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Is There a Common Ground between Buddhism and Islam?

This Berzin Archive discussion topic on “Is There a Common Ground between Buddhism and Islam?” is an excellent examination for approaching an understanding of religious traditions other than our own holistically.

berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/study/islam/general/elab_common_ground_bsm_islam/transcript.html
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Comments

  • bushinokibushinoki Veteran
    edited February 2013
    We can draw comparisons all day, but that isn't the inherent problem. The issue lies in human nature and ignorance. Protecting our religious beliefs is one of the oldest sources of human conflict. We are talking about one of the deepest fundamentals of our sense of self. We live in an uncertain world, and religious faith can often be the only certainty some people have.

    That is one lesson that could be learned from the Global War on Terror, and its' two major campaigns. The biggest breeding ground for fundamentalist terrorists, of any religion, is poverty. That is in part due to religious teaching, whereas the pursuit of wealth is taught to be evil. However, the other side of this coin is the uncertainty of poverty. If you don't know how your family is even going to eat the next day, your religion teachings can be construed to make the wealthy nation evil, the wealthy nation practices a different religion(s), it becomes far easier to demonize that nation. Demonize that nation, and the next step is to attack it.

    But it isn't as simple as trying to rebrand yourself in the eyes of this impoverished nation. The people suffer on a daily basis, and they are promised great reward for their suffering by their religion. Therefore, their religion must be right, or they have suffered all their lives for nothing. Therefore, all other religions, possibly even sects of theirs, must be wrong, and therefore the source of their suffering.

    This also brings up that education and wealth go hand in hand. Third World nations, many of which are predominantly Muslim, don't have public education. In Islamist nations, the Wahabi funded Madrasa is often the only source of schooling for the local population. Add a free lunch, and all the nearby villages will be sending their young boys to study at the Madrasa. Ignorance is spread, because the education is controlled by the fundamentalist with an agenda.

    I feel compelled to add a blurb now regarding effort based economies. Communism failed because of human nature. One aspect of that nature was laziness set in because of the lack of reward for those who worked harder. I make the same as the guy next door regardless of the effort I put in, so why should I really even try. So don't take my post here as a rant against Capitalism or any such. Corruption is really the only thing to rant against.

    And corruption is another major factor involved in cultural/religious conflict. Those in power wish to stay in power or attain more. Greed pushes them to use the system to keep others downtrodden. The desired effect is to reduce competition from those who would otherwise h compete with them for power and wealth. Afghanistan was once the intellectual center of the Islamic world. The mountains of Afghanistan hide trillions of dollars in untapped mineral wealth of all kinds. Keeping the nation war-trodden and in poverty by supporting Madrasas means that Afghanistan isn't tapping that wealth, rebuilding itself, and shifting the power away from the Arabian Peninsula.

    To bring this all full circle, the impoverished nation clings to its' cherished religious beliefs. The nation that embodies the devil portrayed in those beliefs practices other religions; Christianity in the case of a large portion the People, and forms of Buddhism in the case of many of the "Elites". Not all-descriptive, but beside the point. The Devil, which is the source of all your nation's suffering, practices these two different religions, therefore there can be no common ground between your particular religion and sect and theirs.

    If we are to find common ground, we simply need to address the inequities of the Global Economy. I know I said I wasn't anti-Capitalist; I am however anti-Robber Baron. If we want to find that common ground, we have to deal with the inequity that stems from a handful of truly greedy men who are willing to bend, break and rewrite the rules in their favor, and continually leave billions to starve annually. We need to promote a common cultural value that eschews excessive wealth while continuing to reward those that work harder, and seek to address the natural inequities that do make some nations poorer than others. We need to address the wastefulness that is pandemic in the First World. And we need to start booing down any form of arrogance, especially when it is cloaked in false humility. It is my hope that we can see such a cultural shift in my lifetime. But, to quote Jesus in this matter, first we must remove the plank from our own eyes before we can remove the speck from another’s. I do not mean this to be a judgment on any single individual, merely a commentary on the state of the world as a whole.
    JeffreychelaLucy_Begoodperson
  • Well, that's one view bushinoki. Can't say I'd agree with it all. Are you suggesting that
    Islam is caused by poverty? Or are you suggesting that all religion is caused by poverty? Are you suggesting that terrorism is caused by religion? I rather think it's caused by the foreign policy of some western nations, including mine, which appears (or would to me if I were a muslim) to be mostly about going on Christian crusades against Islam. Your penultimate paragraph is ambiguous but is certainly wrong in its conclusion.

