Hinduism and Buddhism: The Divine and Supreme Reality

Introduction

Qualifications of the divine and the nature of supreme reality are core concepts of any religious tradition. Hinduism and Buddhism conceptualize the divine and the nature of reality in complementary yet distinct ways. Buddhism emerged from Hinduism in a manner not wholly unlike the way Christianity emerged from Judaism. Therefore, there are several core similarities in the cosmologies and the conceptualizations of divine reality between these two faiths. Moreover, the religious practices and philosophies of Buddhism and Hinduism tend to be more similar than they are different.

These similarities should not obscure the real and practical differences in the ways Hindus and Buddhists conceptualize and communicate matters related to the nature of the divine and the nature of supreme reality. In particular, Buddhism avoids distinctions between a divine and a profane realm; there are no actual Buddhist deities or gods. Hinduism boasts a plethora of gods and goddesses, although the religion retains a monotheistic core that belies its colorful pantheon. Supreme reality is, for both Hindus and Buddhists, a state of mind — and ultimately a state of being for the collectivity of human consciousness. This is why Hindu and Buddhist meditation practices share the encouragement of the practitioner to achieve a state of mind conducive to existence in the supreme reality, not after death but in this lifetime, here and now.

Hinduism: Concepts of the Divine and Supreme Reality

Hinduism is complex and diverse; there is no authority on what constitutes Hindu belief, thought, and practice in the way there is a papacy in Catholicism. All Hindu beliefs, however, are rooted in the Vedas — the Hindu sacred texts — and enhanced by the Upanishads, also Hindu sacred texts. In spite of the diversity within Hindu thought, belief, practice, and culture, it is possible to refer to the general beliefs that Hindus share in common related to the nature of the divine and the supreme reality. The most fundamental of these beliefs is that there is a Supreme Being, Brahman, which is also the term given to Supreme Reality. Supreme Reality and Supreme Being are therefore interchangeable concepts in Hinduism.

Hindus also conceptualize Brahman as having both a personal and an impersonal aspect. The impersonal, or Nirguna Brahman, has no characteristics as such; it is not anthropomorphized or thought of in terms of having qualities like kindness or wrath ("Religions and Religious Thoughts of India"). Nirguna Brahman can be known through direct experience in meditation, but "this aspect of the Ultimate Reality is beyond conception, beyond reasoning and beyond thought" ("Religions and Religious Thoughts of India"). Although Ultimate Reality cannot be known through intellectual or conscious thought, it can be known via direct experience in meditation — when the personal mind and ego dissolve into the Brahman. Unifying the individual consciousness with the Absolute consciousness of the universal mind, as Nirguna Brahman, is one of the goals of Hindu practice.

The personal aspect of Brahman does have attributes, and those attributes correspond with a Creator god. Personal Brahman, or Saguna Brahman, has both male and female manifestations. When referred to as female, Brahman manifests as the Divine Mother, Durga, or Kali; as male, Brahman is known by various Sanskrit names including Purusha and Ishvara ("Religions and Religious Thoughts of India"). All manifestations of Brahman are as "creator, sustainer and controller" of the universe ("Religions and Religious Thoughts of India"). Considered as Saguna Brahman, God is conceptualized as a holy trinity. In addition to Saguna Brahman, there is also Vishnu and Shiva. Whereas Brahman occupies the role of creator, Vishnu "represents the eternal principle of preservation" ("Religions and Religious Thoughts of India"). Thus, Vishnu is the sustainer of the universe. Shiva is known as the destroyer — the force that naturally creates "dissolution and re-creation" ("Religions and Religious Thoughts of India"). These three core manifestations of the Hindu Supreme Deity are conceived of as falling under one divine umbrella.

Hinduism is not a strictly polytheistic religion in spite of there being a pantheon of gods in Hindu sacred texts. Rather, Hindus are "monotheists who worship various aspects of the divine rather than various divinities" (Cline). Brahman, Vishnu, and Shiva are not so much different gods as they are different aspects of One God. However, Hindus tend to gravitate toward the worship of one specific manifestation of the divine in order to guide personal practice and consciousness. One Hindu man interviewed for this research claimed to be a "Vaishnavite," meaning he worships Vishnu, yet emphasized that all Hindus worship the "same god, but in different ways." There are some differences in the ways different Hindus worship, and they do use different temples. The beliefs and practices seem different enough that "each can be considered a complete and independent religion" (Tiwary). Yet each Hindu tradition shares "a vast heritage of culture and belief namely: karma, dharma, reincarnation, all-pervasive Divinity, temple worship, sacraments, manifold Deities, the many yogas, the guru-disciple tradition and a reliance on the Vedas as the final scriptural authority" (Tiwary).

