Original Buddhas

Buddha: A God or A Human?

Buddha: A God or A Human?

View our collection of Buddha statues in our gallery

Buddhism, in the western part of the world is known as the "atheistic religion" as compared to the religions such as JudaismChristian and Islam as Buddhism does not take or recognize a single deity or creator. On contradiction, Buddhism does not believe in a deity-less culture but it has not one but many gods or deities.

Buddha statue

In the traditional Buddhist belief of cosmology, the gods or devas in Sanskrit are distributed collectively among 27 heavens (Swarga) in which six of them are located in the realm of Kamdhatu along the slope, at the summit and in the air above Mt. Sumeru (the mountain at the center of the world), 17 in the meditation heavens called Rupadhatu and four in the immaterial realm of Arupyadhatu where there is no form but only consciousness. None of these realms or heavens is a permanent home of these gods and also none of them are eternal. In BuddhismRebirth is taken as a god based on the actions performed in a previous life. When a god's lifespan is over, the being is reborn at someplace else. Thus, we can conclude that the Buddhist gods do not have the absolute power, infinite life span and the almighty status. However, it does not mean that these gods have no powers. Their powers are far beyond those of normal humans. Similarly, the long history of Buddhism has seen many Buddhist monks, nuns conciliate to the gods for blessings. Meanwhile, there has also been the considerable part of tantric practice in Buddhism, mainly known as Vajrayana Buddhism which is devoted to invite the gods into an individual's presence, making offerings and requesting the disposal of various powers, known as Siddhi.

Buddha statue

Then, the question remains, what is the status of the Buddha? He is a human, and is among the five other incarnations destinies in Samsara: gods, demigods, animals, ghosts and denizens of hell. But he is different from any other human, both in his relation to the gods and his physical as well as mental characteristics.

In his next to final lifetime, the Buddha-to-be was taken as a god, living where all future Buddhas live, in the Tushita heaven. It is believed that it is from the Tushita heaven that he looked into the world and chose his final birthplace, his clan, parents and his caste. Following the enlightenment, the Buddha spent 49 days meditating in the surrounding of the Bodhi tree. When he concluded the meditation, he is believed to have understood about the truth of life which was too deep for a commoner to understand, thus unsuccessful to teach to anyone. The god of creation, Bramha then descended from the heavens to urge the Buddha to teach even if many might not be able to understand but there would be some who would with "little dust in their eyes". This was a very important moment as it further makes it clear that the Buddha was aware of something the gods were not and they had been waiting for the moment of the appearance of the new Buddha in the world to teach them the path to freedom from rebirth, even the one in heaven. This is why there is one of the sobriquets of the Buddha known as devatideva - "the god above the gods".

Beautiful statues in our gallery

Even if he was a human, the Buddha had a body unlike any other. There are 32 marks or lakshanas in Buddha's physical characteristics. These 32 lakshanas are also termed as mahapurusalakshana. These lakshanas are also very well depicted in various iconographic representations of the Buddha i.e. Buddha statues and Buddha images. Similarly, the Buddha's mind is very well aware of his past lives and the past lives of all the individuals in the universe. In the early Buddhist traditions and beliefs, it is said that he has the ability to live for an eon or until the end of an eon if he is asked to do so. Similarly, according to the Lotus Sutra, his lifespan is infinite and he can be present anywhere in the universe while performing almost all manners of miracles.

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Look at our recently added new statues in our gallery

Antique Mandalay Buddha

Antique Mandalay Buddha

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Antique marble Buddha statue

Antique marble Buddha statue

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Antique Nepali Praying Wheel

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Special antique bronze Burmese Buddha

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Antique wooden Shan Buddha statue

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Old bronze Nepali Singing bowl

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Old Naga necklace with monkey-skull

Old Naga necklace with monkey-skull

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Antique wooden Burmese Monk statue

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Antique bronze Nepali Singing Bowl

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Antique bronze Burmese Mandalay Buddha

Antique bronze Burmese Mandalay Buddha

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Old wooden Burmese throne

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Antique bronze Crowned Buddha statue

Antique bronze Crowned Buddha statue

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Old bronze Nepali Indra statue

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Antique bronze Krishna statue as child

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Book : Myanmar Buddhist Imagery by Denis Lepage

Book : Myanmar Buddhist Imagery by Denis Lepage

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Antique bronze Mandalay Buddha statue

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Antique wooden Burmese offering vessel

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Antique wooden Indian Temple

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Antique bronze Buddha statue

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Antique wooden Shan Buddha statue

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Old bronze Nepali Vajrasattva statue

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Antique Indian wooden Figure of a monkey - Hanuman

Antique Indian wooden Figure of a monkey - Hanuman

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Antique marble Burma Buddha

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Old bronze Nepali Ganesha statue

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Antique wooden Burmese Buddha statue

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Antique U-Thong A Buddha

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Antique bronze Lanna Buddha statue

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