Is Buddhism pantheistic or animistic

Answer 1

Answer 1: No. Buddhism itself is not even a religion, but a philosophy and way of life. There are no "gods" in Buddhism in the strict sense. Various cultures (Tibet, China, Japan, India, Korea, Burma, Thailand) created gods and goddesses as visual representations of Buddhist principles....but the teachings of Buddha in the beginning were not about gods or spirituality, but how to think, act, and function to attain "enlightenment".

And... yes it is. Certain forms of Buddhism are purely Pantheistic. The "theism" here is misleading. The fundamental concept that there exists no supreme being but rather an all pervasive energy that is the structure of the whole universe, is common to both Pantheism and Buddhism. "Enlightenment" is defined differently according to the sect of Buddhism. Many Buddhists believe that enlightenment is found when denying ones desires, however, in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism which is based upon the final teachings of Shakymuni Buddha (found in the Lotus Sutra), "enlightenment" is "happiness" reached through your desires and is defined by a true understanding of Mystic Law. That law is basically Pantheistic in nature.

To put it more simply, when one fully understands the connection of every "thing" to the whole of the universe, true happiness can be attained. Practicing Pantheists revere nature and "worship" their connection to nature. This revering of "the truth of natural phenomenon" brings happiness to the Pantheist. The "I" is lost in the sea of reality. This worship of nature itself combined with the understanding of one's connection to it, is precisely what is meant by practicing Mystic Law in certain forms of Buddhism.

It is interesting to note that the famous American Pantheists were transcendentalists who studied the Lotus Sutra.

Answer 2: In Buddhism, every human being (or every being, according to some Buddhists) is in the process of becoming a god (meaning: invoked one). Therefore, it is a pantheist spiritualism to some, and technically a religion is the sense that to practice it one has to bind themself to a set of rules, standards and moral doctrine. But it is not a religion in the sense that you have to pay homage to a church or temple. In other words, one is not a vassal (servant or slave) to a god (invoked one) or church in Buddhism, but on the path to becoming enlightened to reach a state in which one is no longer bound to cycles of corporeal life and death. Buddhism also believes in ascension, but as to their meaning of it being the same as the Gnostics or Jains is open for debate and interpretation. Gnostics tend to pray and serve an ascended being and Catholics tend to worship one ascended being, whereas Buddhists do not worship or serve an ascended other than their future ascended thelves. The reason for this is not entirely known. Moreover, Buddhists may not be required to worship an ascended being but some do choose to. Meaning that one can be a Buddhist Gnostic, or Buddhist Orthodox, etcetera. I suppose this is a heresy in the eyes of some. But one can really Buddhist and serve the Architect that so many call God, YHWH, Alla, Zeus, Odin, Elohim, Annanuki, etcetera.

Answer 2

It is niether, nor is it monothestic or polytheistic, the Buddhist say that there is no god therefore no ism