Theology of Buddhism and of Anti-Buddhism

Gautama Buddha left us a good psychological method to overcome suffering and the problems of life on earth, and to get away of the Caste System in India... he did not tried to start a new religion, he purposely never even mentioned the words religion, god, soul, the after-death...
Gautama preached not a religion, but a system devoid of "authority", without gods and rituals, devoid of the "supernatural"... "by this you shall know that a man is not my disciple, that he tries to work a miracle", said Buddha... he preached a psychological system of "intense self-effort", "whatever your caste, he told his followers, you can make it in this life-time"... no fatalism like in Hinduism!... man does not have to believe in any god, but in himself.
In fact, Gautama was "a rebel" against the complicated way and rituals of Hinduism, he took away the gods, priests, rituals, candles, incense, the caste system... and this is why today in India there is practically no Buddhism...
Gautama always evaded the task to define the blessed state of Nirvana, always avoided discussing either God or life after death...
So, in the Buddhism of Buddha there is actually not "theology", no treatment of God. Professor Kraemer describes the Buddhist system as "a non-theistic ethical discipline, a system of self training, anthropocentric, stressing ethics and mind-culture to the exclusion of theology."
However Buddhism is not atheistic in the sense that modern secularism, rationalism, humanism, etc. could be regarded to be atheistic (although it has much in common with them). Buddhism is not concerned primarily with refuting the notion of God (as some atheistic writers have done). It is principally concerned with developing a method of escape from the worldly ills. This involves undertaking a method of mental discipline and a code of conduct, which is sufficient to satisfy the most demanding of spiritual requirements. Indeed only very little of the Buddha's voluminous discourses deal directly with the question of God. He was more interested in expounding a way to personal salvation, and to improve the weal of mankind both in this world and in the worlds to come. It is this task that informs most of the discourses of the Buddha which later came to be compiled into the various Canons of Buddhism.
The Buddha did not take an ambiguous or agnostic position on the question of God as he is sometimes represented as having taken by theistically inclined writers. The Buddha has stated his position on God in clear and unequivocal terms.
Devas-gods: Some Buddhists speaks of the existence of category of beings called devas.... in Buddhist texts the supreme god is referred to as Mahâ-Brahmâ (or simply Brahmâ) who was the chief of a class of gods called the Brahmâs. Brahmâ of the Buddhist texts may be considered to be the equivalent of the God of the three monotheistic religions that was to emerge in the Middle East. The first of these was Judaism, with Yahweh or Jehovah as the one God. Next Christianity adopted the same God under the name of Yahweh or Jehovah who is represented as the "Father" of Jesus in the Trinity. Finally Islam adopted the name of Allah for their only God. Some Buddhist recognize three kinds of devas: gods: 1- Sammuthi Deva, god by convention, like the deification of natural phenomena and even of human beings. 2- Uppatti Deva, god by birth, are those celestial beings who are born non-biologically in the celestial spheres called devaloka. 3- Visuddhi Deva, god by purity of mind, are those evolved beings human or divine whose minds are pure, free from evil intentions. Arahats or Buddhas are examples of Visuddhi Devas.
Reincarnation: Buddhists believe in reincarnation and that one must go through cycles of birth, life, and death. After many such cycles, if a person releases their attachment to desire and the self, they can attain Nirvana. In general, Buddhists do not believe in any type of God, prayer, or eternal life after death... no need for a savior, because all salvation is personal work, yoga and meditation, to obtain enlightenment and Nirvana. Buddhism teaches that humans are trapped in a repetitive cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. One's goal is to escape from this cycle and reach Nirvana. The mind experiences complete freedom, liberation and non-attachment. Suffering ends because desire and craving -- the causes of suffering -- are no more.
Buddhism after Buddha... the Anti-Buddhism:
However, since the time of the Buddha, Buddhism has integrated many regional religious rituals, beliefs and customs into it as it has spread throughout Asia, so that this generalization is no longer true for all Buddhists. This has occurred with little conflict due to the philosophical nature of Buddhism.
Yes, men can't live without religion, without God, and many Buddhists have made a religion out of the beautiful and practical teachings of Gautama... the Buddha was converted into a Divinity comparable to the God of the monotheistic religions.
