Islam and Buddhism: What is common between the two religions?

May we cultivate the space between the sunrise and sunset of our lives with silence in our minds, correct understanding, detached love, compassion and empathy – Pic by Rimzy Mahil

By Dr. Mohamed Safiullah Munsoor

What could be more different than Islam and Buddhism one would say, and this can be echoed in one of Rudyard Kipling’s famous saying “…never the twain shall meet”. 

The Buddha is right when he says that it is ignorance that is at the root of all things. We suffer in our own folly not knowing the similarities and/or the differences of other faiths, which surrounds us nor knowing our own faiths in any great depth. 

Let us start with the four noble truths and the eightfold paths (Lopez, D, 2019) of Buddhism: The Four Noble Truths: i) The truth of suffering (Dukkha). ii) The truth of the origin of suffering (Samudāya). iii) The truth of the cessation of suffering (Nirodha). iv) The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering (Magga). 

The eight elements of the path that puts this into practice are: (1) Correct view, an accurate understanding of the nature of things, specifically the four Noble Truths, (2) Correct intention, avoiding thoughts of attachment, hatred, and harmful intent, (3) Correct speech, refraining from verbal misdeeds such as lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, and senseless speech, (4) Correct action, refraining from physical misdeeds such as killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, (5) Correct livelihood, avoiding trades that directly or indirectly harm others, such as selling slaves, weapons, animals for slaughter, intoxicants, or poisons, (6) Correct effort, abandoning negative states of mind that have already arisen, preventing negative states that have yet to arise, and sustaining positive states that have already arisen, (7) Correct mindfulness, awareness of body, feelings, thought, and phenomena (the constituents of the existing world), and (8) Correct concentration, single-mindedness. 

The Islamic framework is best presented in what is called the Jibreel narration (An-Nawawi, 2004), where the Prophet in his encounter outlined; i) The five principles of faith – i) Belief in One God (no form, no shape). ii) Establishing worship including Salah (prayers) and the constant remembrance of God (meditation). iii) Observing fasts (abstaining from food, drinks and undesirable as well as wrongful thoughts and acts). iv) Obligatory almsgiving (sharing your wealth, efforts, and letting go of your desires and ego). v) Performing the spiritual journey (after divesting all your wealth and wearing one piece of cloth and being one with all others). 

This is combined with the six articles of faith – i) Belief in Oneness (no other reality but the One reality). ii) Belief in Scriptures. iii) Belief in all of the Prophets. iv) Our accountability for all our actions. v) That all acts have been decreed of the rights and wrongs (the courses of our decision and actions manifested in the foreknowledge of the Divine). vi) That we will be taken to account for our good deeds and misdeeds (retribution which links up with the concept of karma). Finally, the concept of Ihsan, that is excellence in performing acts of worship and in conducting one’s life. 

 In spite of the differences, there are certain similarities that emerge from the above narratives, which can be outlined as follows: 

i) Pertaining to God; according to Islam God cannot be conceptualised; that is formless and shapeless – nothing is comparable, with the only pointers being the 99 names of God, which attributes a very wide range of qualities. The Buddha was silent when it came to the question of God. While Buddhism is known as an experimental inquiry process, so is Islam since God cannot be known by studying the theological aspects and is known only experientially through prayers, meditation and donning the path of those who are selfless in their pursuit; be it the poor or the rich. Thus, there will be different levels of understanding and knowing God or the ultimate Reality.

ii) The methodology of worship may appear different but if we look at the aspect of meditation which plays a large part in Buddhism which advocates sitting, standing and sleeping meditation, and compare these with Islam; Islam has, in a similar vein, 3 types of meditation; one being the ritual prayer, which is movement meditation, as well as meditation or dhikr (remembrance of God), which can be done while sitting or standing. Look at this verse in the Qur’an “worship me sitting, standing and lying down...” (Qur’an, 3:191 and Qur’an, 4:103).

iii) Observing fasts is common to both traditions even though it takes different forms; the principle is abstinence and restriction of food, which is common to both traditions.

iv) Being generous and being of service to others is a fundamental aspect of both ways of life.

v) The spiritual journey to Makkah and Bodhgaya is a re-enactment of the journey that the Prophet and the Buddha undertook respectively, which entails shedding one’s materialistic predisposition and journeying with focus on God consciousness in the case of Islam and connecting with one’s Consciousness in the case of Buddhism. It is by finding oneself that one is able to find the inner reality, which is nameless, formless and beyond time and space. 

