Tibetan Buddhists Explanation of Gods

In studying comparative religion in the 1980s I talked with Tibetan Lamas in the U.S., India and Nepal. During this time in my life I found that Compassion made more sense than many other things I had been taught. So that compassion and forgiveness I found to be very helpful in my onward path towards complete enlightenment at that time.

One of the more amazing ways Tibetan Buddhists look at Gods (note: There are as many buddhist sects as there are Christian variations and sects. Since I haven't studied Buddhism except in a Tibetan Buddhist context, I cannot speak what beliefs other sects share or don't share).

So, to a Tibetan Buddhist being (or becoming) a God is not a desirable thing because a God tends to (like a rich man or a rich woman) gain everything and lounge around and use up all their good karma and then fall into hell as a direct result.

So, from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective it is better to have the ambition to become a Buddha like the Prince of Lumbini did when Gautama Buddha sat under the Bodhi Tree and became enlightened like  King for the Benefit of all life in the Universe.

However, I would also call Jesus a Buddha from this perspective too. So, my point of view was that Jesus didn't really come to create another religion. Instead, his religion was an extension of the compassion of Buddhism converted to Forgiveness to compensate for an "Eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth of the Middle East". So, Jesus' teaching I see in this way.

So, I see Jesus as another Buddha who is teaching us to take care of each other and not kill each other.

He teaches us this by creating forgiveness which does not exist outside of Christianity in Middle Eastern Teachings.

If you look at the middle East today one of the biggest problems there we see manifested in ISIS which is the opposite of forgiveness and compassion. Instead ISIS basically kills everyone including their own. So, ISIS right now of "An eye for an eye" taken to such an extreme that "Everyone dies" connected with ISIS both their enemies and themselves.

ISIS is only a completely self destructive philosophy of life where everyone dies (murdered by themselves or others) usually sooner rather than later.

So, one could say that the philosophy of ISIS is diametrically opposed to both Christianity and Buddhism because it is the exact opposite of both.

I see this as self hatred to such a degree that suicide and homicide are the only result possible.

The Buddhist explanation of what Gods are as I said before reminds me a lot of rich people who bury their heads in the sand and don't see all the suffering of the world around them and eventually go to hell because of it.

So, dedicating yourself to helping all beings you are capable of not only helps your own sense of well being, you also change the world daily to become a better and better place and you reduce the suffering of the world everywhere you go by your kindness ongoing.

So, even if you are rich like a King or Queen already you can become a Buddha or a Jesus in your good works and earn your place in heaven both here on earth and beyond.