BUDDHISM AND ISLAM

BUDDHISM AND ISLAM

Introduction

Buddhism and Islam have always been perceived as fundamentally different, and they are irreconcilable. Their similarities are pointed out in mysticism and ethical areas[1]. However, the issue of god has been a major problem in Buddhist and Muslim relationships. This divided the two traditions on the most fundamental level; thus, making it difficult for the Buddhists and Muslims to understand and accept one another[2].

It was arguable that Buddhism is the largest religion around the world when counted following the Muslim faith in other parts of East Asia. During the modern era, Buddhism has been vulnerable, but both secularism and evangelism from other religions such as Islam. Among other religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Hindus, Buddhism is predicted to decline both in terms of numbers and as a proportion of the world population. However, Islam is still increasing, and this makes Muslims be over five times as many as Buddhists.

The trend of the world’s population suggests that conflicts between the two religions increasingly characterize the meeting point between Buddhism and Islam in Asia. Sensibly, this is not true since religions are composed of several individuals and leaders who often have deferring opinions. Nevertheless, there is an unprecedented high level of tension between Buddhists and Muslims in areas where these two groups share space such as in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the Eastern part of India, particularly Jammu and Kashmir.

Buddhism in India

The decline of Buddhism in the subcontinent of India represents a gradual process of replacement of Buddhism in the region, and this ended up during the 12^th century. This was no a singular occurrence, and a long process, which took centuries. The decline of Buddhism has been caused by several factors such as the regionalization of India after the end of the Gupta Empire, which led to the disappearance of patronage and donations as dynasties in India turned to the Hindus services. Additionally, the Buddhism religion reduced in India due to the invasion to the north by groups like the Huns and Persians, as well as the subsequent destruction of certain institutions of the Buddhists such as the Nalanda and religious persecution. Later, religious competition with Hinduism and Islam were also imminent factors. For example, the Islamization of Bengal, as well as the demolitions of Nalanda and Odantapuri by the general of Delhi Sultanate, are thought to have negatively weakened the activities of Buddhism in East India.

Buddhism expanded in the subcontinent in the centuries after the demise of the Buddha, especially after being endorsed by the royalty of the Maurya Kingdom during the 3^rd century. Thus, they spread past the Indian subcontinent to China and other parts of Asia. The period of Buddha experienced not only urbanization but also the beginning of centralized states. The effective expansion of Buddhism depended on the rising economy of the time plus the increasing centralized political organizations that were capable of change. Buddhism spread in entire ancient India. However, monastic organizations made Buddhism the main religious and intellectual life in India.

The constant changing political condition in India forced the population to heavily depend on non-governmental organizations for social stability and security in the region[3]. The establishment of the Buddhists and other institutions, as well as cultural practices,  led to religious and social cohesion in India[4]. The elites, including scholars, traders, and generals, adopted flexibility concerning political allegiance and always changed masters based on their economic and social interests. On the other hand, the cultural elements of the Indians continue to flourish in the region. Thus, contributing to a unique and robust Central Asian culture.

After thousands of years of growth, Buddhism was sidelined as a religion throughout is dominion. Therefore, Neo-Confucianism and Shinto prevailed in East Asia due to state policies. Moreover, China launched anti-Buddhist persecution during the 845 BE, and this partially stimulated the fact that most people were entering without paying taxes. Therefore, Neo-Confucianism became a dominant philosophy and Chinese elites. This similar process unfolded in Korea and Japan due to the rise of the Joseon Dynasty and Tokugawa Shogunate, respectively. Thus, Buddhism was eliminated based on political reasons.

Buddhism vanished in South Asia, where they were reabsorbed into Hinduism, with Buddha being acknowledged as an avatar. So, Hinduism became less dependent on state promotion in terms of its survival. Moreover, they were attuned with ritual and political needs, as well as being aligned with folk beliefs. The destruction of the Buddhist University by Muslim invaders sealed its fate. After the establishment of Muslim dynasties in South Asia, there was a faster conversion of people into Muslims in Bengal and western Punjab than other regions where Hinduism was more dominant. This occurrence informs more about Buddhist attitudes to Islam despite the real doctrines of Buddhism and Islam for that reason. Thus, history and demographics established a sense of obstruction that cannot be resolved soon. The educational and development ideas, family planning awareness, and autonomous regions for Muslim minorities were resuming in the entire Buddhist-majority nations with Muslim-minorities.

El verskog

According to Elverskog, there is a profound challenge about the misconception that the historical connection between Buddhism and Islam (). He challenges people to make deep thoughts on the assumptions on cultural encounters across Eurasia. However, history, at its best, avoid the oversimplification of model-building. By doing so, Elverskog made significant contributions to the historian society around the world, particularly in Asia and students in that area.

The association of Buddhism and Muslims in the contemporary world is mostly imagined as one of the violent confrontations. Without a doubt, the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas by the Taliban in 2001 appeared not only to reenact the infamous Muslim destruction of the Nalanda monastery during the 13^th century but also to reiterate the stereotypes of Buddhism and a peaceful belief. On the other hand, it views Islam as a violent and irrational religion. However, if the relationship between Buddhist and Muslim history were a repetitive instance, where Muslim militants were attacking the Buddha, the Buddha statues wouldn’t have survived centuries ago under the Muslim rule.

Findings

It was a requirement by the British colonial powers that every person should have one religious identity for personal law and administration. Such principles reflected the degree to which colonial masters interpreted various cultural interactions, particularly in colonial Burma, through the perspective of world religions. Based on this perspective, things were relatively different, but static in the sense that traditions were defined in opposite to one another. Each of them was thought to infuse its people with distinctive features. The major characteristic of Buddhist, according to Elverskog, was that they were tolerant and pacifist individuals. That is, the idea of Myanmar’s Buddhist that was portrayed as distinctively tolerant became the critical mechanism for separating the Burmese Buddhists from the Indian Hindus and Muslims that were living alongside them.

Conclusion

The Silk Road demonstrates Buddhist-Muslim interaction as a much more productive and more complicated thing than most people could assume. After analyzing inner Asia from the 8^th century via the Mongol Kingdom towards the end of the Qing dynasty in the late 19^th century, the paper has summarized the interaction between the Buddhists and Muslims from China to Iran and India. Therefore, it was revealed that this encounter had been one of the major cross-cultural interactions where the two religions (Buddhism and Islam) were not only enriched but changed in many ways. However, the encounter between Buddhism and Muslim continues to conflict even in the contemporary world. Similarly, there have been many things because there is an appreciation of not only a conflicting period, but a cross-cultural exchange and understanding overturn that has become a common narrative. This tells us about history itself and power to reveal the reality that has been covered over the years by prejudice, and therefore, have been forgotten due to suspicion of difference.

Bibliography

Liu, Xinru. 2011. “A Silk Road Legacy: The Spread of Buddhism and Islam.” Journal of World History 22 (1): 55-81.

Obuse, Kieko. 2015. “Finding God in Buddhism: A New Trend in Contemporary Buddhist Approaches To Islam.” Numen 62 (4): 408-430.

[1] Obuse, Kieko. 2015. “Finding God in Buddhism: A New Trend in Contemporary Buddhist Approaches To Islam.” Numen 62 (4): 408-430.

[2] Ibid

[3] Liu, Xinru. 2011. “A Silk Road Legacy: The Spread of Buddhism and Islam.” Journal of World History 22 (1): 55-81.

[4] Ibid