| Islamic-Buddhist
Dialogue
Dr. Alexander Berzin
Buddhists and Muslims have lived in close proximity for
many centuries in India, Central Asia, and the Malaya Peninsula,
extending as far as Indonesia. As with any two religions sharing
a geographic area, at times their relationship has been stormy,
at times peaceful. A portion of the Tibetan population is
Muslim, and they lived together peacefully for centuries with
the Tibetan Buddhists in Tibet prior to 1959. Now that His
Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government are in
exile in India, His Holiness is seeking dialogue and contact
with Muslims of many countries in an effort to promote mutual
understanding and growth. While Buddhist dialogue with some
other religions has been going on for some time, to my knowledge
the dialogue with Muslims is at its initial stages. Therefore,
at this time it is most important to establish common links,
both philosophically, and in terms of examining social problems.
Once this groundwork is laid, deeper spiritual exchange can
take place.
Common Links with Social Issues
As a student of His Holiness, my involvement in Islamic-Buddhist
dialogue has developed gradually over many years. In my travels
around the world lecturing on Buddhism, I have visited a number
of Muslim countries. Initially, I did not directly engage
Muslim audiences. Later, I entered into specifically Islamic-Buddhist
dialogues when I became more aware of the potential for Islamic-Buddhist
cooperation in dealing with some of the more pressing social
issues that Muslim and Buddhist communities share. For example,
the president of the Indian Ocean republic of Mauritius and
I discussed the problem of drug abuse among unemployed, disheartened
youth in Tibet and how his religious community was dealing
with a similar issue in Mauritius. We shared common concerns
about the problem and agreed on the importance of religion
for instilling a sense of self-worth, community support, and
ethics for uplifting those who have been affected. In Zanzibar,
which is 95% Muslim, I met with local leaders and learned
of their modest success in using Islam to help those who wish
to break their heroin habit. When former addicts are kept
busy with ritual washing and prayers five times a day, they
do not have much idle time to fill with drugs. This example
gives much food for thought in terms of the possible benefits
of such physical activities as prostration for ethnic Buddhist
addicts.
In Egypt, I visited Cairo University twice, where I met with
professors and students of various faculties. One year I lectured
on "The Impact of Buddhist Thought on Asian Political
and Economic Development" at Cairo University. They were
particularly interested to know how Buddhist principles contributed
to the economic success of the "Asian tiger" nations
so that they can use Islam to support a similar phenomenon
of Egypt's becoming an "African and Middle Eastern tiger."
They also sought to understand Asia and its religions in order
to form better political and economic links with the region.
They do not wish to be isolated under the misconception that
all Muslims are fundamentalists or fanatic terrorists and
were very interested in dialogue. They asked me to write a
paper on the basic Buddhist teachings in a manner readily
understandable to Muslims that was published in English and
Arabic as one of their Asian Monograph Series which is distributed
throughout the Arabic speaking world. To further Buddhist-Muslim
understanding, we decided together that I should prepare a
series of monographs on the history of the interaction between
the Muslims and Buddhists in Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
Since then, I have met with many distinguished Egyptian, Jordanian,
Iraqi, Turkish, and Uzbek scholars of Islam who have been
enthusiastic about this project and generous in offering their
help and sharing their insights.
In this series I hope to dispel some misunderstandings about
Buddhist-Muslim history. Just as modern journalists and political
analysts are quick to suspect a Muslim fundamentalist hand
behind terrorist acts in the world, historians of Central
Asia and the Indian subcontinent have often had similar presuppositions.
Throughout history, Buddhist monasteries and temples in these
regions have been destroyed or naturally fallen into disrepair
and abandoned for various reasons. Sometimes, economic conditions
or natural disasters caused their closure, and other times
they were sacked for their wealth or destroyed in wars for
territorial gain or control of the lucrative trade along the
Silk route. Yet popular histories attribute the decline of
Buddhism and its monasteries in the area primarily to Islamic
holy wars or jihads. In the
future, it is important, especially in history textbooks for
schools in Buddhist and Muslim countries, to present an unbiased,
more objective account.