The value system of both religions are very similar as their scriptures and narratives point out, (SAMY, 2019 and ISLAM, 2014) where the virtues are enmeshed within the faiths, namely; love, compassion, truth, forgiveness, repentance, not harming people, integrity, respect, honesty, dignity etc.…; Both scriptures are replete with these virtues, while the vices including killing, lying, cheating, backbiting, harming oneself or others, coveting the possessions of others, consuming drugs, clouding one’s mind and gambling are repelled by both faiths. This is the common meeting point for understanding and dialogue, where individuals or groups from both faiths can come together to start their journey of gaining perspective and insight into what is going on in the minds and thought processes through this heart-to-heart communication.

There is a distinct Prophetic narration where when his companion contacted him with regards to a matter which he was trying to deal with, the Prophet advised him: consult your heart three times and followed it by saying that the heart does not lie (An-Nawawi, 2004). This is, then, something to think about and to put into action.

At a practical level, the concept in Buddhism of Trisiksa (EB, 2019), a 3 fold training that includes i) moral conduct (sila) – which is adab (code of conduct) and ahklaq (morality) in Islam which enables to keep an equilibrium of both the body and mind ii) Samadhi or meditation – which is ibadah (worship) in Islam, a prerequisite for attaining a clearer vision of the truth or reality and iii) prajna or wisdom, which is intuitive experiences aligned to the concept or hikma (wisdom) within Islam, which one attains during spiritual progression. 

Alongside the many similarities that an introspective seeker would find, the marked difference between the two faiths are a few; namely, the concept of God, life after death especially relating to reincarnation. There is no concept of personal God in Buddhism unlike in the Islamic tradition. In Islam there are only pointers to God as exemplified by the 99 attributes of God and reference to it in the Qur’an as “light upon light...” (Qur’an, 24:35). It is the aspirant who by his worship and deep remembrance of God is able to experiences some aspects of the Divine, where they degree of experiences vary from individual to another depending on their closeness to the Divine. In Buddhism, there are experiences that are manifested during the process of meditation but they are not alluded as insights into the divine realm. 

In terms of reincarnation, in Buddhism, one is born into this world, according to the previous births and actions that one has done in the previous life. This process continues until one attains nirvana or enlightenment, and then cease to exist. In Islam, you are born and when you die you are brought to life again on the Day of Reckoning. Thus, there is no continuous rebirth. This seems to be a point of divergence between the theistic faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and the non-theistic faiths (Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism). 

Interestingly, and in line with what God has said in the Qur’an that Prophets have been sent to all nations in the world, where some are named and others not, there are three propositions from an Islamic perspective that Buddha may have been a Prophet or a Sage (Yusuf, 2010). The propositions are:

i. Imam Shahastami (a shafi jurist and asharite theologian) identifies Buddhists as Sabians, which in the Qur’an are given the status as a saved group (Qur’an, 22: 17). Sheikh Ibn Taymiyyah categorised the Sabians into two, one as polytheist and the other as Unitarian (believe in one God).

ii. Iman Shahastani based on the description of Buddha, says that he is likely to be al-Khidr, who is a sage of great learning but not a Prophet per se who was given mercy from God and experimental knowledge of reality. 

iii. The other is that Buddha was Ibrahim b. Adham, the ruler who abandoned his throne and led a life of asceticism in the wilderness. 

One interesting incident that we can learn from and which is relevant within the Sri Lankan context is that during the expansion of Islam under the Umayyad General Muhammad b. Qasim (Khusalan, 2010) in India during 711AH, there were petitions from both the Hindus and Buddhist concerning observance of their religious duties and the restoration of their temples. The request was sent to the Caliph in Kufa, Iraq, who in turn consulted the religious scholars and the conclusion was to allow their practice and for protection of their religious sites. 

This is further reinforced by what the above mentioned General Qasim stated: “The temples – referring to the places of worship of Hindus, Jains and Buddhists, shall be treated by us as if they were the churches of the Christians, the synagogues of the Jews, and the fire temples of the Magians” (al-Baladhuri in Khezmi, 2010). The concept here is social coexistence of the religious other known as ‘dhimmis’, who have agreed to live under the rule of the dominant religion where they pay their tax (jizya) and where no one has the right to interfere with their living or their worship. This is a precedence for religious tolerance within Islam, and this tolerance should be a vital part of current Muslim communities’ attitudes and thinking, especially in terms of living with the religious other.

