Are Buddhists Agnostic or Atheists?

Question

I heard that Buddhism isn't necessarily a religion, but more of a philosophy on a way of life. This means that they really don't talk about a "God" like other religions do. So are Buddhists agnostic or atheists?

Answer 1

buddhism doesn't encourage OR discourage any belief like that because it's regarded as irrelevant concerning the path of enlightenment....

"Buddhism" in itself is not all about any divine being or anything,it's a way of life and that's atheistic....but there are people of other religions also who follow the buddhist teachings.hindus sometimes ,even with all the deities they believe in successfully follow buddhist teachings.

peter:because they have faith in someone that they claim is holy and they are organized

there are 2 schools-theravadha and mahayana

mahayana buddhism treats buddha s somewhat divine but this is inaccurate.theravadha is the purest form of buddhism.they regard the buddha as a very great teacher.

www.buddhanet.net

Answer 2

Wow. By the diversity of answers you've already received, and the wildly opposing points of view, you can see that Buddhism is not terribly well understood in the west.

Buddhism is not a religion, it is a spiritual path. We do not believe in literal gods, although we do use conceptual deities as a means of focusing our meditative practices. Buddha was not a god or deity, but rather a human being who attained an enlightened state of awareness which all human beings can attain. Yes, it is possible to practice buddhism and still practice your traditional faith. No, it is not necessary to believe in gods or disbelieve in them. Fundamentally it is about living in harmony with all sentient beings, and so accepting and respecting and integrating the beliefs of others is more important than grasping at some meaningless concept of being different, apart or somehow better than other spiritual paths.

Buddhists defy labels. We wouldn't say we are agnostic or atheistic -- just that we exist as all sentient beings do, dependently arisen from countless causes and conditions, and seeking nothing more than an end to suffering for all. However you "get there" in terms of ending suffering -- theistically, atheistically, agnostically or in ignorance -- what matters is that you do no harm to others, cause others no suffering, and work on eliminating the causes of suffering for all sentient beings.

Answer 3

Well, they aren't atheist. Atheist is the belief that no gods, hence no spirits exist.

If I remember correctly, buddhism believes kami(japanese word for spirits/gods) exist in everything. Though, this may be Shinto rather than Buddhism.

And I don't believe they are agnostic because doesn't agnosticism believe that there is a creator but nobody knows who/what it really is?

**ADDED**
Not a valid religion.....a cult? What crack are you on?

Buddhism is a lot more peaceful than any other religion/philosophy. BTW, buddhism is said to be a philosophy on how to live your life. You don't have to believe in gods (a main requirement for religions I'd say) to be a buddhist.

Buddha never claimed to be a god or son of a god or whatever. Buddhists emulate Buddha because he achieved enlightenment.

Anyone remember when buddhist priests(or one priest, my history is sketchy on the number) protested against some war or another? One I remember hearing was that he sat down in the middle of a courtyard, poured gas on himself, and lit himself on fire.

If buddhism is a cult, color me a cultist then. And those little buddha figures we see? That's actually Pei Mei, not buddha.

Answer 4

Some have a God so they are theists...but they are much closer to deists as the do believe in forces of creation

They are not agnostics or atheists at all

atheists=don't believe in supernatural
agnostics=not sure, no opinion
Buddhists=have beliefs about supernatural and life after death...so not either of the above 2

Answer 5

sure, many Buddhists are probably atheist or agnostic. basically a pair of small Buddhist sects prescribe to any particular deity. in my opinion, I evaluate Buddhism extra of a existence philosophy than a faith.

Answer 6

In a strictest sense one could say that we are agnostic.
If you would like to seek more info on Buddhism here is a link;


http://www.sgi-usa.org/

Answer 7

I consider them to be more agnostic, because they do believe in the supernatural, most atheists do not believe in any form of the supernatural. But then again since they do not believe in God, the only relevant requirement needed to be considered an atheist, you could call them either.

Answer 8

Buddhism is not inherently theistic, but many Buddhists do believe in one or more gods.

Answer 9

Buddhists are "non-theists," in the sense that their approach to the spiritual does not demand a belief in a deity, nor does it exclude the possibility.

Answer 10

Agnostics, who believe in a Divine force in the Universe. There is no need to identify it.