I think the terms 'God', and especially 'exist', are quite vague and need to be specified carefully before any 'proofs' are attempted, and until they are agreed upon the discussion will probably just be people talking past each other.

I do not know what 'high Buddhist thought is. At least 18 schools of religious Buddhism exist but religious Buddhism does not interest me.

I find in the buddhadharma, what the Buddha taught, a philosophy or as a way of living one's life.

The purest teachings of the Buddha features no God, no acts of worship, no ritual, no rules, no supernatural reward or punishment and no fixed morality.

In fact, Buddhism is different to the Western concept of a religion in almost every aspect.

@Geezer: I agree with what you have written, but only as long as you confine 'Buddhism' to the 'purist teachings' rather than consider the actual social practices that are carried out and the very widespread and varied popular beliefs that go with them. Same is of course true of other religions - e.g., was the Inquisition 'Christianity'?

@Alien: I completely agree that "the terms 'God', and especially 'exist', are quite vague and need to be specified carefully before any 'proofs' are attempted," which adds to the difficulty in 'proving' anything.

I know very little about Hinduism and was surprised to learn atheism is a significant part of Hinduism.

You could be right about totalitaris

@Alien: I completely agree that "the terms 'God', and especially 'exist', are quite vague and need to be specified carefully before any 'proofs' are attempted," which adds to the difficulty in 'proving' anything.

I know very little about Hinduism and was surprised to learn atheism is a significant part of Hinduism.

You could be right about the "totalitarian" aspect as well. There isn't any point in beating that horse as one man's "totalitarian" could be another man's utopia.

It seems disagreements on religion decompose to disagreements on definitions which decompose to which words could be used and defined.

The Buddha said:

'Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.'

Beware proof. Remember the Babel fish.

@Geezer: wise words from the Buddha.
'HInduism' is a mass of beliefs and practices that are sometimes contradictory at many levels and are interpreted differently by different batches of people, it's not a single doctrine - it's another word with a somewhat vague. Probably would be better to say that there is at least one school of Indian metaphysicians who have developed the atheist concept. Popularly, people worship their selection of about a million gods - but even then I have met worshippers of Shiva who were free to state that, finally speaking, there are no gods - the gods are personified aspects of Reality.

Answer to the OP: the person suffered due to his desire of having a car that wouldn't be hit and would always look nice, but when his car was damaged he felt terrible.

Buddha has said, once you stop expecting you already have evertything.

I disagree with laotou, Buddhism is about the middle path, there is no need to be locked in a temple. The Dalai Lama himself participates in many meetings and travels all around the world and lectures extensively. I still don't think buddhism is perfect because it doesn't acknowledge evil and satan, which to some people who had the misfortune of witnessing, can be an unsettling and vivid presence in this world.

@Spartans: The Buddha does not mention satan because he does not mention God. It would seem you need God in order to have satan.

On evil, the Buddha said

'What is evil? Killing is evil, lying is evil, slandering is evil, abuse is evil, gossip is evil, envy is evil, hatred is evil, to cling to false doctrine is evil; all these things are evil. And what is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil, illusion is the root of evil.'

Buddhism is a philosophy or as a way of living one's life. Buddha teaches the 'Golden Rule,' Karma (I use the term 'What goes around, comes around') and states what is evil. Not perfect for sure.