Central to the Hindu concept of Absolute Reality is the concept of the Atman, which is the personal soul. The goal of Hinduism is unity between Atman and Brahman — between the individual consciousness and the consciousness of the Divine. This state of being is called different things, such as Samadhi or Nirvana. It is this emphasis on abstract metaphysical unity that introduces the primary way in which Hinduism and Buddhism remain similar.

Buddhism: Concepts of the Divine and Supreme Reality

Perhaps the greatest misconception about Buddhism is that the Buddha is a god. Nothing could be farther from the truth; the Buddha is simply a man who attained the supreme level of consciousness, Nirvana. The term Buddha means "One Who Is Awake" (Samraj). Buddhism does not conceptualize a universe that was created at any one point in time. Creation is co-dependent and co-existent with absolute nothingness; the universe is in a continual state of being created, but there is no Supreme Being orchestrating Creation or influencing human life.

The Buddha was not a hard atheist who denied that God could exist, but he "taught that the worship of gods obstructed one's quest for nirvana. To him the gods inhabit the cosmos and are impermanent like all other living beings" ("Basics of Buddhism"). Buddhist sacred texts consist of the recorded teachings of the Buddha in the Sutras. Various types of Buddhism place differential emphasis on different Buddhist texts to inform meditation, philosophy, and practice.

In most forms of Buddhism, there is no Supreme Being at all. There are, however, sects of Buddhism that have postulated the existence of an actual deity, but a belief in deity is inconsistent with the canon of Buddhist literature and philosophy (Freeman). There is, however, a Buddhist concept of Supreme Reality. Supreme Reality in Buddhism is a complex concept discussed in diverse ways throughout Buddhist scripture. Some forms of Buddhism emphasize nothingness and emptiness, which paradoxically suggest the absence of any reality, let alone a divine one.

At the same time, Buddhism can conceive of Absolute Reality as nirvana — a state of mind. In this sense, there is a divine reality, but that divine reality is a state of consciousness that is attainable by human beings in this lifetime. Some types of Buddhism use colorful and poetic analogies that suggest the existence of an Absolute Reality, but these poetic devices are used merely as mental anchors rather than as representations of an actual dimension or place ("Sutra of the Buddha's Teaching on Amitabha Buddha"). Phrases like "Utmost Happiness" are the divine realities synonymous with nirvana ("Sutra of the Buddha's Teaching on Amitabha Buddha"). The Heart Sutra, one of the core texts of Buddhist study, exemplifies the concept of Nothingness as Supreme Reality: "Form is empty therefore no difficulties are to be discerned. Feeling is empty therefore no feeling. Thought is empty therefore no knowing."

The difference between having a deity and not is one that is both metaphysical and practical. Any perceived attributions of divinity to the Buddha or to various "divine kings" or "divine figures" signal a misunderstanding of Buddhist cosmology and metaphysics. Buddhism posits that Nirvana is a state of being that is inherently divine, in that it is free from human suffering and egotism. Persons who, like the historical Gautama Buddha, achieved this state of enlightenment can be referred to as divine in the sense that they have transcended suffering and the wheel of karma. There are also beings who selflessly volunteer to return to an incarnate state in order to assist other sentient beings in achieving enlightenment. These beings are known as bodhisattvas, and they can be considered divine without actually being objects of worship. Bodhisattvas can be objects of contemplation and meditation, serving as ideal role models to aspire to in the regular practice of mindfulness meditation.

The Absolute Reality is coexistent with any other reality, even that which is perceived to be mundane. This makes Buddhism resemble a sophisticated form of pantheism. Buddhism is a religion that challenges the mind to contemplate existential paradoxes: there is no Absolute Reality, yet everything is Absolute Reality at the same time. Absolute Reality is Nothingness, but it remains possible to be conscious of nothingness while still being alive and in the world. Buddhism suggests that Absolute Reality is qualified by consciousness, which is why meditation offers the key to achieving it. Absolute Reality is liberation from suffering, as explained in the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism. Life is suffering, meaning that human beings typically contend with anxiety, anger, and anguish. These forms of suffering are a direct product of desire, or craving. To eliminate suffering and achieve a divine state of mind, one must eliminate desire by following the basic tenets of Buddhist practice and morality.

References

"Basics of Buddhism." Retrieved online: http://www.letusreason.org/Buddh1.htm

Cline, Austin. "Hinduism: Origins, Beliefs, Practices, Holy Texts, Sacred Places." About.com.

Freeman, Richard. Interview data.

The Heart Sutra. Translated by Kumarajiva and Pevahouse.

Iyengar, Vivek. Interview data.

"Religions and Religious Thoughts of India." Cultureopedia.

Samraj, Adi Da. "Hinduism and Buddhism." Retrieved online:

"Sutra of the Buddha's Teaching on Amitabha Buddha." Dharma Realm Buddhist Association.

Tiwary, Birendra Nirmal. "What is Hinduism?"