Islam and Buddhism

Here is an interesting quote by Gotama Buddha, but really don't understand as who are devas in this quote? Can you help providing some details on this.

"224:

By telling the truth;
by not growing angry;
by giving, when asked,
no matter how little you have:
by these three things
you enter the presence of devas.

"

Reference: Dhammapada XVII (vv. 221-234); Kodhavagga, Anger; Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/khuddaka/dhp/tb0/ dhp-17-tb0.html

AhmadJoyia wrote: Great Job, my bro Sanjiv, this is what I was looking for. Now, since you are with the correct source, kindly look for the section which provides the information concerning multiple births. Can you find it being explicitly stated by Gotama Buddha?

Thanks for the link AhmadJoyia.

Yeah as soon as I saw the Jatarka link (nothing in their yet) you will see plenty of reincarnation stories of all of Siddhartha�s previous lives supposably ( I have attached a link below if you like to see Jataka stories). They are other mentions of reincarnation dotted hear and there. I can�t find any evidence that Siddhartha suggested this theory especially once we know that the first texts was compiled at least 100 years after the death of Siddhartha, which by then there were approximately 500 different schools of thought. Some believed that Siddhartha taught celestial beings could be reached through attainment of Nibbana, most believed in rebirth and others believed it was ludicrous to put beliefs in such things as there was no way of testing these claims just another diversion that can ensnare a practitioner and lead them to fantasies without seeing the true nature of things. This led to a significant split, as you already know Mahayana and Theravada. Similar splits are again observed in the Theravada mainstream and Mahayana. The Pali Canon itself wasn�t even compiled until 100 to 50 BC some sites say 80BC in Sri-Lanka, which by then ideas and thoughts were added based on the bhikkus understanding. The Tripitaka is not the same among all denominations; they are variances between each school of thought. Keep in mind the Tripitika with all its contents takes up an entire bookshelf. Some interesting sites on what the Buddha was like. 

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=00000000010,00000 001258,0,0,1,0

http://www.harunyahya.com/buddhism03.php

I humbly disagree with some other contents mentioned in this Islamic site about Buddhism but agree with what is said on the Pali Canon on this page.

AhmadJoyia wrote: Here is an interesting quote by Gotama Buddha, but really don't understand as who are devas in this quote? Can you help providing some details on this.

Devas means celestial beings or Gods. Another Tripitaka site listed below it may show some texts that might have been unavailable in the one you mentioned go to the first link on that webpage Introduction toThe Buddhist Bible.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/9449/perspec.htm

http://watthai.net/talon/jataka/jataka.htm

A bit about Jataka stories

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jataka

Here comes Sherlock Holmes

But mark my words, "atleast for the sake of census."

I am still learning religion Sanjiv.  I want to learn it soon.

I thought you were a Buddhist.  I envy you for you know a lot about Buddhism.