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Comparability of Buddhism and Sufism

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dc.contributor.author Masoumi, Nabiollah
dc.date.accessioned 2015-01-19T04:05:08Z
dc.date.available 2015-01-19T04:05:08Z
dc.date.issued 2015-01-19T04:05:08Z
dc.identifier.citation Masoumi, N. (2015). Comparability of Buddhism and Sufism. Proceedings of 10th National Conference on Buddhist Studies of Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, 91.
dc.identifier.issn 2235 - 901X
dc.identifier.uri http://dr.lib.sjp.ac.lk/handle/123456789/1695
dc.description.abstract Persian and Indian civilizations for a long time are neighbours in geographic terms, through common Ariyan roots, and their close interactions have led to many cultural similarities. Buddhism originated in ancient India, found its own way to Persia and influenced neighboring cultures. That Buddhist temples and statues appeared in the eastern part of Persia though Zoroastrianism was well established at that time. Sufism could be defined as Persian interpretation of Islam which was empowered by ancient Iranian religions as well as Buddhism and even Hinduism. Interestingly, Sufism and Buddhism are comparable. Both are practical and they talk about ways of life. The “Path” of Buddhism is same as “Tarighat” in Sufism. Attaining truth in Buddhism is by following the path and practising meditation which is similar to “Moraghebe” in Sufism. Sufi people wear “kherghe” while Buddhist monks has their own simple robes. Sufi shrines resemble Buddhist stupas. Buddhism in a sense is not a religion and it is possible for people from any different religious background to practise it, and this is the same in Sufism. The fact that Sufis are not that much bonded to religious laws and they are not also involved with pure philosophical speculations is somehow similar to Buddha’s silence before metaphysical questions. Buddhism and Sufism talk about unique personal and spiritual experience: “One asked me what love is. And I said when you fall in love, you will realize!” (Rumi) In Buddhism, the ultimate goal of life is nirvana which comes as result of practising “Eightfold Path” and in Sufism, “fana” is the result of “Tazkie and Tahzib” and going through “seven valleys”. Fana as nothingness introduced by Bayazid Bastami, the great Persian Sufi, is denial of self, which interestingly becomes similar to the Buddhist theory of nonexistence of self. A drop of water is nothing before the ocean and attains nothingness (fana) when it joins its own origination. Attaining fana gives traveller eternal being as nirvana is eternal peace. en_US
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda.
dc.subject Buddhism en_US
dc.subject Sufism en_US
dc.subject Persian and Indian civilizations en_US
dc.subject Fana en_US
dc.subject Nirvana en_US
dc.title Comparability of Buddhism and Sufism en_US
dc.type Article en_US
dc.date.published 2015-01-03


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