Buddhism & Islam, a fascinating look

Buddhism and Islam: A fascinating look at their relationship through
centuries

I am pleased to share the following article on Buddhism and Islam. A while back I wrote a piece on the subject and indeed a few times I have given a talk on Buddhism and Islam. There are quite a lot of things we can see occurring in both the traditions.

When Buddha was asked some 2500 years ago by his disciples, as to which path is better; the ascetic one or the worldly one – in the former you renounce every pleasure of life and in the latter you are driven by it. The enlightened one says follow the middle path.

Prophet Muhammad some 1200 years later tells one of his associates to quit praying all times and go attend to the family matters and advised all his followers to choose moderation or the middle path.

The concept of God can come close – In Islam God is not a being, not a male, not a female and not a body, it is the energy, the light and the Noor, where as in Buddhism God is a non-entity.

In both the traditions the focus is on one’s deed to achieve salvation. Buddha laid out 8 truths, following which brings one freedom from the bondage of pleasures and pain and accomplishes Nirvana, where as the Prophet said to his daughter – it is your deeds that will earn you the entrance to paradise.

A few people in each faith are afraid to learn about other faiths, they fear that their already weak faith may dissipate, so don’t learn other faiths, lest I may choose the other. Friends, each faith is beautiful to the believer, and studying other faiths does not mean disloyalty to your own, rather the search will enhance one’s own faith – knowing that every faith brings peace of mind and a greater understanding of creation without negating the other.

May the causer of the universe bless us all to open our hearts and mind towards the fellow beings?

Mike Ghouse is a Dallas based Speaker, Writer, Thinker and a Moderator. He is a frequent guest on talk radio and television networks offering pluralistic perspectives on issues of the day including Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, Peace, India and Civic issues. His comments, news analysis and opinions are on the Blogs listed at his personal website http://www.mikeghouse.net/. Mike is a Dallasite for three decades and Carrollton is his home town. He can be reached at Ghousemike@gmail.com
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Buddhism and Islam:
A fascinating look at their relationship through centuries

By Juhi Shahin

Montreal: Buddhism and Islam are two religions we do not hear mentioned in
one breath very often. So it was with great anticipation that I went to
attend the conference, Buddhism & Islam - Encounters, Histories, Dialogue
and Representation held at McGill University, May 29 and 30, 2009. The
conference indeed turned out to be eye-opening.

Not many know that the encounters and relationship between the two
religions commenced almost at the very beginning of Islamic history. The
first panellist, Xinru Liu, opened the conference with her research on
Tukharistan (northern Afghanistan), Sogdiana (southern Uzbekistan) from
6th to 8th century, which was the junction on the Silk Route for routes
going east and west and north and south. This region was Buddhist and
Zoroastrian before the Muslims came in as invaders and traders. There was
not a sudden conversion because of the fear of the Muslim armies as is
generally believed, but close collaboration and cooperation in the region.
The people there greatly appreciated the opportunities that came with
joining the Islamic culture and civilization. For some, it was also
convenient to be Muslim under the Muslim regime and pay no taxes, since in
Umayyad times Muslims did not need to pay taxes. However, once Muslim,
they continued to be so and the region produced many philosophers,
scientists and mathematicians who took Islamic civilization to new
heights, while as Liu argues, also preserving their pre-Islamic local
cultural traditions.

Equally interesting in this panel was Alexandre Papas' paper in which he
discussed the writings of two Ottoman travellers to China in the early
twentieth century. The dialogue between the Muslim authors and Buddhist
monks was discussed. It was interesting to see that they discussed the
similarities and dissimilarities between the two religions as well as
political issues with both their countries facing Western domination.
However, the highlight of the day was Georgios Halkias' paper on "Muslim
Queens of Buddhist Kingdoms," which was about the practice of bride
exchange in Ladakh and Baltistan. According to Halkias, "the Muslim Queens
of the Himalayas stand witness to a rich cultural fusion, an old blend of
Arab, Persian, Mongol, Indian and Tibetan elements. Ever since the
conversion of the Baltis to Islam in the fourteenth century the Muslim
princess-brides stood as promises of unity and peace and as a means of
alleviating conflict between the warring houses of Baltistan and the
Buddhist kingdoms of Ladakh." Interestingly, these Muslim queens ruled the
Buddhist kingdoms as well, longest rule having been of thirteen years, and
were patrons of both Buddhist monasteries and mosques. Muslim and Buddhist
interactions in Tibet discussed by José Ignacio Cabezón, was also quite
absorbing. According to him, "Muslims - both Muslims of Kashmiri origin
and ethnic Chinese Muslims - have lived among Tibetans for centuries."
However, he argues that the "Chinese annexation of the Tibetan plateau has
exacerbated the tensions between these two groups."

