But what is GOD?

[hope rainbow]

I was reading the article on GOD in Wikipedia with interest as I am always trying to find the common ground between theistic religions and Buddhism by understanding better what is the conceptual understanding of "god" around which ALL religions revolve except Buddhism.

When I look at the actions encouraged by ALL religions, I see a pattern that is ALWAYS the same: compassion, generosity and altruism with the result of lessening one's ego and putting importance onto other's well-being as at least as important than our own, putting others first.

Another common pattern that is found in all religions, INCLUDING Buddhism are rituals and prayers. These are a summary of the teachings as well as a communication tool to the supra-mundane.

Finally the total common ground of ALL religions, including Buddhism is the belief in an after life (at least that, some religions -such as Hinduism and Buddhism- do also add the before life).

Is there one definition, one understanding of "God" that is compatible with Buddhism?
Is there one definition or understanding of "God" that is incompatible?
How can we establish a bridge?

Not long ago I met with a couple of Christians who realized I was a Buddhist and got very concerned about me out of a genuine and kind compassion and tried to tell me that only Jesus could offer me true salvation and that I only needed to accept him as my savior. As a general skeptic in anything, including my own studies of Buddhism, there no need to say here how this kind of discourse simply does not sink in my mind at all.

But my point is this: I realized that these people really thought I was going into a wrong direction, in a truly evil direction with the potential of ending in hell forever... I never thought ever anything like that about practitioners of any religion, I actually think the opposite, so how can they think that of Buddhist practitioners if not because Buddhism is the only one that is "missing" "God"...

So as Buddhists I think it is important we learn about God, about what Theists understand of God and establish a bridge of communication to lessen the misunderstanding of us Buddhists being idol worshipers.

What do you think?


From wikipedia:

GOD
God usually refers to the single deity in monotheism or the monist deity in polytheism.

God is often conceived of as the supernatural creator and overseer of humans and the universe.

Theologians have ascribed a variety of attributes to the many different conceptions of God. The most common among these include
- omniscience (infinite knowledge),
- omnipotence (unlimited power),
- omnipresence (present everywhere),
- omnibenevolence (perfect goodness),
- divine simplicity,
- and eternal and necessary existence.

God has also been conceived as being
- incorporeal (immaterial),
- a personal being,
- the source of all moral obligation,
- and the "greatest conceivable existent".

These attributes were supported to varying degrees by the early Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologian philosophers.

There are many names for God, and different names are attached to different cultural ideas about who God is and what attributes he possesses.

In the Hebrew Bible "I Am that I Am," and the "Tetragrammaton" YHVH are used as names of God, while Yahweh, and Jehovah are sometimes used in Christianity as vocalizations of YHVH.

In Arabic, the name Allah ("the God") is used, and because of the predominance of Islam among Arab speakers, the name "Allah" has connotations with Islamic faith and culture.

In Judaism it is common to refer to God by the titular names like Elohim or Adonai.

In Hinduism, Brahman is often considered a monistic deity.

Other religions have names for God, for instance, Baha in the Bahá'í Faith, Waheguru in Sikhism, and Ahura Mazda in Zoroastrianism.

MONOTHEISM
Monotheists hold that there is only one god.

HENOTHEISM
Henotheism is the belief and worship of a single god while accepting the existence or possible existence of other deities.

Monotheists may claim that the one true god is worshiped in different religions under different names. The view that all theists actually worship the same god, whether they know it or not, is especially emphasized in Hinduism and Sikhism.

Islam's most fundamental concept is tawh?d (meaning "oneness" or "uniqueness"). God is described in the Qur'an as: "Say: He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him."

Muslims repudiate the Christian doctrine of the Trinity and divinity of Jesus, comparing it to polytheism.
In Islam, God is beyond all comprehension or equal and does not resemble any of his creations in any way. Thus, Muslims are not iconodules, and are not expected to visualize God.

