[Buddha-l] God is Emptiness?

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

S.A. Feite schreef:
> Dalai Lama Quote of the Week
>
> Question: Western religions use the term "God", and Buddhism does not. 
> Could emptiness or nirvana be considered God? If the afflictive 
> obstruction that is the conception of inherent existence is 
> eliminated, does one realize that everything is God?
>
> Dalai Lama: If God is interpreted as an ultimate reality or truth, 
> then selflessness may be considered as God and even as a creator in 
> the sense that within the nature of emptiness things appear and 
> disappear. In this sense, emptiness is the basis of everything; 
> because of emptiness, things can change, and things can appear and 
> disappear.* Thus, voidness--emptiness, selflessness--is this kind of 
> basis.
>
> * For more on this see Dharma Quotes Archive, May 7 and May 26, 2007 
> quotes, and Dalai Lama Quotes Archive, April 28, 2007.
>
> --from The Dalai Lama at Harvard: Lectures on the Buddhist Path to 
> Peace by H.H. the Dalai Lama of Tibet, translated and edited by 
> Jeffrey Hopkins, published by Snow Lion Publications
I resepct the Dalai Lama, but even more common sense. If emptiness can motivate crusades, chose his own favourite people, manifest as a burning bush, write signs on a wall, make statues weep and tell old Abe to kill his son, then and only then it will qualify for the job.

Erik


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