One of the descriptive titles given to the Buddha is that of satthā-deva-manussānaṃ, the Teacher of Gods and Men. It is found in the earliest texts of the Tipiṭaka and was accepted by the Buddha Himself. That the expression was no mere oriental hyperbole, but is to be taken in its literal sense, is borne out by the numerous incidents in which devas figure in the Buddhist canonical literature, where, like human beings, they come to the Master for religious instruction.
These beings, whose generic name of deva means Shining Ones, appear so often that there is every justification for an enquiry into their nature and the precise place they occupy in the doctrines of Buddhism.
The Buddhist conception of the universe and of the laws of cause and effect that govern it leaves no room whatever for the idea of a supreme deity in the role of creator or ruler. It is not even necessary for Buddhism to deny the existence of a Creator-god; its philosophy automatically excludes the theory.
[pdf]http://www.dhammikaweb.com/pdfs/Gods-and-the-Universe.pdf[/pdf]
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