    To the OP, yes, there is a common ground between the two religions. Some would say they are not essentially different in their underlying teaching. Reading Al-Halaj, Al-Ghazali and Rumi should be fairly convincing. Of course, many muslims would vehemently object to this connection with Buddhism and would see these writers as heretics and Sufism as the work of the Devil. It's the same situation in Christianity. So you have to find your own interpretation and make up your own mind as to what Mohammed was actually trying to tell us.
    Invincible_summer
  • I've often wondered if they are experiencing a Jhana.
    . . . And well beyond it for the devoted . . .
    Fana il fana, the annihilation of annihilation, is a high state of absorption into no-self. Apart from the demented dervishes that I almost belong to, some are notorious for being kind, enlightened and generous to monastics and other unfortunates.
    Never judge Buddhists by the worst but the best.
    Same with the secular, religious and marine.

    :wave:
    TakuanSilouan
  • Florian, I said that corruption and greed cause excessive poverty, poverty causes ignorance, ignorance causes religious extremism, and extremism is the root of terrorism.
  • I also said that we can't just target one particular cause, we have to work on all of them in a culture shift.
  • don't just move your position guys . . . Dance . . . :clap:
  • bushinoki said:

    Florian, I said that corruption and greed cause excessive poverty, poverty causes ignorance, ignorance causes religious extremism, and extremism is the root of terrorism.

    Okay. I'd agree that it can happen this way for some people.

    But there is nothing inevitable about any of this. Crop failures can cause poverty, poor education can cause ignorance, and extremism is just one of many causes of terrorism.

    Imagine how annoyed you'd be if someone attacked your country and then blamed your resistence on religious extremism.

    @Takuan - Thanks for the interesting post on Islam. You mention Ali. Was it not Imam Ali who said, 'Why dost thou think thyself a puny being, when within thee the universe is enfolded'.

  • Indeed Florian, natural disasters can cause poverty in the short term. Poor education and long term poverty go hand in hand. And attempting to colonize a foreign people will trigger an insurgency. Which is why I agree with date setting for USA/ISAF/NATO to leave Afghanistan. However, the biggest problems are rooted in our cultures. I can find common ground with a lot of religions. That's not the problem. It's the perception of how a religion is practiced. The predominantly poor Islamic world perceives that the wealthy Christian West is hypocritical and greedy, and wasteful, and therefore inequity breeds resentment. That is why Western Culture needs to shift how we view the ultra wealthy. We also need to stop supporting despotic regimes for their oil.
    Florian
  • TakuanTakuan Veteran
    edited February 2013
    Florian said:



    @Takuan - Thanks for the interesting post on Islam. You mention Ali. Was it not Imam Ali who said, 'Why dost thou think thyself a puny being, when within thee the universe is enfolded'.

    I'm not sure if he said that nor not, however it really wouldn't surprise me. Can you tell me where this is from? Whom is it narrated by and what book is it contained in?
  • BhanteLuckyBhanteLucky Alternative lifestyle person in the South Island of New Zealand New Zealand Veteran
    Breaking news; Iran bans Buddha statues from shops, confiscates existing stock.
    Apparently they don't think there's any common ground.
  • Has the Iranian govt. converted to Islam? News to me . . . ;)
  • TakuanTakuan Veteran
    edited February 2013

    Breaking news; Iran bans Buddha statues from shops, confiscates existing stock.
    Apparently they don't think there's any common ground.

    This is true. The Iranian government, which is theocratic in nature, sees Buddhism as a threat. "Cultural invasion" is the term I read earlier. It should be noted that the Iranian government adheres to a very strict form of Shia Islam, so their being hostile towards Buddhist images is understandable.

    Edit:

    What is funny is that Buddhism existed in Iran long before the advent of Islam.
  • bushinoki said:

    Indeed Florian, natural disasters can cause poverty in the short term. Poor education and long term poverty go hand in hand. And attempting to colonize a foreign people will trigger an insurgency. Which is why I agree with date setting for USA/ISAF/NATO to leave Afghanistan. However, the biggest problems are rooted in our cultures. I can find common ground with a lot of religions. That's not the problem. It's the perception of how a religion is practiced. The predominantly poor Islamic world perceives that the wealthy Christian West is hypocritical and greedy, and wasteful, and therefore inequity breeds resentment. That is why Western Culture needs to shift how we view the ultra wealthy. We also need to stop supporting despotic regimes for their oil.

