Thank you @beneric1000. You are right, there is no "God" in Buddhism in the sense of a creator of the universe, nor was Buddha a God, the son of a God, or a messenger of God. Buddhism does, however, refer to "Emptiness" regularly, which is a "placeholder" for what many call "God" (it's the big question mark). That's why Buddhism is not a threat to any religion, because it doesn't deny God, it just doesn't affirm God - it just leaves it as a question mark. I bring up other religious aspects in my writing because I've dedicated my life to studying what people believe and why we believe what we do (not just religion, but even your prejudices; where did you pick them up, but more importantly, why are you still carrying them?) and because I, personally, have a tremendous amount of faith in God (my memoir is called Faithfully Religionless), but it's not the "Bearded man in the sky" God that comes to mind for many in mostly Western culture, it's the God within, so to speak (or, if you're not comfortable with the word God, just add an "o" - the Good within). In Good We Trust 🙏

@@TimberHawkeye Thank you for your response, it was quick and I did not expect that. I really like the book and I think it is a good mindset. I have studied Buddhism before and I thought that they need to feel about themselves in the way that they can help other humans and animals. Like I said before, do they believe in higher power? You are probably right, but it isn't what I have read. What do you think?

Also, I should listen to your KZfaq videos :)

Keep in mind there are over 800 schools of Buddhism, and I keep things secular. In fact, when someone asks me if I'm a Buddhist, I don't know how to answer because I am many things and not one of them defines me. The book was titled Buddhist Boot Camp not because there is anything in it about Buddhism in the scholarly or historical sense, but because that's what my life felt like at the time (it's a collection of eight years' worth of journal entries, and it was published 11 years ago). My understanding is that we are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness (there is no "us" and "them," we are all in this together). Do "they" believe in a higher power (I assume by "they" you meant Buddhists), but keep in mind, again, Buddhism isn't a religion, it's a practice like Yoga, so someone can be a Catholic Priest who practices Buddhism, in which case he most certainly believes in a higher power. At the same time, someone can be an atheist and practice Buddhism because believing in a higher power isn't a prerequisite; the Buddha's teachings about how we create our own anguish have nothing to do with that, so the question itself is misguided, if that's fair to say. Bodhisattvas are here to help others, yes, but not everyone is a bodhisattva. How can someone who is still asleep help others awaken; the work we do is internal, but the ripple effects are immeasurable (we are part of the world, so by learning to be peaceful, we are helping others and making the world a more peaceful place). We are all in this together. 🙏