[Buddha-l] the existence of God in Buddhism

[Upeksacitta at aol.com]

The Buddha didn't include God in the avyakrta or indescribables  
(Culamalunkyasutta, Majjhima Nikaya Sutta 63), but if we take his list of  fourteen 
metaphysical beliefs as examples that illustrate a general  principle rather than as 
a complete list, God certainly ought to be on there (as  in my view should 
freewill and determinism, mind and body etc.) as a belief that  it is not 
practically good to hold because it is a source of dogmatic attachment  and not 
conducive to spiritual progress. Whether God actually exists or not in  this way 
of thinking is irrelevant, and thoroughgoing agnosticism is the most  
consistently Buddhist strategy.
 
We can also link belief in God to eternalism, because God is an example of  
the kind of absolute moral guarantee required to ensure future reward  for 
eternalists' current efforts. It is not the only way of providing such  a 
guarantee, but that is its likely practical function. If belief in God is both  a 
metaphysical and an eternalistic, then it conflicts with the Middle Way.
 
However, as this is a practical argument, the caveat is required that its  
truth depends on the practical interpretation of "God". Some very liberal  
Christians have de-absolutised God and mean something very  non-traditional. Its 
necessary to ask individuals what they mean and  assess its practical impact on 
their lives (is it a source of dogmatic  attachment, or of openness to 
conditions?) before drawing even  the provisional conclusion that they are  
eternalists.
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