[Buddha-l] Re: G-d, the D-vil and other imaginary friends

[Richard P. Hayes]

On Tue, 2005-03-15 at 14:51 -0500, Evelyn Ruut wrote:

> Populating the cosmos with human-like spiritual super-creatures who
> are jealous, who crave, and who have enmity with one another, seeing
> these beings as some who are all good and some all bad, just entraps
> us more in samsaric confusion.

You are referring here, of course, to all the devas, asuras, mahoragas,
kimnaras, nagas, yakshas, pretas, maras, dakinis, bodhisattvas and
buddhas who grace the imaginative pages of Buddhist literature. I'm
inclined to agree that taking them too seriously probably does entrap
one in confusion. But enjoying the works of the imagination is not
necessarily unhealthy, for the imagination is as much a part of what
gives life meaning and joy as such sober disciplines as grammar and
logic are. I do not mind all the devas and buddhas one finds in Buddhist
texts, for they are entertaining. Similarly, I have no objection to
reading about angels, demons and devils, for they are equally
entertaining.

> In a buddhist cosmic picture, god and the devil might both become
> enlightened and hug one another and vow for eternity to give all
> living beings whatever they want to have happiness. 

As I'm sure you're aware, numerous Christians in history have held the
view that eventually God and Satan will kiss and make up and work
together to bring peace and happiness to all. It's a lovely story and
one for which Buddhists cannot take credit as its sole supporter.

> Man created god in his own image, and understanding that simple fact
> *IS* the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

As one who has read a certain amount of Christian, Jewish and Islamic
theology, I'd have to say that the predominant view of God is hardly a
being in man's (or woman's) image. God is usually portrayed as being
reasonable, or even Reason itself. Some human beings are capable of
being reasonable in short bursts, or at least they were before
television was invented, but not at all on the scale that God is
supposed to be reasonable. 

It may well be that God is but one of the many inventions of the fertile
human imagination--indeed, I was conditioned by my parents to believe
that and have never found adequate reason to doubt what my parents
taught me on that score--but I am not sure that this invention is any
more outrageous, improbable or dangerous than the invention of the
buddhas and bodhisattvas. What is dangerous is not those inventions in
themselves, but the people who invoke them in forgetfulness of the
principle of universal love and forgiveness that all these invented
beings keep reminding us of.

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico
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