DHARMA IN EVERYDAY LIFE

ARE BUDDHAS AND GODS REAL?
By Nhat Quan
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Because you want to break down to satisfy your stubbornness, or because you are too heavy on material things, so when you hear about Buddhas and gods, there are some of you immediately criticize them harshly, some of you even ask:
- Are there really ghosts, gods, and Buddhas? If so, where is God, where is Buddha? Where's the devil? Has anyone seen it yet?
Questions like these are not really difficult for Buddhists to answer. As you Buddhists know, there are realms:
In the nine directions of Heaven, there are ten directions of Buddha
- Heaven
- God Realm
- Human Realm
- Animal realm
- The realm of hungry ghosts
- Hell.
Thus, Buddhas reside in the world of Buddhas, Gods reside in the world of Gods, and demons reside in the world of demons. And those who are fortunate will see:
- Only when you practice to attain the right enlightenment can you see the realms of bodhisattvas and buddhas.
- Those who are predestined will also see ghosts, demons, and gods.
However, many people only believe in the world where your eyes see your ears and think that only what you see and hear is true, and what you can't see is not true. The proof is very eloquent, as the Buddha once said:
- In a cup of water there are countless bacteria.
A few thousand years ago, people did not believe what the Buddha said, but today, under the microscope, scientists have recognized it. And there are many things you can't see, can't touch, but have been scientifically proven to exist, for example:
- Electromagnetic waves, infrared rays, ultraviolet rays, microscopic particles, etc. through which you use I-phone or smart cell phone, all receive waves transmitted from satellites in the sky, through that layer, you can talk to your loved ones everywhere on this planet.
So what can't be seen with the eye, doesn't mean there isn't. Another specific example also proves to you that, like in a room in your house, at night when the lights are off, you can't see anything. Seeing nothing doesn't mean there aren't objects in the room. To clarify your thoughts, I would like to introduce you to some ideas:
- BUDDHA:
More than 2647 years ago, a Crown Prince was born, named Siddhartha, then he left the palace to become a monk. After attaining enlightenment, he took the title Buddha Shakyamuni. Thus, Prince Siddhartha, or Buddha Shakyamuni is a man of history like many other people in the world, thanks to cultivation, he attained full enlightenment. He performed many miracles, which people at that time had seen and recorded. During the 49 years, he did not stop preaching the Buddhadharma, later compiled into many scriptures and handed down for posterity. The monks and nuns of the later life have cultivated according to the scriptures and cultivated many high and virtuous monks, all of which are recorded in history. He left behind a set of supernormal jurisprudence far beyond the human knowledge system that man could not create. Moreover, in his lifetime, he performed many miracles that human power could not do at all. In the next life, many aspirants have followed that doctrine to cultivate to reach the sublime realm of sainthood. Many Indians at that time have seen many miracles.
Today, scholars, scientists, and theologians all over the world know and recognize Prince Siddhartha as Shakyamuni Buddha. So it can be said that:
- Buddha really exists, many people in history have seen it. There have been many successful people who have cultivated according to the Buddha's teachings and have seen the Buddha, and many have also testified to the Buddha's Way. Buddha is right in front of your eyes, just because you have no merit, no conditions, you have not seen it, and cannot see it.
GOD:
Gods are people who have practiced, although they have received many blessings and results, but have not been fully enlightened, because they still have a lot of anger and delusion, they have an optimal position, can be transformation of things, and have a higher spiritual level than humans. In other words, they have supernatural powers that can help that person be a good god. They can also kill people that are evil gods.
          HUNGRY GHOSTS:
Those who do not practice, create much negative karma, until they die and then fall as hungry ghosts, have no refuge, no one to sacrifice, no one to visit. They are starving mentally and physically...
The question is who can see Buddha, see God, see the Hungry Ghost..?
The answer is anyone can see it. If you want to see a Buddha or a God, or a hungry ghost, you must use a method that is to practice for a long time, then you will see. Indeed, if there is a time when scientists want to see germs in a cup of water, they have to resort to a microscope, if they want to see infrared and ultraviolet rays, they have to resort to modern tools. Astronomers who want to observe extraterrestrial planets must use telescopes. Likewise, if you want to see Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Gods, and Preta ghosts, you must practice, as in the Lotus Sutra the Buddha said:
- Although the Buddha has entered Nirvana, if anyone diligently studies, he will always see the Buddha and the saints studying and regularly preaching at Mount Grdhrakuta.
