| The most common criticism about Buddhism that it is | | | | Buddhism, 'nanatva' and the sense in which everything |
| an atheistic religion. | | | | is really the same, or all one, is called 'samata'. All |
| Buddhists definitely do believe in God but they would | | | | religions acknowledge these two divisions of reality |
| not normally use the word 'God' because that word is | | | | although they would use different words to describe |
| almost always taken to mean belief in a personal God, | | | | them. Christians would call samata, 'God', and nanatva, |
| in other words a Theistic belief in God. Theism is a | | | | creation. |
| belief in a personal God, who created everything and | | | | Buddhism does recognize these two principles of |
| intervenes in the Universe. He is a supernatural being, | | | | sameness and difference: things are many and yet |
| loving, all-powerful, wise and merciful and although | | | | one, I am not you and you are not I, and yet we are |
| present everywhere is always considered to be | | | | one, essentially. A Japanese poet wrote: |
| utterly separate from mankind. | | | | "Rain and hail and ice and snow, |
| The Buddhist conception of God is sometimes thought | | | | Neither like the other, So! |
| to be Pantheistic, which suggests that God is the sum | | | | When they melt, however, lo, |
| total of the universe, in other words that God is | | | | See one stream of water flow!" |
| identical with everything that exists. Buddhists believe | | | | There is no intellectual answer to the paradox of the |
| that God is more than equal to the universe, He is | | | | statement, "I am not you, but you are the same as I". |
| absolute and transcendent. This world is a | | | | The paradox is an inward mystical truth and the |
| manifestation of God and is limited and imperfect. | | | | realization of this truth leads Buddhists to see that |
| Most Buddhists believe that all the various phenomena | | | | 'God' is both transcendent and immanent in the |
| that exist derive from one reality, and however varied | | | | universe, God is in us, we cannot regard the world and |
| they appear, they have a common nature and this | | | | God as dual. Religion is not about leaving the world to |
| nature is not located in any particular time and place | | | | find God but to find Him in it. The flowers in the field |
| and words used to try to describe this nature would | | | | and the choirboy in the cathedral equally sing the |
| be grossly inadequate and misleading. | | | | praises of God. |
| Human beings are never satisfied with this kind of | | | | The differences and arguments about and between |
| explanation and are always seeking some unifying | | | | religions are all part of the world of differences, |
| principle which unites this world of relative and | | | | ultimately religions have different names and different |
| imperfect phenomena and that transcendent reality | | | | concepts of the same reality. True peace is found in |
| which some might call 'God. | | | | that reality, or if you like, in God. |
| The principle of everything being different is called in | | | | |