Deities of Buddhism?

Question

Hello, everyone.

I am Buddhist and a devotee of Tara Buddha (particulary in her green manifestation). However, at the moment I am having something of a crisis of faith, and have been reading that these deities don't exist.

So, the question I ask is: do such deities really exist or not? Can any fellow Buddhists (particularly those of the Mahayana tradition) help me? I know some were said to be human beings who achieved Buddhahood, but how come one particular deity is known as someone else i another country, and looks completely different as well?! Help!

Thankyou

ps: No sarcastic commments please.

Om Tare Tutare Ture Svaha

Answer 1

Buddhism has no deities, in the sense of extra-terrestrial beings who somehow have influence over human affairs.

Buddhism does have a number of bodhisattvas who represent states of enlightened human consciousness. This means that bodhisattvas are not different than ordinary human beings like you and me -- when we function in an enlightened manner.

When we act with enlightened compassion, we manifest in that moment as the Bodhisattva of Compassion (Avalokitesvara).

The term bodhisattva means "enlightened (bodhi) existence (sattva)". Names and imagery are simply cultural. Avalokitesvara (Sanskrit) becomes Kuan Yin in Chinese, Kwan Um in Korean, Chenrezig in Tibetan, and Kannon in Japanese.

Buddhist imagery, especially in the Tibetan tradition within which you study, sometimes portrays bodhisattvas in ways that our Western consciousness interprets as god-like. But that's a cultural error on our part.

Any of us can easily become a bodhisattva. Just make a great vow to help all beings, attain enlightenment, and then ease the suffering of the world.

Answer 2

Deities In Buddhism

Answer 3

No specific deities except for Tibetan Buddhism which merged with an older shamanistic religion, and maybe some Japanese versions like pure land and Nichiren because they blended with Japanese folk religion and it was animistic and heavy in the ancestor veneration. Basic Buddhism recognizes that there is a force, a source of all divinity in the universe but doesn't label it as God or Creator or any other label that will limit your concept of Him. Instead Buddhists eliminate that which is not the Self, the Divine, and eventually what's left will be that Self. We also believe that we are not separated from the Self, we are the Self, and separation is just an illusion. If you look at a flower you can say that it is made up of petals and leaves and pollen etc... but it is also made up of water and sunshine and air and the Self and everything else that is in the universe. And so are we. Hope that helps.

EDIT: I stole that flower thing from Deepak Chopra

Answer 4

In most forms of Buddhism in Asia, prayer to deities is something that happens parallel to the practice of Buddhism. A deity is like having a powerful friend in city hall: good for getting a building permit approved, but not so much for answering the deepest questions in life. To get those answers, you stilll need to do the meditation. Vajrayana Buddhism (usually the Tibetan variety, though there are others) is a little different. here the worship and eventual identification with deities are used as a specific, advanced and pretty radical method of meditation. DO NOT do this without a competent guru to guide you.

Answer 5

The Taras are not deities, but representatives of certain virtues and ideals. Buddhism has no deities...it is an atheistic philosophy, not a religion. The more "colorful" Buddhist stories should be viewed as allegories, not actual people/events. The different versions that originate from different countries are simply varied interpretations, created by men.
Hope this helps you.

Om Mani Padme Hum. Namaste

Answer 6

First, you should talk to your teacher. If you don't have one, you shouldn't be doing Tara sadhana.

Tara is a generic term for a set of Buddhas or Bodhisattvas. Green Tara is one of the more popular ones. She originated as a goddess in Hinduism and was later incorporated into the Buddhist pantheon.

The purpose of Tara sadhana is to embody the enlightened qualities that she represents. As such, her existence or non-existence is a mute question. Nevertheless, Mahayana Buddhism has some very intricate philosophy concerning what is and isn't real. If you really want to settle your crisis of faith, you have two options: study Buddhist philosophy or put the question aside and keep practicing.

Answer 7

I wouldn't recommend worshiping deities if you're Buddhist. The main heart of the Buddhist tradition is meditation and achieving satori. Just focus on meditative techniques. Meditation has been found to have real practical benefits in terms of your physical and mental health, and you'll achieve far more through it than through deity worship. Study Zen Buddhism in addition to what you've encountered before.

Answer 8

I was just at the Rubin Museum, in Manhattan. The guide was a graduate student of Tibetan Buddhism from Columbia University. According to her (and my interpretation of her words), the green Deities are a representation of all the colors combined. Even the blue Deities are calmed in her presence.
If I remember correctly, the green deities are not humans who have escaped samsara. I believe that the white Deities are the humans who have escaped samsara, but choose to exist to help people who are in samsara.

You might be interested in the Rubin Museum of Art's website. The entire museum is Tibetan, Bon, and other Eastern artworks. I don't know the web address, just google it.

Answer 9

In Buddhism, deities are representations of mind states.
If you're having difficulty with a practice you should speak about it with your meditation instructor.

Answer 10

Deities "exist" only for the people who have the karma to see them. This is a crisis only because you have named it that. What would this feeling of crisis be if you did not know what to call it? And what is faith? There are many kinds of faith but the best, most stable kind of faith is based on reasoning. You have to study and practice! The two go together and are inseparable - developing both will make your faith irreversible. You must develop insight and concentration - but to do any of this you have to make some decisions. What is it you want to achieve? Some want happiness in this life, some want liberation from suffering, and others seek Buddhahood for the sake of all mind-possessors. The latter would be Mahayanists - the motivation is great, hence, great (maha) vehicle (yana). What makes a Mahayanist? It has been said that refuge in the Triple Gem makes a Buddhist. Bodhicitta, the mind that aspires to enlightenment, makes a Mahayanist and initiation makes a practitioner of the adamantine vehicle, secret mantra. So, which are you? What is refuge? Refuge is based on fear (of the lower realms, or of suffering itself) and faith (faith that the Three Jewels can help you.) What are the Three Jewels that we seek refuge in? Buddhas, Dharma and Sangha. What is a Buddha? What is Dharma? What is Sangha? There are coarse interpretations of what these things are...but then there are very specific definitions of what these things are. So, naturally, there is a great deal of study that needs to be done on the part of the beginning practitioner. And only through study, analysis and meditation on these very topics can any faith in their efficacy to relieve us of suffering (within this life or future lives) be activated. As for Tara, she doesn't "look" a certain way because you don't see her with your eyes...just like when you are asleep and dreaming you are not seeing with your eyes but there is still visual images appearing to your mental consciousness. Tara necessarily emanates in as many different shapes and colors and with varying degrees of detail and characteristics as there are devotees who make her their deity of choice. It is the same for all deities, really. And Buddhism is not that dogmatic. There is room in your practice for your own affinities and imagination...It is a lot like painting pictures. Once you learn how to draw, select subjects, stretch canvas, mix paints to get various colors, block your subject matter and get into the act of painting you are on your way. It is the same with deity practice...but take it slow and reinforce your practice with study. The most authoritative book I could recommend to you is "The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment" by Lama Tsong Khapa. It is available through Snow Lion Books. Of course, books by His Holiness the Dalai Lama are also highly recommended. Online, I would recommend www.lamrim.com and thubtenchodron.org. Best wishes to you!