I think the main thing that separates it from most polytheistic religions is that for the worldly gods, such as the hindu gods, they are supposed to be in samsara and no more special than we are. And then the Buddhas are supposed to be no different in nature than ourselves.smcj wrote:a.k.a. Polytheism."Some people are worried that in Buddhism there is no God.If there is no "God" in Buddhism, then who do we pray to?
In fact, in Buddhism there are many gods, but none of them is considered to be one and only God."-ChNN
So it's a little different than polytheism typically. And I hate to admit it, and many might disagree, but Buddhism (especially Mahayana/Vajrayana) is not that different from polytheism but with additional things as well, especially to an outside perspective. I understand the difference, but bottom line, there are multiple represented entities who are considered "special" (again, yes I'm aware their nature is no different) whom we give offerings before and pray to. We speak specifically how they have power and ask for their help, it's right in the sadhanas. We even consider it negative to treat their images poorly. So like it or not, on a basic level it's at least got similarities, and whether ChNN intended it or not, that quote is literally the definition of polytheism.