The two papers presented on Buddhism in Muslim Indonesia by Karel
Steenbrink and Hudaya Kandahjaya were complementary and explained a unique
situation really well. Buddhism and Islam have lived together in the
region since the arrival of Islam in 1200, Buddhism these days being
mainly represented by the Chinese community. Indonesia, in spite of having
the largest Muslim population in the world, does not call itself an
Islamic state. Six religions are recognized by the state of Indonesia.
However, people of all religious communities have to accept the Pancasila
ideology, one of its principles being, "belief in the one and high
divinity." This leads to the development of a unique situation for the
Buddhists, since in their belief, the presence or absence of God is left
undefined. Some Buddhists in compliance with Pancashila and also because
of Muslim influence are using the concept of Adi Buddha, a form of
divinity. This is seen as problematic by others who perceive it as forming
a new kind of theistic Buddhism.

The two papers on Thailand brought about two contrasting pictures of the
region. Charles Keyes of University of Washington gave more of a
historical perspective telling us that by the beginning of twentieth
century, Muslims were a distinct minority in Thailand, they came from
South Asia, China, Malaysia and some were also ethnic Thais. However, with
the restructuring of the state in the late nineteenth century and growth
of nationalist feelings, promotion of Buddhism became fundamental to
Thailand. The result of this being that the Muslims then became the
"others" or what is called khaek in Thailand. This rhetoric of difference
has led to "some Muslims, especially Malay-speaking Muslims, have embraced
fundamentalist versions of Islam and some Thai politicians and Buddhist
leaders have accentuated Buddhist nationalism."

On the other hand, Alexander Horstmann's paper focused on the small
village of Ban Tamot in Southern Thailand, where the Muslims are mainly
concentrated. He talked about an ancestor-worshipping ritual held in the
cemetery, in which local Imams as well as Buddhist monks participate. Very
interestingly, "the basis of this ritual is the mutual bond of kinship
relations that criss-cross through the religious communities and the local
elites. Thus, the Imam of Ban Klong Nui is related to the old Buddhist
abbot of Wat Tamot. Second, the village spirit is believed to be of
Malay-Muslim origin ... Thus, while not explicitly announced, the
participation of Muslims is crucial to the ritual."

An interesting project on Islam in Tibet has just been finished by the
Warburg Institute of the University of London. Two of the papers presented
on Rashid al-Din's (1247-1318) 'Life of the Buddha' were part of the
project. Rashid al-Din's book is considered the oldest World History book,
in which he dedicates a separate section on the life of the Buddha. Ronit
Yoeli-Tlalim highlighted the aspects from Tibetan Buddhism that are
present in the work and also attempted to give evidence of the presence of
Buddhists in the Ilkhanid court. Commenting on the same text, Anna Akasoy
brought out the use of Islamic terminology by Muslims in trying to
understand Buddhist concepts. This is what the two scholars called a
"cultural translation", where Buddhists concepts were Islamicized in order
to be understood.

The conference ended with another interesting panel on Religion and
Local/Global Identities, where an effort was made to understand how one
community perceives another in various places, Japan, India, Thailand and
Malaysia. And how contemporary scenarios like the 9/11 affect relations,
although needless to say, do not alter them completely. This conference
gave a much needed comparative religious perspective. More such efforts
are needed to bring out the fact that most religious people when left to
themselves are able to live together in a collaborative and cooperative
way, enriching all the cultures and religions involved. This "cultural
translation" is an ongoing process, in spite of the hoopla surrounding
fundamentalisms of all sorts today.

Juhi Shahin, the author of The War Within Islam: Niyaz Fatehpuri's
Struggle Against The Fundamentalists, is a PhD student at Tufts
University, Boston, USA

URL of this page:
http://www.newageislam.org/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1442