    Makes sense to me. It seemed you were saying something else. No need to worry though. We'll all be poor soon enough.
  • Takuan said:

    Florian said:



    @Takuan - Thanks for the interesting post on Islam. You mention Ali. Was it not Imam Ali who said, 'Why dost thou think thyself a puny being, when within thee the universe is enfolded'.

    I'm not sure if he said that nor not, however it really wouldn't surprise me. Can you tell me where this is from? Whom is it narrated by and what book is it contained in?
    "Dost thou reckon thyself only a puny form
    When within thee the universe is folded?"

    Baha’u’llah quoting Imam Ali,
    the first Shia Imam
    In Clifford A. Pickover
    Surfing through Hyperspace (vii)
    OUP, 1999

    Odd to read it in a science book but very relevant. I'll see if I can find the actual source.
  • ZeroZero Veteran
    edited February 2013


    Breaking news; Iran bans Buddha statues from shops, confiscates existing stock.
    Apparently they don't think there's any common ground.

    There is no ban on the sale of buddhist statues in Iran.

    The Iranian parliament has, by law, proportional representation of all indigenous ethnic and religious groups - the same groups are also permitted to practice their religion freely - Iranian christians for example are allowed to raise pigs and eat pork, to brew alcohol and wine and partake in all religious ceremonies.
  • Florian said:



    "Dost thou reckon thyself only a puny form
    When within thee the universe is folded?"

    Baha’u’llah quoting Imam Ali,
    the first Shia Imam
    In Clifford A. Pickover
    Surfing through Hyperspace (vii)
    OUP, 1999

    Odd to read it in a science book but very relevant. I'll see if I can find the actual source.

    If it is from a Shia source, then my never hearing about the quote makes sense. I was a Sunni, that learned from Sunni Imams. Sunni and Shia have different source materials, excluding the Quran and a few Hadith. As a result, I'm dreadfully uneducated (and in some senses mis-educated) concerning Shia literature.
  • Takuan said:


    Breaking news; Iran bans Buddha statues from shops, confiscates existing stock.
    Apparently they don't think there's any common ground.

    This is true.

    The Iranian government, which is theocratic in nature, sees Buddhism as a threat.

    It should be noted that the Iranian government adheres to a very strict form of Shia Islam, so their being hostile towards Buddhist images is understandable.
    It is not true.

    Stating a theocracy is theocratic in nature is stating the patently obvious - it does not support the extrapolation to buddhism being a threat to the Iranian government or people.

    The government does not adhere to a strict form of shia islam - there is nothing 'strict' about it - it is a shia government in what is supposed to be an islamic republic.

    The point you make on understanding their hostility is based on ignorance of both Islam and Iran.
  • Zero said:

    Takuan said:


    Breaking news; Iran bans Buddha statues from shops, confiscates existing stock.
    Apparently they don't think there's any common ground.

    This is true.

    The Iranian government, which is theocratic in nature, sees Buddhism as a threat.

    It should be noted that the Iranian government adheres to a very strict form of Shia Islam, so their being hostile towards Buddhist images is understandable.
    It is not true.

    Stating a theocracy is theocratic in nature is stating the patently obvious - it does not support the extrapolation to buddhism being a threat to the Iranian government or people.

    The government does not adhere to a strict form of shia islam - there is nothing 'strict' about it - it is a shia government in what is supposed to be an islamic republic.

    The point you make on understanding their hostility is based on ignorance of both Islam and Iran.
    If you like, I can provide the article I got the information from.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/17/iran-confiscates-buddha_n_2706162.html


    Secondly, I'll admit to not being a scholar. However I wouldn't say that I'm ignorant of the religion. As a former Sunni Muslim, I do happen to have more knowledge than an average non-musim person. When I was practicing, I spent much of my time researching Islam, in attempts to combat Christian missionaries. My specialty was Tawhid, Islamic monotheism. As a result of this, I won a few pissing contests and gained a little knowledge. I doubt I'm as ignorant as you think.



    vinlyncazKundo
  • Takuan said:


    If you like, I can provide the article I got the information from.

