RELIGION LIBRARY

Theravada Buddhism

Beliefs

Ultimate Reality and Divine Beings

In Theravada, nibbana is understood to be real and distinct from samsara. Although most Theravadins believe in and worship deities, deities are understood to be inferior to the Buddha, who is a perfected human being and not a god.

Back to Beliefs
Back to Religion Library
Editor's picks See all columnists
Evangelical
Before You Unplug or Sign Out for Good
Guest Contributor
Evangelical
What Is the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts, and How Do You Discover Yours?
Randy Alcorn
New Visions
5 Ways to Hear What God is Telling You
Tom Rapsas
Muslim
How Awake Are We? When Waking Up is Falling Asleep
Daniel Thomas Dyer
Latter-day Saint
"The Church supports the use of vaccinations"
Dan Peterson
Evangelical
Luther and the Beauty of Christ
Guest Contributor
Patheos
The Soul of Gospel Music Explored in New Netflix Series "Voices of Fire"
DeWayne Hamby
Patheos
Seven Ways to Think About Christian Mysticism
Carl McColman
Evangelical
Cancelling Alice Walker?
Philip Jenkins
Evangelical
Does God Have His Own Logic?
Roger E. Olson
Patheos Logo Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.