Since Buddha never emphasized his concept of the divine, Buddhism is left with some life's deepest questions unanswered, questions such as the origin of the universe and the purpose of man's existence.
So, after Gautama's death, many sects have developed within Buddhism. Many of these sects differ in many fundamental ways and comparing them to one another is like comparing two separate religions. Many sects have developed their own unique concept of God. Some are pantheistic in their view of God. Others are atheistic. Still others have developed a polytheistic system of gods. Some have combined pantheism and polytheism. Several sects have elevated Gautama (or Buddha) to the level of a savior or divine being although it is clear he never claimed to be a deity. Other sects have combined some of the doctrines of God from other religions with Buddhism.
Hinayana, Lesser Vehicle, (Theravada): Emphasizes the writings of the Buddha, the closest to Buddha's original teachings, in southern Asia, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia. Theravada Buddhist doctrine takes the story of Siddhartha literally, and places him in a series with several earlier Buddhas and one Buddha, Mettayya (or Maitreya), yet to come. From this view, Buddhahood endures only as long as life itself.
Mahayana, Greater Vehicle: emphasizes the spirit of Buddha, by far the largest branch of Buddhism, in China, Japan, Tibet, Korea, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand. Mahayana introduced the doctrine of "bodhisattva", "helpers": Enlightened perfect beings, who choose to help others reincarnating, instead of entering Nirvana (i.e. the Dalai Lama or Amitabha). With this doctrine, Mahayana makes a god out of the Buddha and out of anyone who is enlightened, in open rebellion against the teachings of Gautama Buddha.
Vajrayana, Diamond Vehicle, the third Vehicle, Tantrism. It borrows the Hindu belief in the goddess Shakti sexual power and developed a cult devoted to idols, magic and sex. It has been condemned as a degeneration of Buddhism, and indeed it is an anti-Buddhism.
Tibetan Buddhism: In Tibet and Japan, added to Tantrism the primitive animistic religions of the Tibet, the magic "bon", and some "Mahayana" doctrines to create the most openly occultist of all Eastern religions. On top of it created the super-authority of the "Dalai Lama", a god-on-earth, heading a hierarchy of priests, destroying the "religion without authority" that Gautama the Buddha proposed.
Nicheren Buddhism: In the 13th century a Japanese, Nichiren, founded a school whose aims are the opposite of Gautama Buddha: To satisfy all desires, because "happy individuals can build a happy world"; with emphasis on acquiring wealth, power, personal happiness, pleasures, political power...
Pure Land (Sukhavati, Jodo, Ching-tu): One enters the Pure Land through faith in the god Amitabha, or Amida or Buddha, by repeating the "membutsu", "Namu-Amida-Butsu", "Have faith in Amida, and you will be saved", they proclaim, imitating Jesus Christ... in a total contradiction of the teachings of the Buddha.
Zen Buddhism, from Japan had become in the mid-20th century perhaps the best known of the Buddhists schools in the Western world... "Zen" means "be nothing, think nothing", and "Zazen" "seated meditation"; its adherents claim Zen to be the quintessential of Buddhism... there is actually no theology here.
"Folk" Buddhism: Besides the "official" Buddhism, there is the "Folk" Buddhism, very popular. It is "animistic", with magic to spell spirits and devils, with many gods, divination, witchcraft... and it is usually lived with Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism...
Finally, Hinduism: The Buddha, for the Hindus, is the 9th incarnation of Vishnu... of course, openly against the will and teachings of Gautama Buddha himself... The 7th and 8th incarnations of Vishnu for the Hindus are Rama and Krishna... and the 10th incarnation and the last one, will be "Kalkin", still to come.
Scriptures and Rules of BuddhismSome Schools of Buddhism: http://www.free-definition.com/Schools-of-Buddhism.html 1 Nikaya schools 2 Mahāyāna schools 3 Tantric schoolsSome Buddhism Teachers: http://www.macalester.edu/~omafray/ccc.htm
http://www.buddhistinformation.com/buddhist_attitude_to_god.htm http://www.island-of-freedom.com/siddhartha.htm http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/buddhism.html