God in Buddhism - Mahayana and Vajrayana Doctrines

Mahayana and Vajrayana Doctrines

In the pramana tradition, Dharmakīrti advances a number of arguments against the existence of a creator god in his Pramāṇavārika, following in the footsteps of Vasubandhu. Later Mahayana scholars such as Śāntarakṣita and Kamalaśīla continued this tradition. Some Mahayana and Dzogchen traditions of Buddhism, however, do assert an underlying monistic 'ground of being' or tathagatagarbha, which is stated to be indestructibly present in all beings and phenomena. The Tathagatagarbha Sutras, in particular, enunciate this view.