Did the Buddha believe there were gods?

[Gem]

Not gods, but he talked about divas, which are something like beings that exist on other planes of existence.

[A human Being]

Originally Posted by Gem

Not gods, but he talked about divas, which are something like beings that exist on other planes of existence.

Like Mariah Carey? She certainly seems to believe that she exists on another plane of existence.

[Maisy]

I think I've read every new age book that exists but a lot of them say it's quite different in the non-physical dimensions we go to after life in a physical body from life on earth. On earth, we all intermingle. They say in the afterlife, we are separated by our spiritual level of advancement.

It's not a judgement thing, it's simply that energy realms have different vibrations and our energy being needs to be at the right level to enter the corresponding realm. So all the Buddhist writings about all these different realms, some for Gods, some for demi-Gods etc makes sense to me.

[sky]

Originally Posted by Maisy

I don't have a house and am poor

And you can be as 'Happy' as the Multi Billionaires with all their material goods,
happiness comes from within, the more we have the more we have to lose...

It's all in the mind

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Maisy

They say in the afterlife, we are separated by our spiritual level of advancement.
.... energy realms have different vibrations and our energy being needs to be at the right level to enter the corresponding realm.

I read it said that it is like fish in water! :)
You know how heavy the tonnage of water is...well each type of fish stays in their own psi, pounds per square inch, area.
They are naturally uncomfortable at diff depths!

So there is no need for anyone saying, 'Sorry, you can't enter into this Higher Realm", you just naturally know your boundary.
(Of course, there are those that can go anywhere they want to! Ha!)

[Maisy]

There was a story in a new age book I found funny. A soul left their incarnation on earth at the end of their earth life and was reunited with their soul group and did not see their father from that previous life and asked their group teacher where he was. The soul group teacher or spirit guide or whatever they are called are basically souls from higher realms who like to help others lower and so that is their "job."

I think how it works is higher souls can visit lower realms to a degree but lower souls can't go to higher realms. Anyway the spirit guide said the father from the previous incarnation was in a higher realm and so the soul said, "well can you tell him I'd really like to see him!" The spirit guide contacted the father from the previous life telepathically and then replied to the soul, "sorry he has no interest in seeing you."

Maybe it's like graduating from High School and going to College then you get an invite to a High School party and you go, "nah"

[jonesboy]

In many sutras you will see that they mention Gods, Dragons, Brahma, etc.

From the Lankavatara Sutra.

Then Mahamati said: If the Tathágatas are un-born, there does not seem to be anything to take hold of – no entity – or is there something that bears another name than entity? And what can that "something" be?

The Blessed One replied: Objects are frequently known by different names according to different aspects that they present, the god Indra is sometimes known as Shakra, and sometimes as Purandara. These different names are sometimes used interchangeably and sometimes they are discriminated, but different objects are not to be imagined because of the different names, nor are they without individuation. The same can be said of myself as I appear in this world of patience before ignorant people and where I am known by uncounted trillions of names. They address me by different names not realizing that they are all names of the one Tathágata. Some recognize me as Tathágata, some as the self-existent one, some as Gautama the Ascetic, some as Buddha.
Then there are others who recognize me as Brahma, as Vishnu, as Ishvara; some see me as Sun, as Moon; some as a reincarnation of the ancient sages; some as one of "ten powers"; some as Rama, some as Indra, and some as Varuna. Still there are others who speak of me as The Un-born, as Emptiness, as "Suchness," as Truth, as Reality, as Ultimate Principle; still there are others who see me as Dharmakaya, as Nirvana, as the Eternal; some speak of me as sameness, as non-duality, as un-dying, as formless; some think of me as the doctrine of Buddha-causation, or of Emancipation, or of the Noble Path; and some think of me as Divine Mind and Noble Wisdom.
Thus in this world and in other worlds am I known by these uncounted names, but they all see me as the moon is seen in the water.
Though they all honor, praise and esteem me, they do not fully understand the meaning and significance of the words they use; not having their own self-realization of Truth they cling to the words of their canonical books, or to what has been told to them, or to what they have imagined, and fail to see that the name they are using is only one of the many names of the Tathágata. In their studies they follow the mere words of the text vainly trying to gain the true meaning, instead of having confidence in the one "text" where self-confirming Truth is revealed, that is, having confidence in the self-realization of noble Wisdom

[saurab]

Originally Posted by Catsquotl

Ok.

I wonder how the personal beliefs of the Buddha impacted his teachings on the end of suffering.

There is no end to suffering until you merge with God. The Buddha has not yet merged with God, and so his suffering has not yet ended.

[sky]

Originally Posted by saurab

There is no end to suffering until you merge with God. The Buddha has not yet merged with God, and so his suffering has not yet ended.

Just wondering how you know Buddha's suffering hasn't ended. Isn't suffering all in the mind ?

[Redchic12]

Actually I was wondering how Saurab knows the Buddha hasn’t merged with God.