    Secondly, I'll admit to not being a scholar. However I wouldn't say that I'm ignorant of the religion. As a former Sunni Muslim, I do happen to have more knowledge than an average non-musim person. When I was practicing, I spent much of my time researching Islam, in attempts to combat Christian missionaries. My specialty was Tawhid, Islamic monotheism. As a result of this, I won a few pissing contests and gained a little knowledge. I doubt I'm as ignorant as you think.

    I was responding to your saying it's true.

    "Iran Confiscates Buddha Statues; Symbols Of 'Cultural Invasion' "...according to a report Sunday (sic?) in the independent Arman daily."

    Mr Naseer Karimi does like the sensational headline:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/16/salman-rushdie-death-fatw_n_1888111.html
    "Salman Rushdie Death Fatwa: Iran Adds To Reward For Author's Killing"
    Note that he says 'Iran' adds to reward - so this is sanctioned by the government.
    But in the article itself:
    "A semi-official religious foundation in Iran has increased a reward...."
    What does that even mean? A whole article based on? Finally towards the end he feels he must disclose:
    "In 1998, the Iranian government declared it would not support the fatwa, but at the same time the government said it could not rescind the edict, since under Islamic law, that could be done only by the person who issued it. Khomeini died in June 1989."

    Again:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/09/amir-mirzaei-hekmati-iran_n_1193425.html
    "Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, Former U.S. Marine, Sentenced To Death In Iran"
    But where is his article when the sentence was overturned?

    The cultural minister's comments were referring to the illegal trade in artifacts - there is no change in the law whatsoever, whether aimed at Buddhists or otherwise - it should be noted that Iran openly condemned the Taliban's destruction of the Buddhist statues in Afghanistan - both on grounds of historical significance and respect for the religion.

    You made a very certain statement about the Iranian government stating that it considers Buddhism a threat - to this, I have pointed out that almost the opposite is true and applicable to Iranian law - Iran is tolerant of diverse religions but it does not tolerate external political influence.

    I struggled with your final paragraph as it struck me on two levels:

    First that you made a sweeping statement about the government's policy - I was unable to discern whether you referred to Shia Islam in a religious context (as in the religious beliefs of the individual members of government or the ruling elite) or whether it was a reference to sharia law or a certain application of sharia law - I found the definition of 'very strict' ironically loose - in all, I found that I was forced to adopt a myriad of stereotypes in order to approach it- Second that you understand how 'strict shia islam' and 'hostility towards buddhist images' could correlate - again, this is tough statement to reconcile - the assumptions employed I think probably do a disservice to the Iranian government and Shia Islam.

    I apologise for any offence - you made a very strong statement in my mind and my reply was intended respectfully, though it was executed unskillfully.
  • The names are left out to protect the soldiers who served. The story is true.

    Once upon a time two units deployed to Afghanistan about the same time. Now, Afghani children like to test NATO units when they get there, by throwing rocks at convoys. One unit would stop their convoy and talk to the children. If necessary, they would threaten to have the Afghan police arrest them. The other unit would throw rocks or bottles of urine back. Afghan elders are required by cultural tradition to offer tea to guests. One unit would get out and drink the tea with them, even though it often meant uncomfortable trips to the porta-potties later that day. The other unit never stopped.

    One unit managed to reduce incidents in their area to almost nothing and had no KIAs the entire deployment. The other unit got hit with IEDs a lot and lost several soldiers.

    Any guesses which unit got hit the least?
  • Takuan said:

    Florian said:



    "Dost thou reckon thyself only a puny form
    When within thee the universe is folded?"

    Baha’u’llah quoting Imam Ali,
    the first Shia Imam
    In Clifford A. Pickover
    Surfing through Hyperspace (vii)
    OUP, 1999

    Odd to read it in a science book but very relevant. I'll see if I can find the actual source.

    If it is from a Shia source, then my never hearing about the quote makes sense. I was a Sunni, that learned from Sunni Imams. Sunni and Shia have different source materials, excluding the Quran and a few Hadith. As a result, I'm dreadfully uneducated (and in some senses mis-educated) concerning Shia literature.
    @Takuan - Imam Ali is a Sunni and a Shia source surely?

