‘God’ is nothing but the Supreme Truth Essay

Differing from world’s other great religions Buddhism, is not based on any conception of a Supreme Being or Godhead (Myss, 2006). Buddhism relies on human effort to relieve suffering, â€Å"These wise ones, meditative, persevering, always using strong effort attain Nirvana – the supreme peace and happiness† (Buddha, 5th Century B. C). The Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, is a human being who achieved great enlightenment or ‘Nirvana’; but, even the Buddha is not ‘God’. The acceptance of a Supreme Truth is the closest to the concept of ‘God’ in Buddhism. This Truth is to be realized by every individual, by following â€Å"Dharma†; one â€Å"who with clear understanding perceives the four noble truths: namely suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the eightfold holy way that leads to the cessation of suffering†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Buddha, 5th Century B. C). By being righteous and practicing ‘ahimsa’ or non-violence, the misery-filled human life can be transcended to a state of Nirvana or ‘Self-Realization’. In this enlightened state, there is neither happiness nor misery; when questioned by a disciple about the state of ‘Nirvana’, Buddha is said to have answered â€Å"I am the State of Pure Consciousness, that is reflected in all beings† (as cited by Swami Sukhabhodanda, 1997). Buddhism initially evolved as a repudiation of Hindu God and God-heads. Hence, even the so-called god-heads have to attain perfection. Supreme State of Enlightenment is achieved only by the individual’s efforts and thus the soul undergoes the cycle birth-death-and re-birth according to its â€Å"Karma†- or its doings in adherence to the path of Dharma, until it reaches ‘Nirvana’. While accepting the Karmic cycle of Hinduism, the eight-fold path of Buddhism are very similar to the Biblical sayings; for example Buddha’s Dharma of Right Action is very similar to â€Å"Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead† (James 2:17). But differs from Christianity in that, 1) there is no ‘God’, 2) there is no Judgment Day, and 3) the acceptance of the concept of re-birth. ‘That Thou Art’ The Vedas or the Holy Scriptures are the basic foundation on which Hinduism stands. And in the Upanishads, which are a part of the Vedas, one finds a numbers of instances in which the concept of the Supreme Being or ‘God’ is analyzed. The Atharva Veda says â€Å"Verily He is One/ Single, Indivisible, Supreme Reality† (Atharva Veda 13/4/20). In fact, the Rg Veda, the oldest of the existing Vedas, elaborates the concept of ‘God’ thus: â€Å"He is One Brahma/ The Creator of the cosmos/ Who pervades and protects/ And enlightens aft beings/ He is One Supreme Entity/ Whom sages call by various names/ Such as Indra, the glorious/ Mitra, the benign friend/ Varuna, the greatest, the noblest/ Agni, the resplendent, the bright/ Yama, the dispenser of justice/ Matarishwa, the almighty† (Rig Veda 1/164/46). ‘God’ is neither male, nor female, the Supreme Sovereign of all creation, animate and inanimate, Mother and Father. It is important to note, that ‘God’is all this but not limited to this. Therefore, it is not possible to merely say ‘God’ is ‘He’ or ‘She’, or ‘It’. Nameless and formless, infinite and incomprehensible, pervading all things yet not confined to anything. The various names by which ‘It’ is addressed denote the names by which human beings identify ‘It’, the name â€Å"Brhaman† including. The Kenopanishad (2/1/3), puts the concept as difficult to comprehend for the limited human mind, â€Å"He who thinks that he knows (Him) really, does not understand anything and proves himself ignorant. He who realizes that he cannot know (Him) has best understood†. The same concept is further explained in the Bhagavad Gita (2/25) too, â€Å"This Atman (the ParaBrhman) is beyond the comprehension of the five senses; Unconceivable by the mind; Unchanging. Hence, O Arjuna, perceive the Atman truly as such, since it does not become you to grieve†.