Is Tibetan (Gelug) Buddhism Atheistic, or can they believe in a God(s) if they choose to?
If you go deeper into the philosophy, the concept of a Supreme, Creator God is impossible to reconcile with the Gelug view of Tibetan Buddhism. There is, however, the concept of lesser “gods” (devas), which are non-enlightened beings living in temporary heavens and sometimes *think* they are eternal and very powerful. The truth is they will die as anyone of us, and will be reborn, maybe in a much worse life, because they don’t practice the Dharma in their present life. This latter concept of “gods” can be interpreted symbolically or more concretely, depending on your view (maybe you could say you can “choose” this).
