No gods, no epic heroes nor clouded view of the world.

Reality is what we must learn to see, even if it's hurtful and at the same time beautiful.

That's why I am in Zen.
Gassho,

Morelos Ky?nin (Choco)
I have always been a spiritual person and always wanted to know if there was a god or not. In Zen, there doesn’t seem to be much mention one way or the other. There are, to be sure, some references to “Gods and Buddhas” and some of the Indian deities like Indra, but no real sense of abiding faith in the existence or lack of existence of a Creator Being.

In looking at things, I have to believe in the existence of some form of “god”. And I mean study on things from Intelligent Design to the historicity of Jesus and such, all the way to the theory of the Big Bang and how the universe, matter and anti-matter were formed. I mean, how could everything in this world function in such complete synchronicity without a “plan” or “design” of some sort? There’s too much that is in complete and perfect harmony to say, “eh, simple chance.”

Personally, and I’d like to hear from others, I do believe in a God, but more in line with the Sikh version of Waheguru (interesting that the most profound and equitable religions have come from the area around India) as a being far beyond my ken and understanding. Now the Sikh’s are extremely devout and I don’t know that that type of all consuming faith should be the reason or modality of life – why give us free will and the ability to make choices and decisions if all we were supposed to do was live every second in abject worship?

But in the end, God or No God, there should be no difference in my mind, in my practice. I don’t sit for God or Buddha or myself or you. I sit for the you that is me and the god that is Buddha and the Buddha that is us all. I think that such is a good view.

So, do you suppose that the lack of a God-head in our Way is the result of a lack of belief that there could be a supreme being? Or do you think that it is because the greatest of our teachers said, “God, no-God, heaven, hell. Practice, drink your tea, wash your cup, and save the many beings. Live life, be in every moment, and experience this world through a clarity that does not require God to be, does not refute in God’s existence, and is in accord with the Precepts. God or No-God, who could find fault in that?”