Common Ground - Islam and Buddhism

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Setting the Scene ognize the acts prescribed by Buddhism as ‘virtuous acts’. Indeed, in light of the verses cited above, it should be possible to demonstrate that the essence of the Buddhist message is at one with the immutable and unique message of all the Messengers: And We sent no Messenger before you but We inspired him [saying]: There is no God save Me, so worship Me (21:25); this verse confirms the uniqueness of the message: Nothing is said unto you [Muhammad] but what was said unto the Messengers before you (41:43). If it cannot be shown that the essence of the Buddha’s message is at one with that of the message of the Qur’ān, it might be possible at least to demonstrate that it is ‘like’ it: And if they believe in the like of that which ye believe, then are they rightly guided … (2:137). If even this cannot be done, then one is deprived of much of the religio-legal ground, or the spiritual logic, of the conventional Muslim practice of granting dhimmī status to Buddhists. For this status must imply that, unlike man-made paganism, the religion practised by them is—or at least was 10 —an authentic one, revealed by God. Let us also note that there is in the juristic tradition a lively debate about whether those communities to whom the dhimmī status was granted should also be regarded as Ahl al-Kitāb in the full sense. The great jurist, al-Shafi’i, founder of one of the four schools of law in Sunni Islam, asserted that the Qur’ānic references to the scriptures of Abraham and Moses (suhufi Ibrāhīm wa Mūsā; 87:19), and the scriptures of the ancients (zubur al-awwalīn; 26:196) can be used as the basis for arguing that God revealed scriptures other than those specifically mentioned in the Qur’ān. He concludes that Zoroastrians, for example, can also be included in the category of 10. This reservation is important, for the overwhelming majority of Muslim This reservation is important, for the overwhelming majority of Muslim scholars accept that the ‘People of the Book’ are undoubtedly recipients of an authentic revelation which inaugurates their respective traditions; but that they have not been faithful to that revelation, whether through deliberate distortion of their scriptures (tahrīf) or through a degeneration which is the ransom of the passage of time. The Buddha himself referred to the inevitability of such a degeneration in numerous prophecies, which gave rise to further prophecies five centuries after his passing away. According to Edward Conze, ‘Prophecies dating from the beginning of the Christian era have given 2,500 years as the duration of the teaching of the Buddha Śakyamuni.’ E. Conze, Buddhism—A Short History (Oxford: Oneworld, 2000), p. 141. What matters in an exploration of common ground is the concordance on the level of principles, the extent to which these principles are practised is a different question altogether. 11
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 Ahl al-Kitāb, and not treated only as a ‘protected community’, Ahl al-dhimma. 11 Qur’ānic Premises of Dialogue Our approach to interfaith dialogue is based explicitly on the following key Qur’ānic verses regarding dialogue: 12 O mankind, truly We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that you may know one another… (49:13) And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the differences of your languages and colours. Indeed, herein are signs for those who know. (30:22) Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and hold discourse with them in the finest manner. (16:125) The kaleidoscope of human variety and difference is a stimulus to knowledge—knowledge of the other and knowledge of oneself. This seeking of knowledge will be successful if dialogue be based on what is ‘finest’ in one’s own faith, and in the faith of those with whom one is in dialogue: And do not hold discourse with the People of the Book except in that which is finest, save with those who do wrong. And say: We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you. Our God and your God is one, and unto Him we surrender. (29:46) Here, mention is made explicitly of the ‘People of the Book’—the Jews and Christians, but, as we shall see, the boundaries defining this category are flexible and not fixed. All revealed religions can be placed within this category, which thereby comes to embrace the whole of humanity, given that no human community has been deprived of revelation. The following verses uphold this key premise of dialogue, stressing the inner unity of the message of religion per 11. Yohanan Friedmann, Tolerance and Coercion in Islam—Interfaith Relations in the Muslim Tradition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 81, citing al-Shafi’i’s Kitab al-umm, 4/245 et passim. 12. All translations from the Qur’ān are based on M.M. Pickthall’s translation, with minor modifications. 12
Page 2: Common Ground Between Islam and Bud
Page 5 and 6: First published in 2010 by Fons Vit
Page 7 and 8: Contents, continued Loving Compassi
Page 10 and 11: In the Name of God, the Compassiona
Page 12 and 13: Introduction to Common Ground By H.
Page 18 and 19: Preface by Professor Mohammad Hashi
Page 24: Common Ground Between Islam and Bud
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Epilogue The Common Ground of Sanct
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COMMON GROUND BETWEEN ISLAM AND BUD
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Common Ground - Islam and Buddhism

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