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An Islamic perspective on Muslim - Buddhist dialogue

http://www.dailynews.lk/2013/05/13/fea27.asp

This important need is being increasingly felt today than ever before due to ever increasing violence and bloodshed , ethnic conflict, religious strife and many other challenges that are threatening the stable social order, peace and security.

Dr. M A M Shukri - Director Jamiah Naleemiah-Beruwala

Many conferences are being held in various part of the world in the form of Dialogue between Islam and Christianity and Islam and Judaism. Many Muslim and Christian Organizations on the part western world are playing a significant role in promoting understanding, dialogue and co-existence between Muslims, Christians and Jews, but very little attempts have been made to initiate a dialogue between Islam and other Oriental religions at International level.

The followers of oriental religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism constitute about half of the world population and the oriental religions had played an important role in shaping the spiritual traditions of humanity. The orient has a long history of peaceful co-existence between religions, except for few instances in which there had been frictions and conflicts due to reasons that are more political and economic and less motivated by religious impulses and more over conflicts of this nature are not the norm but exceptions.

However, now the time has come to come together with an open mind to engage in dialogue and to make a sincere effort to discover the shared values and commonalities of love, respect, tolerance, forgiveness, mercy, peace, brotherhood and freedom among the religions of the east. It is on the basis of these shared values we can evolve a framework for peaceful co-existence.

When Islam encountered Christianity during the early phase of its history, it acted in the same spirit inviting the Christian to come to understanding with the Muslims on the basis of the commonalities of both religions.

Say: “O people of the book! Come common terms as between us and you: that we worship none but Allah, that we associate no partners with him, that we take not from among ourselves Lords and patrons other than Allah. (Quran: 3:64)”

Islam believes in the universal God-Rabbul A’lameen - which means the creator and sustainer of the world - whose mercy and compassion, benevolence and care embraces the entire creation. Islam also believes in the universality of revelation and according to Islamic belief since the creation of mankind, Allah has sent his prophets and messengers with divine guidance to all nations and communities.

“For every community was sent a messenger” Quran: 10:47

“And there are never was a people without a Warner having lived among them” Quran 35:24

Quran only mentions the prophets whose life and message had a bearing onthe mission of Prophet Muhammad and who appeared in the region bordering the geographical space of Islam. “We have indeed sent prophets before you (Muhammad) about some of whom we have informed you, about others we have not” Quran 14:4

In respect of the prophets who had appeared in the East, Quran has not made any mention of them and this by no means imply that no prophets or divine messengers were sent to this part of the world. The East is an heir to a great spiritual tradition nurtured by the religions like Hinduism and Buddhism and in the teachings of these religions one can easily discern a glimpse of prophetic teachings. Islam recognizes diversity and pluralism, and this is very clearly indicated in the following verses of Quran.

“Had God so willed he could surely have made them all one single community” Quran 42:8.

“For each of you we have established a law and a path. Had God willed he could make you one community but his plan is to test you in what he had given you. So vie with one another in good works. Unto God you will return” Quran 5:48

Diversity is presented as a factor which contributes to the enrichment of human life, culture and civilization whereby different groups, communities and nations come to know each other in a spirit of tolerance and mutual understanding.

“O mankind! We created you from a single pair of male female and made you into nation and tribes that you may know one another” Quran 49:13.

This verse of the Quran highlights three important facts: This passage is addressed to entire mankind not specifically Muslims ,the creation of humanity into distinct groups came from God and distinction and diversity are of positive value, it encourages people to transcend these differences to learn from each other.

The Quranic phrase Litha a’rafu in the above verse, which means to know each other, is of great significance. By this call, Quran invites the nations and ethnicities that constitute humanity to come to know each other discovering the commonalities that bind them as members of the larger human family.

Against this wider background of Islamic perspective of diversity and pluralism I wish to make some general observations about Islam and how it encountered Buddhism in the course of its historical expansion resulting in fruitful cultural dialogue. Alex Berzin, a scholar of Tibetan Buddhism who had made substantial contribution to Buddhist Muslim dialogue observes in his book ‘Buddhist – Muslim Doctrinal Relations : Past, Present and Future’ that there has been interaction between Islam and Buddhism for over a period of thousand years and this has been very constructive and fruitful.

There is a long history of relations between Islam and Buddhism. These two major religions of the World came into contact first in Central Asia and later in South Asia and South East Asia. The first encounter between Islam and Buddhism took place in the Middle of the 7th Centuries in East Persia, Transoxiana, Afghanistan and Sind.

During the Umayyad period with the expansion of Muslim rule in central Asia northern Afghanistan and western Turkistan, and with the capture of Balkh in 663 AD the lands to which Buddhism already spread came under the Muslim rule and here the first contact occurred between Islam and Buddhism. The Umayyad rulers followed the same policy towards the Buddhists that they followed earlier in the same century in respect of Hindus after the conquest of Sind. Following the conquest of Sind by Mohamed ibn Qasim in 711 AD Muslims encountered Hinduism a religion which they had never known before.

Muhammad ibn Qasim sought instructions from the caliph in Damascus on how to treat the followers of new religion. The caliph called a council of Ulama to render a judgment on the basis of the governor’s report. The Ulamassuggested that the concept of theAhlul Kithabwhich was originally applied to Christens and Jews could be extended to include Hindus and Buddhists.