[The writer is a Sri Lankan national who studied at Royal College, Colombo and then moved on to complete his first Ph.D. in International Rural Development with focus on Local Organisations in Myanmar (University of Reading, United Kingdom) and his second Ph.D. in Spiritual Leadership and Self Development: A Case Study of a Spiritual Order in Malaysia (University of Malaya). He worked for Save the Children (Norway) and CIDA in Sri Lanka; with United Nations Agencies in Asia, Pacific and Africa, followed by a strategic management role with an International Development Bank (IDB). He is currently the Director Programmes, with the International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID), Vienna, Austria involved in Interreligious Dialogue in Peacebuilding.]

A mutual point of convergence, which is the hallmark of both Buddhism and Islam is donning the ‘middle path’ as called upon by the Buddha and the Prophet. It is this delicate balance, the equilibrium, that Buddhism called ‘majjahima patipadda or as is known in Islam ‘Al-Wasatiyya’ (Dastagir and Ramzy, 2019) in both cases the ‘middle-way’. This means not only a path of moderation with the exclusion of extremes but also being sensitive to and caring for life as a whole. It is through this path that is said to be the road to vision, knowledge, calmness, insightfulness and towards greater consciousness as professed both by the Buddha (Ibid) and the Prophet (Al-Ghazali, 2007), both of whom where fully cognisant of the folly of the extremes of life. 

The concept of ‘metha’, which refers to compassion is seen as a central theme within Buddhism, as often echoed in Christianity as love. How about Islam then - almost every chapter in the Islamic divine book opens with, ‘In the name of God the most Merciful, the most Compassionate’, meaning love and grace. This is backed by the ways of the Prophet, who exuded love and compassion to all those around him, irrespective of whether they were a believer or a non-believer, as highlighted by many biographers including those who are not Muslim including Karen Armstrong (2007), Anne Marie Schimmel (1985) and Deepak Chopra (2010). He was someone who mended his own clothes, did housework, thereby helping his wives and treated all alike. His own standing characteristics were trustworthiness and love.

The Prophet who had a smiling disposition said that God is extremely merciful and only one part of the 99% of his mercy has been given to us (Muslim, 2019). In another narration, the Prophet asked his companion; ‘will this mother throw her child into the fire,?’ they all said no, when referring to a mother loving and feeding her child. He then said that God is much more merciful than this. God says “… and My Mercy embraces all things.” [Qur’an, 7:156], which means humans, animals, plants etc.; Buddha’s loving compassion integrates very well with this living concept. This is best echoed in the Karaniya-metta Sutta, which is recited by the Theravada Buddhist “Just as a mother would protect her son, her only son, so let one extend one’s protective thought to every living thing (Sutta Nipata stz. 149 in Palihawadana, 2017). This then should become the underlining theme of the Muslim and Buddhist communities around the world. So, it should be love not war unless in self-defence.

Some reflections: Religions are shaped by the context in which they take root but carry with it universal messages, as is the case with both Islam and Buddhism. Both carry with it ‘a way of life’, a virtuous value system of how best to live one’s life, while the distinct differences lie in the belief or non-belief in divinity. When I asked a prominent Buddhist monk (U Sein De Da, 2019) in Myanmar, why some are people radicalised and hateful within this peaceful faith, he said “this is the lack of deep learning and understanding of the scriptures’. This resonates also within Islam, since if one is to follow the Prophetic model then extremism would be naturally rooted out and a deep humility with respect to all of God’s creation would ensue. There is a failure to look deeply within the religion, within its scriptures, within the life of the prophet and engage in spiritual practices that temper the heart and mind and opens the door to peace (salaam) and tranquillity (sakina). Deep spiritual practices change the neuro-physiology within us and this is increasingly evident in emerging data (Munsoor and Munsoor, 2016).

Nothing justifies the exclusion of the other since we are one humanity and one consciousness and how can we know the ‘other’ if we do not interact with each other? We were not asked to be born but we have come into existence nevertheless, within a certain religion, culture and tradition. God speaks in the Qur’an “…and We have created you from a single pair of a male and female and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other. The most noblest among you in the sight of God is the most righteous...” Qur’an 49:13). 

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