THEISM
Theism generally holds that God exists realistically, objectively, and independently of human thought; that God created and sustains everything; that God is omnipotent and eternal; personal and interacting with the universe through for example religious experience and the prayers of humans.

It holds that God is both transcendent and immanent; thus, God is simultaneously infinite and in some way present in the affairs of the world.

Catholic theology holds that God is infinitely simple and is not involuntarily subject to time.

Most theists hold that God is omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent, although this belief raises questions about God's responsibility for evil and suffering in the world. Some theists ascribe to God a self-conscious or purposeful limiting of omnipotence, omniscience, or benevolence.

Open Theism, by contrast, asserts that, due to the nature of time, God's omniscience does not mean the deity can predict the future. "Theism" is sometimes used to refer in general to any belief in a god or gods, i.e., monotheism or polytheism.

DEISM
Deism holds that God is wholly transcendent: God exists, but does not intervene in the world beyond what was necessary to create it. In this view, God is not anthropomorphic, and does not literally answer prayers or cause miracles to occur.

Common in Deism is a belief that God has no interest in humanity and may not even be aware of humanity.

PANDEISM
Pandeism and Panendeism, respectively, combine Deism with the Pantheistic or Panentheistic beliefs discussed below.

PANTHEISM and PANENTHEISM
Pantheism holds that God is the universe and the universe is God, whereas Panentheism holds that God contains, but is not identical to, the Universe; the distinctions between the two are subtle.

DEBATE OVER THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
Many arguments have been proposed in attempt to prove the existence of God.

Some of the most notable arguments are
- the 5 Ways of Aquinas,
- the Argument from Desire proposed by C.S. Lewis,
- the Lord, Lunatic or Liar Trilemma by C.S. Lewis,
- and the Ontological Argument formulated both by St. Anselm and Descartes.

Even to theists, these proofs are heavily debated. Some, such as the Ontological Argument, are highly controversial among theists. Aquinas spends a section of his treatise on God refuting St. Anselm's proof.

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking and co-author Leonard Mlodinow state in their book, The Grand Design, that it is reasonable to ask who or what created the universe, but if the answer is God, then the question has merely been deflected to that of who created God.

In this view it is accepted that some entity exists that needs no creator, and that entity is called God.
This is known as the first-cause argument for the existence of God.

Some theologians, such as the scientist and theologian A.E. McGrath, argue that the existence of God cannot be adjudicated on for or against by using scientific method.

Agnostic Stephen Jay Gould argues that science and religion are not in conflict and do not overlap.

There are many philosophical issues concerning the existence of God.
Some definitions of God are sometimes nonspecific, while other definitions can be self-contradictory.
Arguments for the existence of God typically include metaphysical, empirical, inductive, and subjective types, while others revolve around perceived holes in evolutionary theory and order and complexity in the world.

Arguments against the existence of God typically include empirical, deductive, and inductive types. Conclusions reached include:
- the view that "God does not exist" (strong atheism);
- the view that "God almost certainly does not exist" (de facto atheism);
- the view that "no one knows whether God exists" (agnosticism);
- the view that "God exists, but this cannot be proven or disproven" (weak theism);
- and the view that "God exists and this can be proven" (strong theism).

ANTHROPOMORPHISM
Anthropologist Stewart Guthrie contends that people project human features onto non-human aspects of the world because it makes those aspects more familiar.

Sigmund Freud also suggested that god concepts are projections of one's father.

Likewise, Émile Durkheim was one of the earliest to suggest that gods represent an extension of human social life to include supernatural beings. In line with this reasoning, psychologist Matt Rossano contends that when humans began living in larger groups, they may have created gods as a means of enforcing morality.
In small groups, morality can be enforced by social forces such as gossip or reputation. However, it is much harder to enforce morality using social forces in much larger groups. Rossano indicates that by including ever-watchful gods and spirits, humans discovered an effective strategy for restraining selfishness and building more cooperative groups.

