BUDDHISM IN THE WORKS OF MUSLIM CLASSICS

Abstract

UDK: 24-312

The Muslim intellectual genius has, throughout the hiero-history always had an inclination towards learning about the phenomena of otherness and religious teachings of the other and the different. Such disposition provided the opportunity to compare and evaluate different systems of values and the teachings of new religious schools of thought.  One such different religious outlook is Buddhism as a religion based on moral, ethical, theological, and philosophical teachings. In this article, we intend to thematize and analyze the teachings of Buddhism from the perspective of Muslim intellectual tradition. Consequently, we shall have the opportunity to learn about the first encounter of the Muslim intellectual genius with the religious tradition of Buddhism. Certainly, the personality of Buddha himself will be a primary focus here, as he is considered nothing less than the cornerstone of this religious tradition. The inclusive approach of the Muslim classical authors, as this paper will demonstrate, is reflected in their efforts to bring Buddha, in a phenomenological sense, in relation to hadrat Hidr a.s., who is particularly present in the esoteric tradition of Islam.