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Originally Posted by Still_Waters
The sutras that Maisy has mentioned are using the term "god" or "gods"
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My sense is the translator chose the word 'God' because English has no translations for 'deva'. It's probably an address to the Hindus, who have all sorts of Gods, but Buddhists don't worship any. Someone like Vishnu or Krishna would be thought of as enlightened ones that came before Buddha or something like that. It sounds to me like Buddha refers to Hindu Gods, and not Gods in Buddhism (because we don't have Gods - but there are devas). That's how I interpret it on face value, but I have never seen that Sutta myself.
There are peculiar Buddhist sects who practice 'divine being' worship, but they are real outliers and generally not seen favourably. Someone like the Dalai Lama would tend to disassociate with such sects. Some other sects have a special monk they visualise, and this was a practice of a group I meditated with called The Diamond Way. The trouble with these groups is not that they do these peculiar things, but that they have sectarian practice which is isn't universal dhamma. Hence, the Christians can visualise Christ and call Him God for all the difference it makes, and have a band of angels... It's basically the same thing, and each sect is identified by their own specific iconography.
From a Buddhist perspective, you can be Hindu, Christian, be of a specific Buddhist sect, worship the Spaghetti Monster or be a complete material atheist - or not. No one is included or excluded on such criteria, and you can sit and feel your breath no matter what.
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