[Midakpa]

Hope Rainbow,

I don't think there is a definition of God that is compatible with Buddhism or that there can be a bridge between the two. First, all God-religions offer no salvation without a God. But Buddhism has existed for 2600 years without incorporating the concept of God. Therefore any attempt to introduce this concept or to establish a bridge is unnecessary.

Secondly, all theistic religions consider authority as ultimate and sacred. The Buddha had pointed out in the Kalama Sutra that this is dangerous because it threatens individual freedom and dignity. The Buddha's eternal plea is for us to become Buddhas, and He showed, in a clear rational way, that each and everyone of us has the potentiality and capacity to attain that ideal. 

However, in order to defend the Buddhadharma and not allow others to force their religion down our throats, it is important to study and understand other religions and their concept of God. As Buddhists, we are tolerant of others' religious beliefs but we must also study our own religion and develop strong confidence in the Buddha's teachings so as not to be swayed by interference from other sources.

[sonamdhargey]

I found an interesting article about Buddhist view of GOD.

In the Buddhist texts Mah? Brahm? is represented as claiming the following attributes for himself:

"I am Brahm?, the Great Brahm?, the Supreme One, the Mighty, the All-seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of all, the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of all appointing to each his place, the Ancient of days, the Father of all that is and will be." (D?gha Nik?ya, II, 263).

The Buddha dismisses all these claims of Mah? Brahm? as being due to his own delusions brought about by ignorance. He argues that Mah?-Brahm? is simply another deva, perhaps with greater karmic force than the other gods, but nonetheless a deva and therefore unenlightened and subject to the sams?ric process as determined by his karma. In such suttas as the Brahmaj?la sutta and the Agga??a Sutta the Buddha refutes the claims of Maha Brahm? and shows him to be subject to karmic law (i.e. cosmic law). Even though long-lived Mah? Brahm? will be eliminated in each cycle of inevitable world dissolution and re-evolution. In the Khevadda Sutta Mah? Brahm? is forced to admit to an inquiring monk that he is unable to answer a question that is posed to him, and advises the monk to consult the Buddha. This clearly shows the Brahm? acknowledges the superiority of the Buddha.

The Buddhist view is that gods may lead more comfortable lives and be addicted to all the sense pleasures, but in terms of wisdom might be inferior to humans. They are even represented as coming to receive instruction from monks and even lay persons. Later on with the Hindu revival and proliferation of God-cults the Buddhists were increasingly vocal against the pretensions of God and his retinue of lesser gods. Nagarjuna the Indian Buddhist philosopher of the 2nd century CE expressed a commonly shared Buddhist view when he wrote:

The gods are all eternal scoundrels
Incapable of dissolving the suffering of impermanence.
Those who serve them and venerate them
May even in this world sink into a sea of sorrow.
We know the gods are false and have no concrete being;
Therefore the wise man believes them not
The fate of the world depends on causes and conditions
Therefore the wise man many not rely on gods.

Source: http://www.budsas.org/ebud/ebdha068.htm

[Positive Change]

Buddha versus God

The Concept of God
Generally, we use the term 'God' to designate a supreme power, who is the creator of the entire universe and the chief law-giver for the humans. The God or Almighty is considered to be concerned with the welfare of His creations and the 'moksha' or salvation for those who follow His dictates. Different religions and sects follow the God differently by different names, but as far as Buddhism is concerned, it has a different perception for Him.

The Origin Of God - Myth and Reality
Fear: The Buddhist system of religion do not believe in the concept of a personal or creator God. The theory of Buddhism rejects the notion of an abstract principle of God operating in the universe. They rather believe that the concept of God is a response to fear and frustration. According to the Buddhist ideology, when primitive humans found themselves in a dangerous and hostile world, the fear of wild animals and of natural phenomena like thunder and lightning, they created the idea of Gods to console themselves.

