Why do so many assume that Buddha is the god of Buddhism?

1. 83

   M. T. Dremerposted 10 years ago

   Why do so many assume that Buddha is the god of Buddhism?
   
   Very often, when religions are compared, certain people will lump Buddha in with other deities like Vishnu, Yahweh, and Allah (though it can be argued the latter two are just different names for the same deity). Yet, as far as I know, Buddha was simply the source of Buddhist teachings and modern followers do not consider him a god. I don't think Buddhism recognizes any deities at all, so why do you think Buddha is assumed to be a deity by passive observers?

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2. 57

   Kathleen Moralesposted 10 years ago

   People don't want to appear stupid or ignorant to what seems is an "easy", or "common knowledge" questions. It's amazing to see so many choose to be ignorant, not wanting to KNOW... There is no stupid questions.....its stupid not to ask... Sheesh! There are people out there that think the Korean War was part of the Vietnam war! This one kid, 23, tried to convince me that there was gravity in space...! I kid you not... anyway...thank you for the question! Waves!

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      Radical Rogposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Ah Kathleen, but there is gravitational fields throughout space. The moon is held in orbit due to the gravitational pull of the earth, the Earth because of the Sun's gravitational pull. Tides are controlled by the gravitational pull of the moon.

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3. 67

   Tusitala Tomposted 10 years ago

   It is said that Siddartha Gautama was a man who became enlightened and, after that happened, he became known as the Buddha.  In others words he was revered not as a god but for his wisdom. 
   
   Without wishing to rustle too many feathers, I think that Jesus of Nazareth went out into the wilderness, became enlightened and after that happened he became known as the Christ.  In other words, he too, was aclaimed for his wisdom.   And then the Religious Authorities of the day thought they could use that story in their own interests and have done so ever since.
   
   I suspect that Mohammed was a man who 'went into the wilderness' became enlightened and, likewise, became - as they all became known as Great Teachers.
   
   Whether any of them ever claimed to be gods is, to me, doubtful.  However, you need to remember that these men did not write their own biographies.  Others did that, sometimes hundreds of years later.

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      Electro-Denizenposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Great answer...

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4. 0

   Sri Tposted 10 years ago

   The confusion is due to the fact that there have been many Buddhas in Asia. Even today some are marketed like Jesus, in such a way that they offer miracles, gifts, grant favors for prayers etc. Tibetans have many like that. And people are getting their prayers answered, not realizing that it's just their own mind power, desires or thoughts materializing. The Japanese have gods for good luck or good fortune as well. In some cases, they are not talking about Siddartha Gautama, but they are still calling whatever the god that they pray to "a buddha" or enlightened one.

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5. 77

   kalinin1158posted 10 years ago

   Hi M.T.! Your question seems to be rhetorical. I think you're making a statement that many people assume that Buddha is the god of Buddhism, rather than asking for a specific answer. The way I see it, there is no "why" here, people just assume because it's easy and it falls into their pre-existing mental frame (Jesus=god, therefore, Buddha=god).
   
   But you've highlighted an interesting point, that Buddha is not a god (in fact, Buddhism is not even a religion), and neither is Mohammed, neither is the Jewish Mashiach that is still expected to come...Which does beg the question: why do so many assume that Jesus is the god of Christianity? ;-)

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6. 92

   MizBejabbersposted 10 years ago

   I was going to answer, but T. Tom's answer can't be topped. I will say that too many people are too lazy or too disinterested to study to find the truth. They just "assume" or they quote their friends or, in some cases, an ignorant preacher.

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