    Imam Ali also has an incredibly devotional relationship with Jesus Christ: http://www.al-islam.org/al-tawhid/gospel.htm
  • TakuanTakuan Veteran
    Imam Ali existed before there were Sunni or Shia. Although he's respected in both traditions, he seems to be quoted more in Shia literature than Sunni, from my experience. I believe this is because they view him to be the true successor of Muhammad.
  • I'd argue all religions have common ground- earth people in the universe trying to make sense of it.
    Lucy_Begood
  • I'd argue all religions have common ground- earth people in the universe trying to make sense of it.


    Quite @lamaramadingdong : Name me a religion that doesn't say action have consequences and so we should all be nice to each other and I'd argue it wasn't a religion.
  • Hey @lamaramadingdong I saw this posted somewhere else.

    Enough to make you weep isn't it?
  • yeah, if we'd only do what we say we believe we should do...
    John_Spencer
  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    Well, there's Sufism. Every documentary I ever saw of Sufism sounded like Buddhism. I read the Sufi religion was started by someone who had grown up in the Buddhist part of Central Asia. It was in an era when Arabs had spread into the those oasis towns that had been Buddhist, around Khotan on the edge of the Taklamakan desert.
  • Every documentary I ever saw of Sufism sounded like Buddhism
    The Sufis are some of the loveliest people you can meet. Some never come across them. Some think Christianity is represented by pedophile priests, Islam by terrorism and Buddhism by self immolation . . . tsk tsk . . .surely not . . .

    I still keep occasional cyber companionship but have not been in a tariqah for years.
    Tessa the wolf or Tasawwuf is the essence of Islam. Except no substitutes.
  • @Dakini said
    Dakini said:

    Well, there's Sufism. Every documentary I ever saw of Sufism sounded like Buddhism. I read the Sufi religion was started by someone who had grown up in the Buddhist part of Central Asia. It was in an era when Arabs had spread into the those oasis towns that had been Buddhist, around Khotan on the edge of the Taklamakan desert.

    Sufism has such a mystical dimension to it, perhaps that's why it sounds like Buddhism but then if you start reading great Christian mystics or great Jewish mystics it sounds like Buddhism.

    Maybe that's because there is no such thing as Buddhism - only universal mysteries?



    riverflow
  • What if religions have a common ground? Does it make them of the same quality?
  • Not all the same quality maybe, but who'se to judge? I'd rather think of them as being horses for courses.
  • I think if it's the right course for the right horse than it is of the same quality.
  • riverflowriverflow Veteran
    edited April 2013
    One Islamic mystic, An Niffari wrote a fantastic long poem called The Book of Standings which, looking back on now, is reminiscent (in its own way) of the Prajnaparamita texts.

    What is especially interesting about the text is that the pronouns of "I" and "you" (the believer and Allah) end up becoming confused so you no longer can tell who is who-- which I imagine was deliberate!

    All mystical traditions may express it differently, but most of them arrive at a silence that is not merely the absence of words.

    The ones running the institutions and those that believe in those institutions as institutions, on the other hand, often get stuck on the words.

    An Niffari (Islam):
    "The letter does not enter presence.
    The people of presence pass by the letter.
    They do not stay."

    Abraham Joshua Heschel (Judaism):
    "The righteous lives by his faith, not by his creed. And faith is not an allegiance to a verbal formulation; on the contrary, it involves profound awareness of the inadequacy of words, concepts, deeds. Unless we realize that dogmas are tentative rather than final, that they are accommodations rather than definitions, intimations rather than descriptions; unless we learn how to share the moment and the insight to which they are trying to testify, we stand guilty of literalmindedness, of pretending to know what cannot be put into words; we are guilty of intellectual idolatry. The indispensable function of the dogmas is to make it possible for us to rise above them."

    Meister Eckhart (Christianity):
    "We ought not to have or let ourselves be satisfied with the God we have thought of, for when the thought slips the mind, that god slips with it."

    The Daodejing (Daoism):
    "Dao prescribed as Dao is not the ever-present Dao."

    Buddhism:
    "If you see the Buddha on the side of the road, kill him!"

    Hinduism:
    "Not this, not that."
    personlobsterJeffrey
  • True asceticism does not consist in you not possessing anything, but in you not being possessed by anything
    Ali Ibn Abu Talib

    http://www.schoolofsufiteaching.org/qal/students/ps1.html
    riverflowperson
  • There is absolutely nothing in common between Islam and Buddhism. Islam is theistic - believes in divine, whatever - whereas Buddhism denies inherent reality to any object, whether worldly or otherworldly.
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    music said:

    There is absolutely nothing in common between Islam and Buddhism. Islam is theistic - believes in divine, whatever - whereas Buddhism denies inherent reality to any object, whether worldly or otherworldly.