Lack of Evidence
However, it was the Buddha who preached to try to understand the fears, to lessen the desires and courageously accept the things one cannot change. He tried to replace fear, not with irrational belief but with rational understanding. Secondly, the Buddhists do not believe in God because there has been no real and concrete evidence to prove the idea of God. Even the research on God for thousands of year has not proved the existence of God. Thirdly, the Buddhists argue that belief in God is not necessary to have a happy and meaningful life as there are millions of Buddhists, atheists and free thinkers who are happy without belief in God.

God's Role in Determining Heaven or Hell
There has been a popular belief that, it is God who acts as the final judge and determines if an individual would go to heaven or hell! But, the Buddhist theory strongly refutes this belief and says that it is nobody else, but the Karmas of an individual, which decides the destination of an individual. Even a Buddha cannot pardon or interfere with the karmic process. Therefore, in Buddhism, there is simply no place for a God even if one exists.

Salvation
The Buddhist ideology also raises a question on the authenticity of God's role in Salvation. The Buddhists argue that, it was Buddha who realised that each and every person has a capacity to purify his soul and mind and therefore he encouraged people to find solutions to their problems themselves. He asked people to follow the path from Heart to Heaven rather than from Heaven to Heart. And therefore, the Buddhist path to salvation does not go through prayers, but is rather based on deeds including mental culture through meditation.

Buddhism and God
The concept of Buddhism refutes the idea of a God, who throws the sinners into everlasting torments. In fact, the Buddhists believe in the existence of an Enlightened being, who vows to save all sentient beings from their sufferings. The concept of enlightenment is principally concerned with developing a method to escape from the illusions of the materialistic world. According to the Buddhist ideology, anyone can enlighten himself by undertaking a method of mental discipline and a code of conduct.

The importance of Buddha as God
Almost all the sects of Buddhism do not believe in the myth of God. Indeed some of the early Indian Mahayana philosophers denounced God-worship in terms which are even stronger than those expressed in the Theravada literature. Some later Mahayana schools, which flourished outside India, ascribed some degree of divinity to a transcendent Buddha, considering living Buddhas to be a manifestation of the Adi-Buddha. But even then it cannot be said that the Buddha was converted into a Divinity comparable to the God of the monotheistic religions. In the Brahmajala Sutta and the Aggaa Sutta texts, the Buddha refutes the claims of Maha Brahma(the main God) and shows Him to be subject to karmic law (i.e. cosmic law). Even though long-lived Maha Brahma will be eliminated in each cycle of inevitable world dissolution and re-evolution. In the Khevadda Sutta Maha Brahma is forced to admit to an inquiring monk that he is unable to answer a question that is posed to him, and advises the monk to consult the Buddha. This clearly shows the Brahma acknowledges the superiority of the Buddha. This is view that the Buddha is some kind of God figure. In the Theravada tradition the Buddha is regarded as a supremely enlightened human teacher who has come to his last birth in samsara (the Buddhist cycle of existence). But, Mahayana traditions, which tend to think in terms of transcendental Buddhas, do not directly make a claim for Buddha as God. Thus the Buddha cannot be considered as playing a God-like role in Buddhism. Rather the Buddha is considered as an enlightened father of humanity.

Conclusion
Therefore, instead of believing in the God, the Buddhists believe in humanity. They believe that each human being is precious and important and all have a potential to develop into a Buddha - a perfect human being by replacing hatred, anger, spite and jealousy with love, patience, generosity and kindness. Even the Buddha had said, " No one saves us but ourselves, No one can and no one may! We ourselves must walk the path, but Buddhas clearly show the way. Buddhism is, therefore, more of a moral philosophy, an ethical way of life.

But, since Buddha never emphasized upon his concept of the divine, Buddhism is left with some of life's deepest questions unanswered. Questions such as the origin of the Universe and the purpose of man's existence... are yet to be answered.

