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Buddhists do not worship anyone or anything. The Buddha himself said that he was not a god nor should he be worshiped. However, you may see people bowing to a statue of the Buddha; this is merely showing respect in the same way that one might bow to a King or Queen or salute the flag.

Buddhism is not a religion in the Western sense but is a philosophy of living as a way to improve your life and the lives of those around you.

AnswerIn Buddhism, there are higher beings commonly designed as gods, Devas. However, Buddhism does not teach the notion of praying nor worship to the Devas or any god(s).

Devas, in general, are beings who have had more positive karma in their past lives than humans. Their lifespan eventually ends. When their lives end, they will be reborn as devas or as other beings. When they accumulate negative karma, they are reborn as either human or any of the other lower beings. Humans and other beings could also be reborn as a deva in their next rebirth, if they accumulate many positive karma, however it is not recommended.

Buddhism flourished in different countries, but it may have polytheistic features there, but generally the "local" types Buddhism are mixed from part of that country's folk religion and the "proto-Buddhism". For example, in Japan, Buddhism, mixed with Shinto, which worships kamis (or nature spirits), created a tradition which prays to the kamis. Thus, there may be elements of worship of gods in some forms of later Buddhism.

AnswerBuddhism originally is a Philosophy of Ending of Sufferings, thus they don't have gods or deities. It is only later that it became a religion (with rituals). Anyone can follow the Buddhist Philosophy and still remain with their religion. One example is Norman Fiscer, A Jewish-American Soto Zen Buddhist. (see link).
We do not worship any god, deity or person, not even the Buddha. We revere the Buddha for bringing us the Dharma. There aren't gods that are worshiped, Buddhists celebrate the founder of that religion Siddhartha Gautama's life

Buddhists trust in

  1. The Buddha as a great teacher and exemplar
  2. The Dharma, i.e. the Buddha's teachings as a guide to enlightenment and essential truth and
  3. The sangha, i.e. the Buddhist community, particularly monastic who teach the Dharma and guide one along the path to enlightenment. Veneration of this "Triple Gem" is central to Buddhist life.

Buddhists don't actually worship anyone or anything, though they revere Dharma practitioners who have achieved enlightenment, such as arhats, devas or buddhas. The Guatama Buddha said that no one should worship him, or even adopt his teachings unquestioningly. He encouraged his followers to examine the nature of the universe for themselves through analytical meditation to discover the truth. Buddhists perform ceremonies in which they make offerings and ask the enlightened beings for guidance, but they consider all beings to have a Buddha nature, so we are all equal. Its just that some beings have a deeper understanding of the true nature of the universe than others.
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7y ago
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6y ago

Buddhist worship is generally practiced while sitting on the floor at home or at a temple.Temples include symbolism for the earth, water, fire, air, and wisdom. Worshippers may sit on the floor barefoot facing an image of Buddha and chanting. It is very important that their feet face away from the image of Buddha. They listen to monks chanting from religious texts and take part in prayers.

During worship, everyone faces a picture or statue of Buddha. When people worship Buddha in their homes, they usually have a room dedicated to the practice. This room usually contains a shrine to Buddha.

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12y ago

Buddhist worship and prayer is completely different than worship and prayer in the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam).

In the Abrahamic religions a person worships an all powerful deity to give them the respect and honor that they deserve for creating the world. The parishioners prays to god for insight, or forgiveness or for some action to be taken on their behalf. That is, they are praying for some supernatural being to intercede for them.

In Buddhism we don't really worship any gods or deities, we give thanks to the Buddha and those that came before us and use their life stories as a guidepost on how we should lead our lives. For Buddhists a prayer is more like a mantra in which the person praying is reciting a lesson (sutra) or guideline which tells them how to behave and act. For example, a prayer for compassion is "may all beings be well, happy and peaceful". The idea behind this prayer is for the person praying to develop compassion and loving kindness to all. Therefore prayer in Buddhism is self-directed.

http://wiki.answers.com/The_prayer_in_buddhism#ixzz1eTrpMFWe

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13y ago

I am Buddist and i know we worship Buddha.

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Buddhists worship neither deities or people, There is a reverence and respect given to those who have developed Buddhist thought and teaching. These beings however have no power to change fate, manumit ins or grant favors.

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14y ago

One god. Many gods. No god.
Buddhism doesn't tell you to believe in god(s) or not to believe. Buddha just laid out the path to enlightenment and that's that. God is irrelevant to Buddhism because it is all about what YOU can do to end your suffering.

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13y ago

I think I am right here, Buddhist do not worship a god but revere Buddha and his teachings. The person should improve himself, live a good life and treat others the same. Each person strives to improve and move on to a higher state of being. That's a very brief description and I'm sure it does not cover the concept.

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14y ago

Buddhism does not worship anything or anybody. It is commonly thought that Buddhists worship Buddha, this is however the result of the thinking in a culture with a deity centered religion. Buddhists revere Buddha since he developed many of the premises and teachings of Buddhism, but this is not worship. Worship requires a deity, and Buddhism has none.

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7y ago

There is no God as understood by Christians in Buddhism. No supreme being to beg favours of, answer to, ask forgiveness from.

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10y ago

Buddha

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Q: Who did Buddhists worship?
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