Buddha as male aspect of Pagan God? - 08/29/08 12:25 AM
I've been pondering upon this. I didn't really know if it should go in the Pagan or Buddhist forum, but went with Pagan since the overall thought behind this idea is Pagan in my mind.
Off and on I've been reading a "Buddhist Bible" that I took from a hotel in Japan.
I like many aspects of Buddhism, but I can't quite jive with it completely. Mostly the ideas that we must give up everything to gain enlightenment and the male-centered tendencies ruin it for me. I much prefer Paganism in that we tend to celebrate all aspects of life, and of course I like that men and women are equals in Paganism (ideally).
But the idea of Buddha as a male aspect of Divinity intrigues me.
When I first explored Paganism, I mostly concentrated on Goddess. She was missing from my spiritual concentration for a long time, and being introduced to a female Goddess was very refreshing and comforting.
But, like with all things, balance is needed. I quickly realized that the male aspect of Divinity is just as important as female.
For quite awhile I have been on the hunt for male aspects of Divinity that I could relate to and feel comfortable with. I've been unable to work with Christian examples of male Divinity mostly due to bad past connotations. It's hard to erase 5,000 years of history...
Looking elsewhere for inspiration, I found the Horned God in his many guises. I can identify with him, for some reason... Also, Green Man. I was introduced to him when I was in France for a month. All of the Green Man faces sculpted into the churches. I love the irony!
I more recently realized that Buddha could be a version of male Divinity. I know in the Buddhist religion that Buddha is not considered a god, as such. Just a man who achieved enlightenment and passed on his teachings. For Pagan purposes, I think he still qualifies.
What do you ladies and gentlemen think? I think it is nice that we can pull from many religions and traditions to make our own. But, I thought this would be a good topic for conversation...
So, let the conversation begin!!
Off and on I've been reading a "Buddhist Bible" that I took from a hotel in Japan.
I like many aspects of Buddhism, but I can't quite jive with it completely. Mostly the ideas that we must give up everything to gain enlightenment and the male-centered tendencies ruin it for me. I much prefer Paganism in that we tend to celebrate all aspects of life, and of course I like that men and women are equals in Paganism (ideally).But the idea of Buddha as a male aspect of Divinity intrigues me.
When I first explored Paganism, I mostly concentrated on Goddess. She was missing from my spiritual concentration for a long time, and being introduced to a female Goddess was very refreshing and comforting.
But, like with all things, balance is needed. I quickly realized that the male aspect of Divinity is just as important as female.
For quite awhile I have been on the hunt for male aspects of Divinity that I could relate to and feel comfortable with. I've been unable to work with Christian examples of male Divinity mostly due to bad past connotations. It's hard to erase 5,000 years of history...
Looking elsewhere for inspiration, I found the Horned God in his many guises. I can identify with him, for some reason... Also, Green Man. I was introduced to him when I was in France for a month. All of the Green Man faces sculpted into the churches. I love the irony!
I more recently realized that Buddha could be a version of male Divinity. I know in the Buddhist religion that Buddha is not considered a god, as such. Just a man who achieved enlightenment and passed on his teachings. For Pagan purposes, I think he still qualifies.
What do you ladies and gentlemen think? I think it is nice that we can pull from many religions and traditions to make our own. But, I thought this would be a good topic for conversation...
So, let the conversation begin!!