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Common Ground - Islam and Buddhism

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Setting the Scene<br />

enment as such, <strong>and</strong> the specific contents or the ‘message’—the<br />

risāla—conveyed through that enlightenment, by means of which<br />

others can be helped to achieve enlightenment themselves:<br />

The Conquerors are masters of various <strong>and</strong> manifold means<br />

whereby the Tathāgata reveals the supreme light to the<br />

world of gods <strong>and</strong> men—means adapted to their temperaments<br />

<strong>and</strong> prejudices. 26<br />

In the light of the above discussion we can interpret this verse from<br />

the Saddharmapundarīka Sūtra as follows: the revelation of the<br />

Tathāgata is the revelation of the Buddha-nature (Buddhadhātu), the<br />

principle, <strong>and</strong> not Shakyamuni the man; it is the revelation of the<br />

Absolute, which is bestowed upon human communities in the form<br />

of a sāsana (‘dispensation’) communicated by an upāya (‘skilful<br />

means’) adapted to their conditions. Thomas Cleary, commenting<br />

upon the ‘infinity <strong>and</strong> eternity of Buddha’, writes as follows: ‘enlightened<br />

guides present various teachings to people in accord with<br />

their needs, potentials <strong>and</strong> conditions … This principle of adaptation<br />

<strong>and</strong> specific prescription is known as “skill in means”.’ This principle<br />

reminds one of the Qur’ānic perspective: And We never sent<br />

a messenger save with the language of his people, so that he might<br />

make it clear to them (14:4).<br />

Given these premises, it should be possible for Muslims to mount<br />

a serious argument in favour of the proposition that the Buddha was<br />

a ‘messenger of God’, however much such a designation be resisted<br />

by Buddhists themselves. By doing so, they will be reflecting the<br />

fact that many Buddhists are able to recognize the Prophet Muhammad<br />

as one of the individuals in whose mission the function of the<br />

Dharma-kāya 27 was manifested—even if many Muslims themselves<br />

will resist such a designation. According to Suzuki:<br />

Perceiving an incarnation of the Dharmakāya in every spiritual<br />

leader regardless of his nationality <strong>and</strong> professed creed, Mahayanists<br />

recognized a Buddha in Socrates, Mohammad, Jesus,<br />

Francis of Assisi, Confucius, Laotze, <strong>and</strong> many others. 28<br />

26. Saddharmapundarīka Sūtra 2:36 <strong>and</strong> 73; cited in Coomaraswamy, Buddha<br />

<strong>and</strong> the Gospel of <strong>Buddhism</strong>, op. cit., p. 159.<br />

27. Literally: the body of the Dharma. We shall be addressing this important<br />

concept below.<br />

28. D.T. Suzuki, Outlines of Mahayana <strong>Buddhism</strong>, p. 63; cited in ibid., p. 159.<br />

23

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