God

Mr. Hugo

This is Kawaguchi Hidetoshi. This is my humble answer to the question.

Personally, I believe that Buddhism basically does not deal with the creator god or the only absolute god.

This is because if they exist, first of all, it is because even the “Four Sacred Pillars,” which are important fundamental teachings in Buddhism, do not hold up, and are unnecessary.

In other words, everything is decided by God, and if it is up to God (if it is determinism/fatalism), no matter what we do or what effort we make, everything becomes meaningless, and in Buddhism, there is a risk that the law of causation, which underlies that basic principle, will be distorted.

Therefore, it doesn't deal with the Creator God or the only absolute God.

Incidentally, in Buddhism, Nyorai, Bodhisattva, Myoo, and the gods of heaven all exist as the sky (which does not exist as an entity) and is auspicious (made up of other causes, etc.), and I believe that deterministic, fatalistic, and fatalistic things are naturally denied even in their functions.

At least I understand my humble life as described above.

Kawaguchi Hidetoshi Gassho