[DSFriend]

So as Buddhists I think it is important we learn about God, about what Theists understand of God and establish a bridge of communication to lessen the misunderstanding of us Buddhists being idol worshipers.

What do you think?[/b]

I do agree and think it is beneficial to learn about God for us to bring about some form of harmony. Without establishing any form of harmony, what good is there in any religion. It is natural for monotheistic religions to have followers with strong superiority complex...It doesn't have to be because there are other important elements within the faith which should be emphasized just as much.

Being accused as idol worshippers are the easiest to refute. Every religion has at least more than one symbol which is held as sacred and holy. Well, isn't this a form of idol worshipping too?

What is not so easy is when the differences are brought to light as most are based on faith.

[Rihanna]

Looks like Josh Groban does not believe in God. He calls it a myth!

[Big Uncle]

Well, the concept of the almighty creator that lives in the sky is just a myth. We created our own destiny and how we die is really depends upon how we lived. Hence, salvation is not dependent on an outside divinity but upon the divinity within us, which is cultivated through our actions.

All religions recognize the divinity of altruism and compassion but no religion delineates it so well and connects it to the divinity within us as well as how Buddhism describes it. The only thing resembling anything god-like are those beings with divine-like powers that lives in another realm but they are not credited with the creation of our universe.

[buddhalovely]

Why is it... The Buddha never talked about the One God of the desert, the Judeo-Christian God? Does this mean that all Buddhists are atheists and don’t believe in God? Did the Buddha believe in God?

These are some of the questions I would like to try and answer today.

The Buddha was born 500 years before Christ, in what is now Nepal. His dad was a king, his mom was a queen, and his dad wanted him to take over the family business (the kingdom) when he got older.

The kind of world the Buddha was born into was magical. Everything seemed to be alive. The trees, mountains, lakes, and sky were living and breathing with a variety of gods in charge. If you needed rain you asked one god, if you needed it to stop raining you asked another. The priests of India did all the religious work, and got paid for it.

In India at the time of the Buddha you became a priest if you were born into the right family, and not because of the school you went to, or the grades you got.

There were other kinds of religious people as well.

Mendicants were men who left their family, friends, and jobs to find the answers to life. They did not live in homes or apartments, but lived under trees and in caves, and would practice meditation all day long. They wanted to really be uncomfortable, so they could understand what suffering was all about.

Many kinds of meditation were practiced by these mendicants. In Tranquility Meditation for instance, you think about just one thing, like looking at a candle or saying a word over and over. When the mind becomes focused in oneness, you experience a great peacefulness.

Even if the mendicants were sitting in the rain on a cold day, they were still content. They found in their meditation practice the essence of happiness.

Renunciation is when you give up all the things that make your life pleasant. Sometimes the people with money and power in India would buy a lot of stuff to make themselves happy and their lives more comfortable, thinking that happiness and comfort depended on what they owned.

When the mendicants could see their own suffering clearly, after many years of renunciation, they understood that happiness was not dependent on the things they owned, but the kind of life they lived.

[kris]

Thank you for all the nice quotes!!

For me, Buddhism and Christian both have god (or gods), just that Buddhism does not believe in taking refuge in Jesus and we will be saved. It has got to be more than that.

If taking refuge in Jesus and we will go to heaven, then how about those who were born before Jesus? Are they all going to hell? Well, isn't that unfair? and if he is great compassion, why wouldn't him born earlier so that less people go to hell?

If you live in a totally remote area, and you have never heard of Jesus in your entire life, and because of that, you didn't take refuge in him, and for that, you go to hell. Isn't that unfair too?

In Buddhism, we believe that there are gods (or Buddhas), just that they don't dictate what will happen to us in this life, and in all future lives. It is us who will decide our future.

Actually, nowadays, many Christians do not preach in a way of "if you don't believe in Jesus, you will go to hell". Many of them, especially the educated ones know that it does not hold ANYMORE. Many of them said, you need to be compassionate to others, then you will be close to god, then god will bring you to haven. To me, that makes much more sense, because the responsibility is on myself, not someone else!