The Muslims knowledge of Buddhism during the Umayyad period could be seen in the writings of Umar bin Al Azreq Al karmani. This Arab author gives an exposition of Buddhism and its customs drawing parallel with certain Islamic practices Al Karmani gives a detailed account of Nava Vihara(Nawbhar) at the beginning of the eight century and his account is preserved in the later tenth century work Kitab – ul – Buldan of Ibn-ul- Faquihal Hamadani. Nava Vihara was a Buddhist monastery near the ancient city of Balkh in the Greater Khurasan province.

Alex Berzin in his article “Historical sketches of Buddhism and Islam in Afghanistan observes as follows: “Al Kiramni’s description indicates an open and respectful attitude by the Arab Muslims in trying to understand non-Muslim religions such as Buddhism that they encountered in conquered territories.”

Nava Vihara under Muslim rule continued to flourish as an important monastery and the Han Chinese pilgrim Yijing (I-tsing) visited Nave Vihara in 680 AD and observed it as flourishing center of Buddhist learning.

During the Abbasid period Caliph Mansoor (752-775 AD) established an institution called Baitul Hikma with a translation Bureau. He invited scholars in various religious and cultural traditions to translate scientific texts available in Greek and Sanskrit into Arabic. And in respect of Sanskrit apart from scientific texts Buddhist scholars translated into Arabic few Mahayana and Heenayana Sutras dealing with devotional ethical themes.

Yahiya bn Barmak, the Muslim grandson of one of the Buddhist administrative heads of Nawa Vihara was the minister of Abbasid Caliph Harun Al- Rashid (786-808 AD). Under his influence the Caliph invited from India the Buddhist scholars to translate Buddhist texts into Arabic. The kitab Al-Fihrist of Ibnu Nadeem(995 AD) mentions the list of Buddhist works and among them was the Arabic version of an account of Buddha’s previous life. This Arabic translation entitled Kitab-ul Bhud –(Book of Buddah) was the text based on two Sanskrit works “Jatheka Mala” (a rosary of previous life’s account of Buddha’s) and Buddha Charitha.

Ibn Al Nadeem (D.985 AD, the author of Al Fihrist) observes also as follows: “These people (Buddhist of Khurasan) are the most generous of all the inhabitants of the earth and all the religious. This is because their prophet Budhasf (Bodhisattva) has taught them that the greatest sin, which should never be thought of or committed, is the utterance of “No”. Hence they act upon this advice; they regard the uttering of “No” as an act of Satan. And it is their very religion to banish Satan”.

The great Muslim scholar of comparative Religion during the Suljik period Al-Shahristhani (1086- 1153 AD) wrote a book entitledKitab al Milal Wan Nihel– a text in Arabic on non-Muslim religions which contains some references to Buddhist texts. He shows high regard for Buddhism and its spirituality.

An Egyptian scholar of recent time, Hamid Ab Al Kadir in his book Buddha Al Akbar Hayathuhu val Falsafathuhu (The great Buddha – his life and Philosophy) holds the views that prophet Zul kifl mentioned in the Quran (chapter 21 and verse 85 )- refers to Buddha. Kifle according to him is an arabicized form of Kapil the abbreviation of Kapila Vasthu.

During the Mongol period the Muslim Mongol ruler Ghazan khan (1295-1304 AD) commissioned Rasheedud deen to write the history of the world both in Arabic and Persian. Ghazan khan invited to his court Bakshi Kamalashri a Buddhist monk from Kashmir to assist the historian in writing a section on the life and teaching of the Buddha. This book gives a account of Buddha and he is classed as a prophet with a book called “Abi dharma”.

This long historical interaction between Islam and Buddhism is an eloquent testimony to the fact that it is only through understanding, tolerance and mutual respect that fruitful dialogue could be established between religions and cultures.

Religious tolerance is not achieved by reducing all religions to one denominator nor by explaining away differences in belief and practices as accident of historical development. Tolerance in respect of religions involves the capacity to confess the differences and diversities as real, basic and fundamental and to make a sincere effort to rise above these differences identifying the shared values and commonalities.

Islam and Buddhism share some common values that could form a strong basis for dialogue between these two religions. Generally speaking compassion and mercy, love and kindness to living beings, patience and forgiveness, tolerance and generosity are some of the important values emphasized by both Islam and Buddhism. Love, compassion and mercy are values that find an important place in Islam and Buddhism. Ar- Rahman – the merciful- and Ar- Raheem – the compassionate- are two important attributes of Allah. His love and mercy finds its manifestation in entire creation.

“My mercy encompasses everything” Quran 7:156.

Prophet of Islam is reported to have said as follows: “Have mercy on those who are on the earth Allah who is in the heaven will have mercy on you”Al Tirmidhi.

In Islam love and kindness embrace not only mankind but it is also extended to entire creation of Allah. “The creation is God’s family” stated the prophet. Compassion and mercy are central to Buddhist ethics. Buddhism places much emphasis on Metta (loving kindness) Karuna (compassion) Muditha (sympathetic joy) and Upekka (equanimity) as means of avoiding resentment. According to the Buddha love and compassion will be generated only in a mind which is free from anger and hatred.

Harbouring pleasant thoughts in the mind, eradication of hatred and cultivating love and kindness leads to purity of mind. It is anger and hatred that leads to tension and conflict.

Dhammapada which contains the teachings of Buddha describes anger as follow:

“Anger is like a chariot

He who curbs anger is the true charioteer

Others merely hold the reins

With gentleness overcome anger

With generosity overcome meanness.”The Dhammapada, Verses 222

To be continued