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Buddhism represents 5% of the world’s population |
Islam represents 25% of the world’s population of which Sunni are approx. 90% and Shiite 10% |
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BUDDHISM |
ISLAM |
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Founded |
Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha / Enlightened One) 563-483 BC |
Muhammad
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God(s) |
None (Buddhism is a nontheistic philosophy / religion) |
Belief in a single God
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Prophet(s) |
The Buddha Himself |
Various including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and finally Muhammad who received the final revelation from God through the archangel Gabriel.
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Leader(s) |
Monks, Nuns, Scholars, Laymen. |
After Muhammad's death, a schism occurred based on who should succeed him. Basically a political dispute, although over time theological differences also appeared. The various problems relating to succession over the years lead to assassinations and civil war. Today the two factions (Sunni and Shia) are led by people who follow a hierarchy based on achievements in religious study such as jurists, mufti etc., down to the lower levels of mullahs, imams etc. There are no overall leaders, although different Islamic countries have their own levels of seniority.
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Afterlife |
None. (As with many other religions / philosophies, over the centuries Buddhism has split in to many different factions (schisms), and taken up many additional cultural beliefs and schools of thought, some of these factions believe in a cycle of rebirth, others treat The Buddha as a deity. The Buddha is quoted as saying he knew nothing of God/s, or an afterlife, and was only interested in relieving suffering from conscious beings)
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Following bodily resurrection, paradise in Heaven or eternal fire in Hell
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Practices |
The understanding of human suffering, its causes, and how suffering can be overcome to achieve happiness through living a non-violent, non-extreme life of moderation, meditation and knowledge
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The five pillars of wisdom: 1. To recite the creed during prayer "I testify that there is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God." 2. Daily prayers. 3. Almsgiving. 4. Fasting during Ramadan. 5. Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime.
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Texts |
Teaching was initially done orally, followed by various texts and scriptures. |
The Quran |
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Human situation/ Life's purpose |
Buddhism is often said by its critics to be nihilistic (because there is no belief in God/s or afterlife, life itself is pointless - the same criticism is also made of atheism and humanism) As life's purpose is unknown, the focus is on improving life as we know and experience it.
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That the purpose of life is to worship God.
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Punishment for heresy |
None (Buddhism is a non-violent belief that throughout history has lived in harmony with all other religions and philosophies.)
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Historically: Death.
Currently: Death in almost all Islamic countries that adhere to Islamic Sharia law rather than secular laws.
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Attitude to Women |
Historically: Generally one of equality.
Currently: Equality.
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Historically: Extremely unequal, androcentric (male oriented), even misogynistic (fear or hatred of women).
Currently: Extremely unequal, androcentric (male oriented), even misogynistic (fear or hatred of women).
“The fourth chapter of the Quran is called "Women". The 34th verse is a key verse in feminist criticism of Islam. The verse reads: "Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great”.
“Thanks to the subjective/biased interpretations of the Quran (almost exclusively by men), the preponderance of the misogynic mullahs and the regressive Shariah law in most "Muslim" countries, Islam is synonymously known as a promoter of misogyny in its worst form. Although there is no way of defending the so-called "great" traditions of Islam as being libertarian and believing in equality with regard to women, we may draw a line between the Quranic texts and the corpus of declared misogynic writing and spoken words by the mullahs having very little or no relevance to the Quran”.
“Misogynistic interpretation has been persistently attached to the 34th verse because commentary on the Quran has been the exclusive domain of Muslim men".
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Main objectives in theory |
Buddhism is a tolerant teaching that takes the individual as the centre of the teachings. Many Buddhist texts are concerned with individuals improving themselves.
Buddha said:
Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. Do not believe anything because it is spoken and rumoured by many. Do not believe in anything because it is written in your religious texts. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
But, after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and the benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.
The Essence of Buddha's Teaching.
Buddha set forth his teaching in the following doctrine
The Four Noble Truths:
1. All things and experiences are marked by suffering/ disharmony/ frustration. 2. The arising of suffering/ disharmony/ frustration comes from desire/ craving/ clinging. 3. To achieve the cessation or end of suffering/ disharmony/ frustration, let go of desire/ craving/ clinging. 4. The way to achieve that cessation of suffering/ disharmony/ frustration, is walking the Eightfold Path.
The eightfold path to the cessation of suffering:
1. Right Understanding of the following facts:
• the truth about suffering ... (The Four Nobel Truths); • everything is impermanent and changes; • there is no separate individual self - this is an illusion. (Life is impermanent, a stream of becoming, a series of manifestations and extinctions. The concept of the individual ego is a popular delusion; the objects with which people identify themselves—fortune, social position, family, body, and even mind—are not their true selves. There is nothing permanent, and, if only the permanent deserved to be called the self, then nothing is self.)
