BUDDHISM TODAY/RANJANA RANIB

All schools of Buddhism agree that becoming a Buddha is the highest possible accomplishment for any being. However, this state of existence should not be confused with the concept of God, as the general definition of the term “God” refers to one who rules and created the Universe, a view which Buddha says is “wrong view” as Buddha taught that the universe was not created by any being, and that all beings make their own choices. The root cause for what seems like the creation of the universe in Buddhism is not God, but “avidya” or ignorance. Attainment of Buddhahood is the end of this ignorance. All schools of Buddhism maintain that a Buddha is one who has accomplished the highest possible level of spiritual attainment through his awakening. Hence, a Buddha’s status was understood to transcend that of any god(s) mentioned in Buddhist scriptures. That the historical Buddha was considered to be superior to these god(s) is illustrated by the use of the common epithet “a teacher of both gods and humans”. The uniqueness of this book hence lies in the author's way of reconstructing the chapter under review by delving deep into the areas of the subject.