Who created the Creator – the God
- Part 1 -

Thangjam Sanjoo Singh *

Wat (Buddhist Temple) from Thailand - 2016

THE BUDDHA HAD NO GOD FOR GAINING ENLIGHTIGHTMENT

All have i overcomed, I know,
From all am i detached! All i have renounced.
Wholly absorbed am i
Having comprehend all by myself.
Whom shall i call my god.

If god really exists, I want to know him. I have read and have been reading almost all the religious holy books of the world and I still cannot find the exact definition of god. We talk only about god but when asked to explain who exactly this god is, even the most reverend religious teachers that I have met till today could not explain to me properly, precisely and exactly about him/her/them or it (god).

Instead, I rather feel that they were beating around the bush because it became more difficult and more complicated for a normal person like me to understand their way of explanation rather than the scriptures that I read. In fact, the sacred books explained far much better.

I, sometimes, also wonder if they, the preachers, the teachers, or the religious teachers too, understand what they are explaining about.That irritated me a lot.

However, before coming to anything, I honestly want to say that I am not against any religions. The scriptures and teachings are very remarkable, noble and magnanimous. So, if there is anyone who could teach or explain to me in a simple language a propos this god is then I'm ever ready to listen wholeheartedly. So, please kindly do not hesitate to call me.

But on the other hand, as I could not remain tight-lipped over the matter, I finally thought that the best thing would be to start searching for this so called "GOD" by myself. There was no answer. But in due course of time, I did find something more than god and I would love to share what I have found especially with our grandpas and grandmas and also with my fellow brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, etc…etc…etc.

At the end of the day, my irritation cooled down after I became a self-styled Buddhist. Because I got the answer and that is, it was the Buddha alone whose voice that entertained everybody. The Buddha explained properly.

It was the Buddha who taught that man could gain his own salvation by his own exertion without depending on GOD or meditating priest.

Of all the teachers of the world, the Buddha was the one who taught us to be self-reliant, who freed us not only from the bondage of our views but from the dependence on invisible god and gods.

He invited everyone into the state of freedom, which he called Nirvana. All must attain it one day and the attainment is the complete fulfilment of men

Buddhists do not take refuge in the Buddha seeking salvation directly through him, but to gain guidance and confidence for salvation.

The Buddha said:-
1. My voice is not a voice of the God

The Buddha belongs to the history of the world's thought, to the general inheritance of all cultivate men; for, judged by the intellectual integrity, moral earnestness, and spiritual insight, he is undoubtedly the greatest human being but not god who ever lived.

This was not the heavenly voice of a divine power, but a very human voice, which called on men to seek final emancipation through mental purification and enlightenment. Even today, this voice echoes in our ears and reminds us that we can understand the truth revealed by him, if only we exercise our will and our concentration.

The voice of the Buddha is a message of hope, confidence and courage. It tells us that hatred never ceases through hatred but only by loving-kindness. This vibrant voice emanated from a great person, who was once a warrior, a yogi, a mendicant and finally a Buddha – Prof Max Muller

2. Oh! The Buddha then who are you if you are not a god?

One day, a Brahman happened to meet the Buddha and he could not believe that the Buddha was a human being. He asked, "Are you a God?"
The Buddha said, "NO"
He then asked, "Are you a supernatural being"
The Buddha said, "I AM VERY NATURAL!"
In the end he asked, "Are you an ordinary human being?"
The Buddha said, "NO."
The confused Brahmin asked, "Then who are you?"
The Buddha answered, "I am the Buddha" (The Awakened one)."

3. Self-introduction of the Buddha
Known are the things to be known,
Cultivated are the things to be cultivated.
Destroyed are the things to be destroyed.
Therefore, I'm the Buddha.

4. Why the Buddha kept silence

When metaphysical questions were asked, he often did not reply, not because the Buddha had nothing to say but because he had far too much to say, which would only confuse the questioner.

The riddle-mongers of his day posed questions which were both too narrow and too shallow to answer for gaining wisdom or spiritual development.

5. The Buddha emphasised reason, morals, principles & experience

The Buddha had the courage to point out the unsatisfactoriness of POPULAR RELIGION, SUPERSITION, CEREMONY, and PRIEST CRAFT. He was not interested in the METAPHYSICAL and THEOLOGICAL OUTLOOK, MIRACLES, REVELATIONS, and dealings with the SUPERNATURAL.

His appeal was
– to reason, logic, and experience
His emphasis was
– on ethic
His method was
– one of the psychological analysis, a psychological without a soul.
His whole approach comes
– like the breath of the fresh wind from the mountain after the stale air of the metaphysical speculation. — Pandit Nehru

6. One who knows the true nature of the world

Among the founders of all the religions, I respect only one man – the Buddha. The main reason was that the Buddha did not make statements regarding the origin of the world though he was the only teacher who realised the true nature of the world.

But, while many others made unjustifiable claims based on rather simplistic logic on how the world originated, the Buddha did not commit himself to any statement about the beginning.

This was because he knew his listeners did not have the proper intellectual training and understanding of the physical world to comprehend what he himself had discovered. — Bertrand Russell

To be continued....