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Asians don't necessarily know anything, many are too entrenched in the modern world. I have an MA in South Asian Studies and I have studied Hinduism my whole life.
Buddhism accepts deities like ancient polytheism accepted the existence of deities. Even seeming atheists like Lucretius accepted the existence of deities even if he thought they didn't care about human affairs. This sort of deism is the closest thing you will get to ancient atheism with the exception of the Indian Carvakas and Lokayatas. Buddhism states that the devas are just as subject to reincarnation as any other being, and the devas even have a harder time reaching Nirvana because they are distracted by heavenly sensual pleasures.
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