For many, the greatest stumbling block when it comes to following the Dharma path is the question of the “god-concept”. In fact, over the years, Dharmacharya Gurudas Sunyatananda has been viciously attacked by many who feel that he is an heretic, and no longer worthy of considering himself to be a valid successor to the Apostles of Rav Yeshua, because they imagine that succession depends on adhering to the religious superstitions of the previous generations of successors/bishops.

This is not our view at all. We recognise the Apostolic Succession as an historic lineage, through which the Dharma of the Christ was transmitted, and through which the empowerments (called orders in the Catholic tradition) were given.

Whenever someone responds with vitriol to the question of the god-concept, their reaction is born out of the very same fear from which the notion of gods, goddesses, demons and saviours were created. Even the Buddha Sakyamuni recognised this, as we read in the Dhammapada:

“Gripped by fear men go to the sacred mountains,
sacred groves, sacred trees and shrines”. (Dp. 118)

Primitive humanity found itself in a dangerous and uncertain world. Fear of wild animals, especially those able to devour a person whole or tear him or her to bits, scarcity of food, disease and even natural phenomena, such as storms, thunder, earthquakes and volcanoes created a sense of insecurity and anxiety in primitive people. Over time, they created legends and myths of gods and goddesses to bring them comfort, and stories of demons and devils to explain the seemingly “bad things”.

Following the September 11th Tragedy, hundreds of thousands of people suddenly “returned to church”. This tendency toward rediscovering our gods and goddesses in times of crisis is an illustration of the fact that the notion of such beings is rooted in fear. Unwilling or unable to find the courage and strength within themselves, they turn to imaginary external forces, and believe that this God of theirs responds to their prayers, comforts them and saves them from harm.

As Buddhists, since we find no rational evidence supporting the existence of such things as the god-concept, we suspend judgment and do not concern ourselves with such things. From our perspective, belief in gods or goddesses is unnecessary.

We don’t need a notion of god to explain the creation of the universe, since science has already adequately explained that. We don’t need a notion of god in order to be happy, healthy or secure, since millions of atheists and agnostics have disproven that over the centuries as well.

The Noble Eightfold Path is our means of achieving non-suffering and perfect happiness. Therefore, we consider ourselves non-theistic.

This doesn’t mean that we feel it necessary to deny the existence of God in the way that an atheist might do. It simply means we don’t concern ourselves either way, and do not find the notion of God-as-a-Person to be useful, necessary or rational.

We recognise that it can be useful, when communicating the Dharma to certain persons, to frame our reference in terms they understand, and may choose to explain that what we often call God is, as Jesus taught, Love. That love, incidentally, is something Buddha taught as the Eternal Law — meaning that Love is not phenomenal, but beginningless. Therefore, in postmodern times, we may recognise that what was called Love is also known as matter or energy. So in a sense, we can easily allow for the idea that “God” (matter/energy/love) created the universe.