Theravadan Buddhists don’t believe in the existence of God; they believe in an “abstract void” (WRI) or “an unknown quantity which defies explanation” (Eerdman 228).  This is known as nirvana, which literally means, “to extinguish”.   Buddha himself was only a man, not god.  He wasn’t concerned with the question of God (WRI).  The focus is on entering nirvana by one’s own work to dispel all desire according to the Four Noble Truths by way of the Noble Eightfold Path.  One doesn’t feel guilt, but strives harder to do more good than bad to escape the cycle of rebirth known as samsara (Eerdman 232).  They want to earn karmic merit by having more good karma than bad karma (Halverson 61).  (JocR 3/01)

Halverson, Dean C. The Compact Guide to World Religions. Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1996: 54-67.

Various. Eerdmans’ Handbook to The World’s Religions. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994: 222-242.

World Religions Index. http://wri.leaderu.com/wri-table2/buddhism.html

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