Hello again. Thanks to all who were kind enough last time to answer my ‘newbie’ questions.
Here’s another one: Does The Buddha explicitly state anywhere in the Pali Suttas that there is no Creator God(s) , or does he simply say that the question is irrelevant to following The Path?
Thank you!
The only text that comes to mind that refers to a Creator God is AN 3.61:
AN3.61:0.1: Numbered Discourses 3 7. The Great Chapter 61. Sectarian Tenets
AN3.61:1.1: “Mendicants, these three sectarian tenets—as pursued, pressed, and grilled by the astute—when taken to their conclusion, end with inaction. What three? There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘Everything this individual experiences—pleasurable, painful, or neutral—is because of past deeds.’ There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘Everything this individual experiences—pleasurable, painful, or neutral—is because of the Lord God’s creation.’ There are some ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view: ‘Everything this individual experiences—pleasurable, painful, or neutral—has no cause or reason.’…
AN3.61:4.1: Regarding this, I went up to the ascetics and brahmins whose view is that everything that is experienced is because of the Lord God’s creation, and I said to them: ‘Is it really true that this is the venerables’ view?’ And they answered, ‘Yes’. I said to them: ‘In that case, you might kill living creatures, steal, be unchaste; use speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical; be covetous, malicious, or have wrong view, all because of the Lord God’s creation.’
AN3.61:5.1: Those who believe that the Lord God’s creative power is the most important thing have no enthusiasm, no effort, no idea that there are things that should and should not be done. Since they don’t acknowledge as a genuine fact that there are things that should and should not be done, they’re unmindful and careless, and can’t rightly be called ascetics. This is my second legitimate refutation of the ascetics and brahmins who have this doctrine and view.…
AN3.61:8.1: These are the three sectarian tenets—as pursued, pressed, and grilled by the astute—which, when taken to their conclusion, end with inaction.
AN3.61:9.1: But the Dhamma that I’ve taught is irrefutable, uncorrupted, beyond reproach, and not scorned by sensible ascetics and brahmins. What is the Dhamma that I’ve taught? ‘These are the six elements’: this is the Dhamma I’ve taught … ‘These are the six fields of contact’: this is the Dhamma I’ve taught … ‘These are the eighteen mental preoccupations’: this is the Dhamma I’ve taught … ‘These are the four noble truths’: this is the Dhamma I’ve taught that is irrefutable, uncorrupted, beyond reproach, and is not scorned by sensible ascetics and brahmins.…
(Then follow explanations of the six elements, etc.)
There is also DN1, which explains how the wrong view of a Creator God comes to be formed…
Now, the being who was reborn there first thinks: ‘I am Brahmā, the Great Brahmā, the Undefeated, the Champion, the Universal Seer, the Wielder of Power, the Lord God, the Maker, the Author, the Best, the Begetter, the Controller, the Father of those who have been born and those yet to be born. These beings were created by me! Why is that? Because first I thought:
“Oh, if only another being would come to this state of existence.” Such was my heart’s wish, and then these creatures came to this state of existence.’
And the beings who were reborn there later also think: ‘This must be Brahmā, the Great Brahmā, the Undefeated, the Champion, the Universal Seer, the Wielder of Power, the Lord God, the Maker, the Author, the Best, the Begetter, the Controller, the Father of those who have been born and those yet to be born. And we have been created by him. Why is that? Because we see that he was reborn here first, and we arrived later.’
Searching a bit further, I find “Lord God” in 8 Suttas in Bhante Sujato’s translation. If you make your search in Voice you find them quite easily:
Oh, really, really thank you all. I will study these in depth.
Nibbana has the characteristic of being uncreated (Ud 8.3), and It is profitable to think of the ‘world’ as samsara:
“From an inconceivable beginning comes the wandering-on, brahman. A beginning point is not discernible, though beings hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving are transmigrating & wandering on. Long have you thus experienced stress, experienced pain, experienced loss, swelling the cemeteries—enough to become disenchanted with all fabrications, enough to become dispassionate…”—-SN 15.8
