Then why not just call the Dharmakaya or buddha-nature God and explain how it is different from the usual understanding?
Two reasons. The first is that I teach the Buddhist tradition in its own terms. I do not want to confuse things by incorporating terminology from other sources. Secondly, I think that there are too many connotations to the word “God” that are problematic. Unfortunately, even when you explain what you mean, the word still tends to make people think of an old man with a beard and a bolt of lighting like Zeus. The word just creates more problems than it solves in my opinion. That does not mean I reject the deeper reality that the word or name “God” is trying to point to, it is just that I find that word can act as a barrier as much as a window to the infinite, and in keeping with the Buddhist tradition whose terms and concepts I find more liberating, I choose to avoid using it. Part 2a: God in the Bible 2. “God revealed Himself in the Bible.” — I was raised to believe that I should always think for myself, that I should discern fantasy from reality, that violence is not something that sh