    That's a true distinction, but it hardly qualifies as "absolutely nothing in common."
  • person said:

    music said:

    There is absolutely nothing in common between Islam and Buddhism. Islam is theistic - believes in divine, whatever - whereas Buddhism denies inherent reality to any object, whether worldly or otherworldly.

    That's a true distinction, but it hardly qualifies as "absolutely nothing in common."
    In a vague abstract sense, even a chair and a carrot may have something in common - they are both made of atoms, solid, etc.
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    @music Upon reflection I think this statement was a bit too tough.
    person said:

    That's a true distinction, but it hardly qualifies as "absolutely nothing in common."

    What I wish I'd said is: That's a true distinction, but I think you go too far when you say they have absolutely nothing in common.
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    person said:

    @music Upon reflection I think this statement was a bit too tough.

    person said:

    That's a true distinction, but it hardly qualifies as "absolutely nothing in common."

    What I wish I'd said is: That's a true distinction, but I think you go too far when you say they have absolutely nothing in common.
    How about that each has a developed code of ethical behavior?

  • lobsterlobster Veteran
    edited April 2013
    There may be little in common between the 'dhrama' @music espouses and the 'Islam' of Osama Bin Liner (deceased) however . . .

    . . . The inner nature of the higher stations of Sufi practice and Bhumis of the devout vajrayana Buddhist - not so different . . .
    for example one of the attributes of Allah is Hate
    one of the manifestations of the dharmakaya is Wrathful

    http://www.sufihealing.org/stations.htm
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhūmi_(Buddhism)

    . . . however such things are easy for the immature to misconstrue . . .

    :wave:
    riverflowKundo
  • @music said:
    music said:

    There is absolutely nothing in common between Islam and Buddhism. Islam is theistic - believes in divine, whatever - whereas Buddhism denies inherent reality to any object, whether worldly or otherworldly.

    There is LOADS in common between Islam and Buddhism - the most important being that they are both paths chosen by sincere human being capable of suffering and wanting not to.

    Even to deny Buddhism as theistic is to go further than the Buddha went (who was ambiguous on the matter).



    riverflow
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    No, he wasn't ambiguous at all. He said it was pointless to ponder, because there was no way of proving/disproving it either way.....
  • federica said:

    No, he wasn't ambiguous at all. He said it was pointless to ponder, because there was no way of proving/disproving it either way.....

    Yes - that is a good point. In that respect he was unambiguous.
  • FlorianFlorian Veteran
    edited April 2013
    music said:

    There is absolutely nothing in common between Islam and Buddhism. Islam is theistic - believes in divine, whatever - whereas Buddhism denies inherent reality to any object, whether worldly or otherworldly.

    This is a statement that cannot be justified. You are making the mistake of associating Islam solely with the dogmatic religion of the masses. If you do this with Christianity or Islam you do them an injustice. If you dig into Islam you'll find that the teachings of many sages is perfectly consistent with Buddhist doctrine. As for theism, I have an essay here by a Sufi explaining that Allah is not a God, and this is the Sufi view. Or try reading Rumi or Al-Halaj.

    I don't think it is necessary to argue much on this point. The literature is there for all to see thanks to the internet. The poetry of Rumi is enough to verify that Islam can, and some would say should, be an investigation of the same mysteries addressed by Buddhism, and with the same results.

    But don't expect too many Sufis from earlier times to be upfront in presenting their message. Those who did, like their Christian conterparts, tended to meet grizzly ends at the hands of the literalist establishment.
    riverflowJohn_Spencer
  • @music said:

    music said:

    There is absolutely nothing in common between Islam and Buddhism. Islam is theistic - believes in divine, whatever - whereas Buddhism denies inherent reality to any object, whether worldly or otherworldly.

    There is LOADS in common between Islam and Buddhism - the most important being that they are both paths chosen by sincere human being capable of suffering and wanting not to.

    Even to deny Buddhism as theistic is to go further than the Buddha went (who was ambiguous on the matter).



    Please do list the similarities, compare them side by side. Then we will get a better idea, thanks.
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