2. Right Determination to:
• give up what is wrong and evil; • undertake what is good; • abandon thoughts that have to do with bringing suffering to any conscious being; cultivate thoughts of loving kindness, that are based on caring about others' suffering, and sympathetic joy in others' happiness.
3. Right Speech:
• Abstain from telling lies. • Abstain from talk that brings harm or discredit to others (such as backbiting or slander) or talk that creates hatred or disharmony between individuals and groups. • Abstain from harsh, rude, impolite, malicious, or abusive language. • Abstain from idle, useless, and foolish babble and gossip. Abstain from recrimination and negative statements. • Abstain from harsh speech—practice kindly speech. • Abstain from frivolous speech—practice meaningful speech. • Abstain from slanderous speech—practice harmonious speech. • Speak the truth if it is useful and timely. Practice only necessary speech. Let your speech be filled with loving kindness. Speak that which alleviates suffering.
4. Right Action:
• Peaceful, honourable conduct; abstain from dishonest dealings; take concrete steps necessary to foster what is good. • Do things that are moral, honest, and alleviate suffering. Do not do things that will bring suffering to others or yourself.
5. Right Livelihood:
• Abstain from making your living from an occupation that brings harm and suffering to humans or animals, or diminishes their wellbeing. This includes: activities that directly harm conscious beings, and activities that indirectly harm sentient beings.
6. Right Effort:
• Foster good and prevent evil. • Work on yourself—be engaged in appropriate self-improvement. The essence of right effort is that everything must be done with a sense of proper balance that fits the situation. Effort should be balanced between trying too hard and not trying hard enough. Trying hard to progress too rapidly gets poor results, as does not trying hard enough.
7. Right Mindfulness or wakefulness:
• Foster right attention. • Avoid whatever clouds our mental awareness. • Systematically and intentionally develop awareness.
8. Right Concentration:
• Developed by practicing meditation and/or mental focusing. Proper meditation must be done continuously while awake, and should include work on awareness of body, emotions, thought, and mind objects.
Five basic precepts:
1. Abstain from killing living beings (from destroying/taking life)—or practice love.
2. Abstain from taking the not-given (from stealing)—or practice generosity, practice giving.
3. Abstain from sexual misconduct—or practice contentment.
4. Abstain from false speech (from lying)—or practice truthfulness.
5. Abstain from taking intoxicating drinks—or practice awareness and mental clarity.
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1. Originally to spread Islamic beliefs by uniting peoples and tribes in to one religious and political society. (Muhammad as a religious warlord drew Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula to Islam by his forceful personality, the promise of salvation for those who died fighting for Islam, and the lure of fortune for those who succeeded in conquest. The caravan raids of the early years of Islam soon become full-scale wars, and empires and nations bowed to the power of this new religious, military, political, economic, and social phenomenon.)
2. Latterly, following the decline of Islam after the colonial era, to revive Islam throughout the world by re-establishing the straight path of Islam in personal and public life, which will ensure the restoration of Islamic identity, values, and power worldwide.
Thus, the renewal and revitalization of Muslim governments and societies require the restoration or reimplementation of Islamic Sharia law, which provides the blueprint for an Islamically guided and socially just state, society and world.
(Sharia, a term that refers to the body of laws and rules that regulate Muslim life. These laws are an expression of God’s will, according to Muslim belief, although derivation and application of the laws depend on interpretation by leaders versed in Islamic law. Over time, the laws that Muslims must follow have been elaborated upon by the schools of law. Today the schools of law, and their work is largely limited to applying laws and judgments generally not legislated by the secular governments, chiefly family law and ritual. The most important debate among modern Muslims concerns whether the Sharia should be applied in all aspects of life and whether and how to renovate it so that it addresses the most pressing issues facing the Muslim world today.) |
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Main objectives in practice |
As above.
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1. As in 1 above.
2. Muslim societies suffered from a feeling of failure and loss of self-esteem after they achieved independence from colonial rule by the mid-20th century because of failed post-colonial political systems and economies and the negative effects of modernization. Characterizing many of the newly independent Muslim nations were autocratic leaders, repressive governments, overcrowded cities with insufficient social support systems, high unemployment rates, government corruption, and a growing gap between rich and poor, including abject poverty and a total lack of education for the poor. Many Muslims blamed Western models of political and economic development for these failures. Once enthusiastically pursued as symbols of modernity, these models increasingly came under criticism. Modernization, a process of Westernization and secularization of society, was seen as responsible for an excessive dependence on the West; for a weakening of traditional family, religious, and social values; and for a loss of identity that contributed to the breakdown of Muslim society. Therefor many Muslims wish to re-establish Islamic societies and values throughout the world. The majority of Islamic activists seek to achieve this gradually by working within their respective societies systems and laws. Known as Islamic Fundamentalists their ranks include members of non-governmental Muslim organizations that provide much-needed services to the poor through Islamic schools, medical clinics, social welfare agencies, and other institutions.
