The Lion's Roar: The Truth About the "Creator"

 THE LION'S ROAR AMID THE FOREST OF WRONG VIEWS:
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE "CREATOR" IN THE WISDOM OF THE TATHĀGATA

Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One.

Dear faithful men and women,

In the deep darkness of ignorance (avijjā), beings, frightened by death and uncertain about the endless current of existence, have imagined for themselves a mighty shadow to depend upon. They have called that shadow God, Brahmā, or the Creator. They bow before it, pray to it, and believe:

"There is an all-powerful Father arranging my destiny."

But, dear friends, according to the Buddha's teaching, such a belief is merely a comforting illusion that lulls beings into remaining within the endless round of saṃsāra.

Today, relying upon the authority of the Tipiṭaka—the Three Baskets of the Buddha's Teaching—I would like to present the vision of the Fully Enlightened One, who directly understood all realms of devas, humans, Māras, and Brahmās. Through His wisdom, the greatest and most profound mystery concerning the universe is revealed: the truth about the idea of a Creator.

Please listen with mindfulness.

Allow wisdom to awaken within you. Although this truth may seem austere because of the impartial nature of Dhamma, it also reveals the incomparable greatness of the Blessed One, who discovered reality exactly as it is.

1. THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE BEGINNING—ONLY AN ENDLESS PROCESS

Humanity asks:

"Who created the world?"

The Blessed One teaches:

"No one. The world unfolds according to causes and conditions, through recurring cycles of arising, development, dissolution, and renewal."

In the Aggañña Sutta, the Tathāgata explains that the universe is not a straight line with a single point of origin. Rather, it proceeds through recurring cycles.

When the world is destroyed by cosmic fire or water, many beings who have cultivated the first jhāna are reborn in the Ābhassara Brahmā world (the Realm of Radiance).

Imagine that state:

At that time there is no sun, no moon, no distinction between male and female. Beings exist as radiant forms, self-luminous, moving through space, sustained by joy. It is a subtle and refined state of existence.

Later, when the material world gradually forms again, a naturally occurring fragrant earth appears. Because the latent tendency toward craving (taṇhā) has not yet been completely abandoned, one being tastes this fragrant earth.

Immediately, that being's radiance fades.

The body becomes progressively coarser.

Differences in appearance emerge.

Male and female distinctions develop.

From that point onward, beings gradually descend into the sensual realm (Kāma-loka).

According to the Buddha's teaching preserved in the Pāli Canon, human beings are not described as creations molded from clay by a supreme creator. Rather, they are beings wandering through saṃsāra according to kamma and dependent origination, gradually descending from higher realms as craving and attachment continue to operate.

2. THE TRAGEDY OF THE FIRST BRAHMĀ:
THE ORIGIN OF THE TITLE "CREATOR"

If no one created the world, why have many religions become convinced that there is a Creator?

In the Brahmajāla Sutta (The Discourse on the All-Embracing Net of Views), the Buddha explains how this belief can arise through misunderstanding.

When a new world-system comes into being, a Brahmā palace appears—vast, empty, and uninhabited.

A being from the Ābhassara Brahmā world, whose lifespan or supporting kamma has come to an end, passes away and is reborn there.

For a very long time, that being lives entirely alone.

In solitude, a wish arises:

"Oh, may other beings come here."

Then, according to their own kamma, other beings are reborn into that realm.

Here, according to the Buddha's analysis, ignorance (avijjā) gives rise to a profound misunderstanding.

The one who arrived first thinks:

"I wished for them to come, and then they appeared. Therefore, I must have created them. I am their Father, the Lord, the Creator."

Those who arrive later think:

"He was here before us. His splendor surpasses ours. Surely he must have created us."

The Buddha does not deny the existence of Brahmās.

Rather, He teaches that even a Great Brahmā is still a being within saṃsāra, subject to birth, aging, and death.

Viewed through the wisdom of the Tathāgata, such a Brahmā is not an eternal creator, but a being who has fallen into the mistaken belief that he is the creator because he does not remember his own previous existence.

Although he may dwell in a sublime realm for an immeasurably long time, he has not yet discovered the path leading beyond birth and death.

3. THE SILENCE OF DIVINE JUSTICE AND THE LION'S ROAR OF KAMMA

If one still hopes:

"Even so, it feels more reassuring to believe that a Creator governs everything,"

then the Buddhist tradition invites us to reflect carefully.

Several Jātaka stories encourage reflection on the logical implications of such a belief.

If a Creator were both perfectly good and all-powerful, questions naturally arise:

Why is there suffering?
Why do beings harm one another?
Why do predators and prey exist?
Why do beings experience such unequal conditions of life?

The Buddha does not answer these questions by appealing to divine will.

Instead, He teaches:

"Phenomena arise because of conditions; when those conditions cease, they cease."

No unseen hand determines our destiny.

When we suffer, suffering arises from causes and conditions, including our own unwholesome kamma.

When we experience happiness, happiness likewise arises from wholesome causes and conditions that have been cultivated.

The law of kamma operates impartially.

It neither favors nor discriminates.

Like a natural law, it functions according to causes and results.

No being—not even a Brahmā—is exempt from it.

According to the Theravāda teachings, if a Brahmā generates unwholesome intentions and creates unwholesome kamma, that Brahmā is likewise subject to its results.

This truth may feel unsettling because it removes every external refuge upon which we wish to depend.

Yet at the same time, it restores something far greater:

the complete responsibility for our own actions and the freedom to shape our future through wisdom, virtue, and right practice.

That, according to the Buddha, is the beginning of genuine liberation.

4. THE TEACHER OF GODS AND HUMANS

Dear friends in the Dhamma,

The Buddha, Siddhattha Gotama, is honored with the title Satthā Devamanussānaṃ—Teacher of Devas and Humans.

Why?

Because according to the Theravāda teachings, even the highest devas and Brahmās remain within saṃsāra, the cycle of birth and death.

A Brahmā may possess great merit, immense radiance, and an extraordinarily long lifespan, but no Brahmā can grant final liberation from suffering to another being.

The complete ending of suffering (dukkha) can only be realized by walking the Noble Eightfold Path and directly understanding reality as it truly is.

That is why the Buddha is called the Teacher of devas and humans.

He revealed the path that leads beyond the entire framework of the Three Realms (Ti-loka).

Therefore, a true follower of the Buddha:

Does not disrespect devas or Brahmās.
Yet does not take refuge in devas or Brahmās.

We respect them as fellow beings who possess great merit and superior qualities, but our refuge is the Dhamma—the ultimate truth discovered and taught by the Buddha.

Stop searching for an external savior.

Turn inward instead.

Contemplate the Five Aggregates (Pañcakkhandha).

Gradually abandon greed (lobha), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha).

According to the Buddha's teaching, this is the only path that leads to true freedom and to becoming the master of one's own mind—not through dependence on any external power, but through wisdom, ethical conduct, and direct realization.

May this truth illuminate the dark corners of ignorance and superstition within our hearts.

Homage to the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One.