In Mafraq, Jordan, I visited and lectured on Buddhism and
Tibet and their relationship with Islam at the Al al-Bayt
University. This international university was founded to broaden
mutual understanding among all seven sects of Islam, and between
Islam and other world religions. The president of the university
had been to Japan as the keynote speaker and co-organizer
of a conference on Buddhist-Islamic understanding. He expressed
interest in hosting such a conference in Jordan in the future.
In addition, he is building a Buddhist section in the university
library, which is generating more and more interest in the
subject, and asked me to prepare a book list. The president
offered to admit two Tibetan students to the university each
year for training in Arabic and Islam. He preferred Buddhist
monks who could do M.A. research on a comparison of Buddhism
and Islam, but would also admit Tibetan Muslims who would
wish to learn more about their religion to the B.A. program.
His Holiness was extremely pleased by this offer and has asked
his office to arrange to find appropriate candidates.
Common Links in Philosophy
In Turkey, I met with a group of professors of Islamic law
at the Ilahiyat Islamic Theological Faculty of Marmara University
in Istanbul to discuss the views of Islamic law towards Buddhism
as a way to support Buddhist-Islamic religious harmony. In
the Tibetan context, this is especially important due to the
large influx of Hui (Chinese Muslim) settlers in Tibet in
recent years. Since the seventeenth century, a community of
Muslims has lived in Tibet. They were well-integrated into
the predominantly Buddhist community and traditionally enjoyed
special legal privileges granted by the Fifth Dalai Lama.
However, the current strained situation in Tibet with the
large population transfer from areas of Han China has produced
understandable tensions.
The professors felt that, according to Islamic doctrine,
there is no problem in establishing peaceful relations with
Buddhists. They cited three reasons for this. First, certain
modern Islamic scholars have asserted that the Prophet Dh'ul
Kifl--the "man from Kifl"--mentioned twice in the
Qur'an, refers to the Buddha, with Kifl being the Arabic rendering
of the name of Buddha's native kingdom, Kapilavastu. The Qur'an
stated that the followers of Dh'ul Kifl are righteous people.
Secondly, al-Biruni and Sehristan, two eleventh century Islamic
scholars who visited India and wrote about its religions,
called Buddha a "Prophet." Thirdly, Kashmiri Muslims
who settled in Tibet from the seventeenth century married
Tibetan Buddhist women within the context of Islamic law.
I returned to the Ilahiyet Islamic Faculty of Marmara University,
in Istanbul, a year after the initial meeting. The interview
I had given during my previous visit to this university had
been published in a popular magazine of the local Islamic
fundamentalists, read in Turkey and throughout the Central
Asian Islamic republics. The teachers were extremely enthusiastic
in establishing an Islamic-Buddhist dialogue, and we discussed
such issues as creation, revelation and the source of ethics.
Islam asserts God not as a person but as an abstract creating
principle, and some schools of Islamic theology assert that
creation has no beginning. Speaking of the clear light mind
as the beginningless creator of appearances, and of Buddha
as a revealer of higher truths, we had a good basis for lively
and friendly dialogue. I was touched by their interest in
dialogue with Buddhists. In addition, the Municipal Government
of Istanbul will sponsor an international, interfaith dialogue
conference in 1997 and has requested His Holiness the Dalai
Lama to send a representative.
Historically, Islamic law has accepted Buddhism as a "religion
of the Book." Because "Dharma" was translated
as "law," and "law" referred to "book,"
Buddhists as "people of the Dharma" were understood
to be "people of the Book" throughout medieval Central
Asia. Islam tolerates all "people of the Book,"
which is defined as people who accept a creator God. This
leads to some interesting discussions on the meaning of "creator
God."