[hope rainbow]

If taking refuge in Jesus and we will go to heaven, then how about those who were born before Jesus? Are they all going to hell? Well, isn't that unfair? and if he is great compassion, why wouldn't him born earlier so that less people go to hell?

If you live in a totally remote area, and you have never heard of Jesus in your entire life, and because of that, you didn't take refuge in him, and for that, you go to hell. Isn't that unfair too?

In Buddhism, we believe that there are gods (or Buddhas), just that they don't dictate what will happen to us in this life, and in all future lives. It is us who will decide our future.

Actually, nowadays, many Christians do not preach in a way of "if you don't believe in Jesus, you will go to hell". Many of them, especially the educated ones know that it does not hold ANYMORE. Many of them said, you need to be compassionate to others, then you will be close to god, then god will bring you to haven. To me, that makes much more sense, because the responsibility is on myself, not someone else!

Indeed, but I think we should reflect a bit more about what it means to "take refuge in Jesus".
I can actually understand that by doing that only one is "granted" salvation.
I understand because I do not think that there is ANY diffference between "taking refuge in Jesus" (or God) and "taking refuge in wisdom and compassion."

The "automatic" salvation comes from the actions and thoughts resulting from that refuge, not from the refuge itself.
Same goes with Buddhism and the advantages resulting from taking the Buddhist refuge such as "rebirth in higher realms", "no harm from humans and others"...
The advantages only manifest if one abides by his refuge vows and develop the refuge mind.

[pgdharma]

Generally, we use the term 'God' to designate a supreme power, who is the creator of the entire universe and the chief law-giver for the humans. The God or Almighty is considered to be concerned with the welfare of His creations and salvation for those who follow His dictates. Different religions and sects follow the God differently by different names, but as far as Buddhism is concerned, it has a different perception for Him.

Buddhism does not believe in a personal God or a divine being.  It offers no form of redemption, forgiveness, no heavenly hope, or a final judgment to those practicing its system. Buddhism is a moral philosophy, an ethical way life that can have improvement on ones state. The fact that Buddha did not consider the existence of God to be important shows that he is not in any way related to biblical prophets or Jesus. Buddha said it doesn’t matter whether you believe in him or not. Buddha claimed to point to the right way to escape suffering and attain enlightenment. Contrary to this, Jesus claimed to be the way. Christianity teaches there was only one incarnation of God and he came to relieve the source of all suffering sin.

Although Buddha did not deny the existence of gods, he taught that the worship of gods obstructed one's quest for nirvana. To him the gods inhabit the cosmos and are impermanent like all other living beings. There is no God as an eternal deity. Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, did not claim to be divine. He claimed to be the one to point the way to Nirvana, an ultimate state in the afterlife, but it was up to each individual to find his own way there. Each has their own path to walk on to discovery.

The concept of a personal God does not fit into the Buddhist system of religion. Therefore, instead of believing in the God, the Buddhists believe in humanity. They believe that each human being is precious and important and all have a potential to develop into a Buddha - a perfect human being by replacing hatred, anger, spite and jealousy with love, patience, generosity and kindness. Even the Buddha had said, “No one saves us but ourselves, No one can and no one may! We ourselves must walk the path.”

[icy]

For the Christian practitioner, the Creator and the acceptance of the Creator as almighty, is a very important factor within that tradition in order to develop self-discipline, compassion, or forgiveness and to increase them in one's intimate relationship with God. That's something very essential. In addition, when God is seen as absolute and almighty, the concept that everything is relative becomes a little bit difficult. However, if one's understanding of God is in terms of an ultimate nature of reality or ultimate truth, then it is possible to have a kind of unified approach.

