How will a buddhist view the spiritual experiences of people from non-buddhist backgrounds that involve the realization of souls or Gods?
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The ultimate teaching of Buddhism is that of anatta or that there is no permanent soul or self as is there no creator Godhead. However across the vast tapestry of spiritual traditions, there are many which not only actively assert the God/soul beliefs but also have many individuals who say they have attained realizations of soul or God. While the nature of the experiences many vary radically the common thread in all of them is the belief in the soul. An everlasting soul at that.
Listing some examples for instance -
- The spiritual experiences of an Advaita vedantist, where the practictioner realizes oneself as spirit/consciousness and one with all the cosmos/existence
- The spiritual experiences of a Vaishnava involving realizing oneself as a soul, and a part and parcel of a personal God , Vishnu/Krishna.
- The spiritual experiences of a Shaivite involving realising oneself as a soul/spirit and identical with the personal God Shiva.
Now my question is If an individual attains such realizations/experiences which convince them that they are an eternal soul or are in some way linked/related to some personal or impersonal God, How will such an experience be viewed under the lens of buddhism?
Will buddhism view such Soul/God experiences as mental confabulations or accept them having some degree of truth to them?
Asked by user28477
Jan 19, 2025, 01:02 PM
Last activity: Jan 20, 2025, 06:45 PM
Last activity: Jan 20, 2025, 06:45 PM