For example, the primarily Muslim state of Indonesia officially
permits five religions--Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism,
Hinduism and Buddhism--on the grounds that they all accept
a creator God. In this regard, Indonesian Buddhists posit
Adibuddha, the primordial Buddha of the Kalachakra Tantra,
as the "creator." I had several interesting discussions
with Buddhist monks in Indonesia about the issue of God in
Buddhism. Since Adibuddha can be interpreted as the clear
light primordial consciousness, and since all appearances
of samsara and nirvana are the play or "creation"
of that mind, we concluded that it could be said that Buddhism
accepts a "creator God." The fact that Buddhism
asserts Adibuddha not to be an individual, separate being
who created the universe, but something present in each sentient
being, can be seen as a theological difference concerning
the nature of God. That is, Buddhism does accept a "creator
God" but with its own unique interpretation. As the Muslims
say, "Allah has many names," and many Christian,
Islamic, Hindu, and Jewish thinkers assert that God is abstract
and present in all beings. Establishing this allowed for a
comfortable dialogue with Islamic theologians to ensue.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has had contact with Islamic
leaders around the world for many years. In 1995, I accompanied
Dr. Tirmiziou Diallo, the hereditary Sufi religious leader
of Guinea, West Africa, to Dharamsala to meet with His Holiness.
In the days prior to the audience, Dr. Diallo and I discussed
further the meaning of "people of the Book." He
felt it refers to people who follow the "primordial tradition."
This can be called the wisdom of Allah or God, or as I suggested
to him in Buddhist terms, primordial deep awareness. Thus
he readily accepted that the primordial tradition of wisdom
was revealed not only by Moses, Jesus and Mohammed, but also
by Buddha. If people follow this innate primordial tradition
and wisdom, they are "people of the Book." But if
they go against this basic good and wise nature of humankind
and the universe, they are not "of the Book."
In this sense, then, he found it acceptable to say that Buddha
was a "prophet of God." Adibuddha, as the clear
light mind, is not only primordial deep awareness, but the
creator of all appearances. In this way, Adibuddha can be
said to be a "creator God." Similarly, because Buddha
spoke about the primordial deep awareness, he can be said
to be a "prophet of God." For Westerners who became
Buddhist after leaving the Judeo-Christian tradition they
grew up in, using this language to describe Buddha may seem
strange. However, when we remember that one word can have
different interpretations and definitions in various traditions,
this use of language could make sense. Practically speaking,
it enhances the prospect of interreligious dialogue, which
is so necessary in our day and age.
Dr. Diallo was very happy with this discussion and cited
a hadith (personal saying
of Mohammed) enjoining his followers to seek wisdom all the
way up to China. Dr. Diallo himself followed the principles
of this hadith. He attended the last day of His Holiness's
discourse on Shantideva's (Guide
to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life), including the Avalokiteshvara
empowerment His Holiness conferred. He was especially moved
by the bodhisattva vows. In Sufism there is also a total commitment
to seeking the perfection that is beyond words and serving
all creation.
On the last day of his visit, Dr. Diallo had a private audience
with His Holiness. Dressed in elegant white robes, the majestic
African spiritual leader was so moved upon first being in
His Holiness's presence that he began to weep. Without asking
his attendant as he normally would, His Holiness personally
went to his anteroom and brought back tissue which he offered
the Sufi master to wipe his tears. Dr. Diallo presented His
Holiness with a traditional Muslim headdress, which His Holiness
put on without hesitation and wore for the remainder of the
audience.
His Holiness opened the dialogue by explaining that if both
Buddhists and Muslims remain flexible in their thinking, fruitful
and open dialogue is possible. The encounter was extremely
warm and emotionally touching. His Holiness asked numerous
questions about the Sufi meditation tradition, specifically
concerning the West African lineages that emphasize the practice
of love, compassion and service. Dr. Diallo had been living
in exile for many years in Germany after a communist takeover
of his country. Thus there were many things in common that
the two men shared. Both His Holiness and Dr. Diallo pledged
to continue the Islamic-Buddhist dialogue in the future.
The main aim of the Islamic-Buddhist dialogue, as I have
experienced it, is educational--for each to learn more about
the other's beliefs and cultures. The Library of Tibetan Works
and Archives, in Dharamsala, India, has taken a leading role
in fulfilling this aim. They have begun a program to exchange
journals and books with the various universities in the Islamic
countries with which I have established contact. Likewise,
they are establishing programs of cooperation with institutions
in the Central Asian Islamic republics to conduct further
research on the history of the interaction between Buddhists
and Muslims in that part of the world. The prospects for increasing
contact and cooperation between Buddhists and Muslims are
vast. They have the potential to lead to more understanding
between religious practitioners as well as to more political
stability in areas where the two groups live in close proximity.
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