Similarly, if you want to see a God or a Preta, you must also go through this path. The path of practice is the path of accumulation of good karma. A person who creates bad karma will surely bear the consequences, whereas a person with enough good karma will do everything well. You in Seattle can't see anything, while a netizen in New York said:
- There is a group of mysterious Gods converging in the clouds. If you look closely, it is a giant cloud that shows the silhouettes of the Buddhas of the East. Amazed by the cloud of images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that covered the entire New York City and took the online community by storm.
And this information further states:
- Today July 2016, the social network quickly spread a photo in New York. The strange thing is that when you see so clearly in the clouds you will not be able to speak. Dwelling in that cloud contained a clear image of a mysterious group of people, covering the whole of New York City.
And one netizen commented:
They're actually talking to each other. They have clear hand positions and gestures and they are watching us.
Upon careful examination, some commentators have firmly believed that these mysterious people bear the form of Buddhas in Eastern countries. They are the Buddhas talking to each other. As evidenced by the crown of hair, they all have messy hair like the Buddha image in the temple. One of them is still holding the seal position, a posture only found in the Buddhist family, Buddha images often do this.
And another netizen commented:
- There is a Bodhisattva doing the seal, and the others are talking to each other and staring at our Earth!
You can see the recent strange phenomena that are difficult to explain. You know, the Buddha statues on the cloud seem to be telling the world something for people. Meanwhile, scientists can not explain.
Although no one can be sure that these are the Buddhas, most people who have faith believe them to be real. The phenomenon of Buddha appearing in the clouds is not uncommon, strangely this time you witness a group of Buddhas sitting and talking and staring at the Earth, as if to send a message to people something is coming to humanity these days. And someone also mentioned the old saying that the Oriental people used to say:
- There are gods on your head three meters
Is it time for the Buddhas to send a message to humanity?
Through what New York netizens share, for Buddhists who have cultivated, I believe that you have faith, and you have respect for the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, they will appear before your eyes. The world of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas according to the Buddhist scriptures often says:
- As much as the sand in the Ganges river.
The Ganges River is the largest and longest river in India, the entire length is two thousand seven hundred kilometers, so the amount of sand in the Ganges River must be said to be countless. There are so many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, so why can't you see the Buddha? Because Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings and exist in a pure world that is far different from that of the mundane world. Such a noble Buddha, of course, will not arbitrarily let you see. Just as humans consider themselves to be superior beings, intelligent, capable, and unable to coexist with animals or small insects. For the same reason, the Buddhas cannot arbitrarily appear in front of those who do not have faith, do not practice, and have no merit to see.
In fact, the things that you can't see are really too much, if your morality and thought realm are not sublimated and not pure enough, you will never see that world of Buddhas apparent.
In ancient history, whenever there were saints and missionaries, they were reminded that:
- Buddhas do exist, and through human cultivation, you can also become a Buddha
And Shakyamuni Buddha was always explaining about the world of Buddhas. Then say:
- Cultivation is to return to your original benevolent nature, and let your morality and realms sublimate, that is the true purpose of being a human.
But on the contrary, those who only believe in materialism, and do not believe in gods, will be further and further away from the Buddha, and therefore will not be able to see the Buddhas either. Shakyamuni Buddha once said that before him there were six Buddhas who were born to save the world, he also clearly prophesied that:
- In the Age of Decadent dharma, there will be a Wheel-Turning King born to save sentient beings.
In both the past and the future, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have always compassionately saved people like that. Then, if you can use goodwill, and use sincerity and faith to see and recognize, you will definitely be lucky to find your Buddha. In fact, the Buddhas, the gods, and even the Preta species are always by your side, it's just whether you realize it or not. To realize it or not to realize it is an individual matter. But that doesn't mean that when you realize it, the Buddhas, Gods, and hungry ghosts are real, if you don't realize it, they're not real. Here is the argument that some people deliberately deny the existence of the spiritual life:
Many years ago, in a great hall in Europe, a scholar declared to everyone that Buddha was absolutely not real. When everyone wanted him to prove that what he said was true, the scholar raised his voice as if challenging the Buddha:
- Buddha is indeed a holy person, come down here, in front of a lot of people, kill me. Then I will believe that Buddha really exists.
