Buddhism’s Dual Legacy: Philosophical Roots and Emerging Deification
Buddhism elicits conflicting evaluations among atheists primarily due to its dualistic nature. Initially, it emerged as a doctrine that strictly rejected the idea of a Personal God and focused on a philosophical analysis of suffering and the path to liberation. One source clearly notes: "Buddhism is often cited as an example of a religion that lacks belief in a personal God... The original true teachings of the Buddha were inherently atheistic" (source: link txt). This position may evoke sympathy among atheists, as Buddhism originally does not require belief in the supernatural.
On the other hand, over time, new currents have developed, and some modern strands of Buddhism include elements more characteristic of traditional religions. For instance, there is a tendency to spiritually deify the founder of the teachings, where "the great teacher became a god, and his disciples became bodhisattvas, i.e., minor gods" (source: link txt). This transformation makes the system difficult to consider purely from a philosophical standpoint and triggers skepticism even among those who are inherently atheistic.
Furthermore, Buddhism is often viewed not as a traditional religion but as a moral and practical philosophy, since "religion is the union of the human soul with the Supreme Spiritual Being," whereas in Buddhism such elements are absent and instead the emphasis is on the transformation and liberation of human consciousness (source: link txt). This interpretation sparks debates regarding its universality—some believe that the absence of an all-powerful God enhances its universal applicability during the worldly life, while others point to the developed religious components as being limited by cultural frameworks and therefore inadequate as an all-encompassing universal model.
Thus, the absence of a Personal God in the original Buddhist teachings makes it appealing to atheists, yet the evolution and adaptation of these teachings across historical periods have led to a blend of philosophy with elements of religious cult. This results in conflicting evaluations—on one hand, Buddhism is regarded as a logical and ethically focused system devoid of metaphysical doctrines, and on the other, as a system in which contemporary manifestations exhibit signs of religiosity, casting doubt on its universal character.