...As to one's personal religion, I think this must be based on one's own mental disposition.... Generally speaking, I think it is better to practice according to your own traditional background, and certainly you can use some of the Buddhist techniques. Without accepting rebirth theory or the complicated philosophy, simply use certain techniques to increase your power of patience and compassion, forgiveness, and things like that.

[Tenzin K]

What is Buddhism? Is it a philosophy or system of ethics like Confucianism, or a religion? Most importantly, does Buddhism or any of its practices lend anything to the practice of the Catholic faith?

Even devout followers of Buddha are divided over the matter of whether or not Buddhism is a religion or a philosophy. Part of the allure of Buddhism is that its essential tenets are supposedly based on Buddha’s observations (empirical evidence, as it were) rather than faith, and that Buddha reputedly encouraged his followers to personally test ideas rather than follow leadership blindly. From that viewpoint, it appears to be a philosophy. However, due to certain spiritual elements, the fact that Buddhism defines a sort of “salvation” and how to get there, and its monastic tradition, it appears to be a religion.  Practically, it is six of one, a half dozen of the other; the question of how to classify Buddhism (as being a theological or philosophical pursuit) is largely immaterial. No matter how it is classified, Buddhism still may possess indispensable articles of belief that are contrary to the teachings of the Church.

The essentials of Buddhism revolve around the Four Noble Truths:

1. There is suffering in the world, both of the mental and the physical variety.
2. Suffering is the result of inordinate attachment to one’s desires.

3. By doing away with inordinate desires (or attachments) you can do away with suffering.

4. There is a definite method by which one may achieve this goal: the Noble Eightfold Path (pursuing right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, concentration).

This is a very cursory abstract of Buddhist principles, but introductory material to the subject (in printed articles and online) can be nearly as cursory. So if you were just doing a quick survey or were on the receiving end of a New Age pitch for practicing Buddhist meditation techniques, etc., you wouldn’t necessarily see an incompatibility with Christian values.

The inexperienced soul might run down the check list.

1. The Church admits to the existence of mental and physical suffering.
2. The Church frankly admits that separating oneself from inordinate desires (or exercising control over the passions) is critical to personal holiness.

3. Naturally if everyone is holy there will be less suffering.

4. Nobody should disagree with this. We should all have right intention, only speak in a respectful and honest manner, act in peaceable and humble ways, pursue a career that does no harm to others, exert oneself with an eye towards self improvement, thus being able to see things clearly and attain a level of holiness where all ego has disappeared.

Additional “points in favor”:
5. The Catholic Church encourages spiritual meditation, and Buddhism encourages meditation.
6. Comparative studies have been done of the sayings of Buddha to the words of Christ. Many (if not most) do so with the intention of pointing out the similarities so as to promote greater dialogue and a sense of mutual purpose between the two religions.

These apparent similarities led to heightened Catholic interest in Buddhism with the rise of the New Age movement in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Some imagined that Buddhism had many new insights to offer to Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular due to their supposed compatibilities.

[ilikeshugden]

Usually the concept of  a God is some sort of higher entity in every religion. A god can be part of a divine council of gods but monotheistic religions like christianity believes that there is only one god. That god is the creator and the highest being of all. That is by far what I know about gods in other religions.

[icy]

For the Christian practitioner, the Creator and the acceptance of the Creator as almighty, is a very important factor within that tradition in order to develop self-discipline, compassion, or forgiveness and to increase them in one's intimate relationship with God. That's something very essential. In addition, when God is seen as absolute and almighty, the concept that everything is relative becomes a little bit difficult. However, if one's understanding of God is in terms of an ultimate nature of reality or ultimate truth, then it is possible to have a kind of unified approach.

...As to one's personal religion, I think this must be based on one's own mental disposition.... Generally speaking, I think it is better to practice according to your own traditional background, and certainly you can use some of the Buddhist techniques. Without accepting rebirth theory or the complicated philosophy, simply use certain techniques to increase your power of patience and compassion, forgiveness, and things like that.