He was silent for a few minutes as if he meant to wait. Of course, the Buddha did not appear to kill him. The scholar then walked around the stage once, looked at the auditorium once, and said:
- You see, Buddha is inherently unreal.
The whole auditorium was quiet at first, but then there were whispers and discussions. At that moment, a woman stood up in the crowd, looking like a country person. She approached the stage, looked up at the scholar, and said:
- Sir, your argument is very clever, you are an erudite scholar. And I'm just a country woman, can't refute you. I just want to say that up until now I have always believed in Buddha and God, believed in his teachings, and felt very comfortable. I have had a really peaceful and happy life.
I want to ask you:
- If when you die you find that what you believed in the Buddha before was all gone, what will you lose?
The scholar thought for a long time, the whole hall was silent, and the listeners strongly agreed with this inference. Even the scholar was amazed in his heart. He replied in a low voice:
- When I'm dead, everything is nothing, then there's nothing left to gain or lose. Ma'am, I do think, I did not lose anything.
The woman smiled and said:
- Thank you, sir!
But I still have one more thing to say:
- Sir, if when you die and you find that what the Buddha taught is true, the six paths of reincarnation are real, then what will you lose?
The scholar thought for a long time without saying a word. And another story:
After the First European War, a country wanted to use science to propagate atheism, so they invited three doctors to the square to give a lecture:
The first one was a doctor of astronomy, after explaining many reasons why there were no Buddhas, no Bodhisattvas no God, he shouted:
- I have used telescopes to observe celestial bodies for more than 20 years, but have never seen Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or Gods... so I confirm that there are no Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Gods, or hungry ghosts at all.
The second is a Medical Doctor, after explaining a lot about the reason why humanity absolutely does not have a soul, he said:
- I've operated on over 100 bodies for more than 10 years, I've looked closely at the body parts, but I've never seen a place where a soul resides, so there must be no soul.
The third is a female doctor of ethics, who said:
- People die just like a lamp goes out, death is the end, and when dead, it is considered the end of everything. There is absolutely no heaven, hell, and eternal guilt.
I have read many books in the world, but there is no page that proves this. After the three doctors finished speaking, the host announced to everyone:
  - If the reason for the non-existence of Buddhas, Gods, and Preta ghosts that the three doctors have just preached is somehow incomplete, or if there is counterintuitive evidence, anyone can give a discussion public opinion.
At that time, an old woman in the countryside said to the host:
- Can I ask a few questions?
The presenter said:
- You are very welcome!
The old woman asked the first doctor:
- You have used telescopes to observe celestial bodies for more than 20 years, so have you ever seen the wind? What is its shape?
The first doctor said:
- How can the wind be seen with a telescope?
The old lady said:
- Is there wind in this world? You use a telescope but you can't see the wind, how can you use it to see Buddha and God? If you observe with a telescope but can't see Buddhas, Gods, and Preta ghosts, can you say that there are no Buddhas, no Gods, and no hungry ghosts?
The doctor of astronomy was speechless. She moved to the second position:
- Do you love your wife?
The second doctor replied:
- Have!
The old lady said:
- Please lend me the knife that you often use to operate on patients, I want to cut open your abdomen to see where your love for your wife lies. In the liver, stomach, or intestines?
The doctor was speechless, the whole hall laughed. Continuing, the old woman looked at the female doctor and asked:
- Have you read this book? Said and she held up the book: It's called the Bible. Apparently, this book says that every one after death is subject to God's judgment.
You don't think that death is the end, know that after death is much longer and longer than when you were alive! Like when she was in the womb, without a piece of clothing to cover her body, life depends on her mother, if someone told you:
- Soon you will be on earth, where there is the sun, the moon, the charming mountains, you have to eat to live, you have to wear clothes, do you believe it?
But today you not only believe but actually live in this world. Such is the eternal world!
So, the three of them both Ph.D. and MD were speechless.
Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Gods….will not be there because you don't believe and don't have, nor because you encourage the generals that show up for you. Regardless of whether you believe in Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Demons or not, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, etc. still exist, compassionately protecting sentient beings. Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Gods are supernatural beings, so it doesn't mean that a single sentence of yours can decide whether they're real or not. It's just your crazy delusional understanding. You think you will decide everything. In fact, your life is too small, weak, as a speck of dust in the universe.
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