Common Ground - Islam and Buddhism

c o m m o n g r o u n d between i s l a m a n d b u d d h i s m
of dharma. However, at the highest level, the Dharma is also identified
with absolute Truth, absolute Reality. Recognition of this kind
of conceptual affinity at the metaphysical level can help bring the
two traditions into harmony, however much the orthodox or conventional
frameworks of the two traditions contradict each other.
To speak of orthodoxy calls for the following remark. The definition
of ‘orthodoxy’ in Islam derives not from some official magisterium
but from the Qur’ān and the Prophetic Sunna; the question
of who is and who is not ‘orthodox’ in terms of these two sources is
resolved by the consensus of the learned (al-‘ulamā’) in any given
period. In our times, Muslim orthodoxy has received its broadest
ever definition, thanks to the collective fatwā of the leading scholars
of Islam issued in Amman in July 2005. 3 This fatwā recognized eight
schools of law as being orthodox: the four Sunni schools (Hanafi,
Shafi’i, Maliki, Hanbali), the two principal Shi’i schools (Ja‘fari and
Zaydi), and the Ibadi and Zahiri schools.
When we address Buddhism, however, we are compelled to acknowledge
that there is no analogous, clearly definable normative
tradition of dogmatically defined orthodoxy. Even referring to Buddhism
as a ‘religion’ comparable to monotheistic religions is problematic.
Buddhism is more a network of spiritual schools of thought
and praxis than a unified religion, the numerous branches not only
differing widely on the level of doctrine and rituals, but also occasionally
engaging in considerable mutual ostracism. All Buddhist
schools are however united on the fundamental teachings of the
Buddha, as expressed in the Pali canon; for this reason we have
tried to engage with this body of teachings as much as possible, in
addition to addressing some perspectives expressed in later schools,
which more clearly manifest similarities with Islamic doctrines.
Even though we have restricted our reflections to a few principles
within a few of the Buddhist traditions—given our own scholarly
limitations—we are nonetheless addressing the main schools of
thought within Buddhism, and invite all of them to engage in this
dialogue: the two principal branches of this tradition: the Theravada
(‘Way of the Elders’), and the Mahayana (‘Greater Vehicle’), this
latter comprising such schools as the Madhyamaka (‘Middle Path’
founded by Nāgārjūna, ca. 2nd century CE) 4 , Yogacara (founded by
3. See http://www.ammanmessage.com.
4. Scholars are divided over the question of the dates of the birth and death of this
immensely influential figure in Buddhism, considered by many within the tradition
6