3. There is however at the fringe of Islamic Fundamentalism a significant minority of people who believe that they have a mandate from God to carry out God’s will. This extremist minority further believes that because the rulers in the Muslim world are authoritarian and anti-Islamic, violent change is necessary. They seek to topple governments, seize power, and impose their vision or interpretation of Islam upon society.
Radical Islamic movements often operate on the assumption that Islam and the West are locked in an ongoing battle that reaches back to the early days of Islam, a battle that has been heavily influenced by the legacy of the Crusades and European colonialism, and that today is the product of a Judeo-Christian conspiracy. This conspiracy, they believe, is the result of superpower neo-colonialism and the power of Zionism (support for a Jewish nation, now the state of Israel). These radical movements blame the West (Britain, France, and especially the United States) for its support of un-Islamic or unjust regimes and biased support for Israel in the face of the displacement of the Palestinian people. Thus, violence against such governments and their representatives as well as Western multinationals is regarded as legitimate self-defence.
Islamic radicals also believe that Islam is not simply an ideological alternative for Muslim societies but a theological and political imperative. Because it is God’s command, implementation must be immediate, not gradual, and the obligation to implement is incumbent on all true Muslims. Therefore, those who hesitate, remain apolitical, or resist—individuals and governments—are no longer to be regarded as Muslims. They are atheists or unbelievers, enemies of God, against whom all true Muslims must wage holy war in the form of the fourth aspect of jihad.
(Jihad - the struggle to please God. Jihad is the duty of all mainstream Muslims, who belong to the branch known as Sunni Islam. There are four ways they may fulfil a jihad: 1. by the heart, 2. by the tongue, 3. by the hand, 4. by the sword. The first refers to the inner, spiritual battle of the heart against vice, passion, and ignorance. The second way means speaking the truth and spreading the word of Islam with one's tongue. The third way involves choosing to do what is right and to combat injustice and what is wrong with action, or one's hand. The fourth way refers to defending Islam and waging war against its enemies with the sword. Islamic legal scholars, during the early centuries of Islam, divided the world into two 1. Abode of Islam and 2. Abode of war—that is, of non-Islamic rule. Islamic law further stated that it was the duty of the first to strive to bring as much of the second as possible under its control, preferably by conversion but by force if necessary. Although jihad has come to be equated with “holy war” in the West, most Muslims would argue that military action is only a small part of jihad and that this form of jihad should be undertaken only in self-defence or against injustice. They see the internal struggle to attain self-mastery and lead a virtuous life as far more important. In some countries, however, Muslim activists would like to see Islamic governments installed, and for them jihad encompasses a more revolutionary goal of replacing their country’s political leadership. Still other Muslim militants extend the concept of jihad to acts of terrorism against Western countries whose influence they view as harmful to Islam. The Quran (Koran), states that those who die in this type of jihad, while fighting for the faith, automatically become martyrs and are awarded a special place in heaven. Most modern branches of Islam, however, stress the inner, spiritual jihad. In contrast to mainstream Sunni Muslims, Muslim groups such as the Imami and Bohora-Ismaili Shias are forbidden from participating in a hostile jihad. These sects believe the only person legitimately capable of conducting such a jihad is their imam, or spiritual leader.)
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Major benefits to the human condition |
The bringing of comfort, order, education and a peaceful structured society to the individual.
Many outstanding works of art and architecture around the world.
Buddhists have always recognized the importance of community life, and over the centuries there has developed a distinctive symbiotic relationship between monks (and in some cases nuns) and the lay community. Moreover, both the monastics and the laity have engaged in a variety of common and complementary religious practices that have expressed Buddhist orientations and values, structured peaceful Buddhist societies, and addressed the practical concerns of individuals. Despite historically often being seen as a threat in some lands to their kings, emperors and rulers for more than two millennia - being completely banned in many communist countries, Buddhism has been a powerful religious, political, and social force, first in India, its original homeland, and then in many other lands. It remains a powerful religious, political, and cultural force in many parts of the world today. In the Western world, particularly in the United States and Canada, the growth of new Buddhist communities—which include both Buddhist immigrants from different parts of Asia and indigenous converts—has been very rapid indeed. There is every reason to expect that the appeal of Buddhism will continue far on into the future. |
The bringing together of warring tribes and stopping the resultant slaughter and thereby creating a more peaceful society, although initially by also waging war and committing slaughter.
Many early advances in science. Establishment of the first public hospitals. Establishment of some of the first universities.
The giving of charitable donations (Zakat) to aid the poor and those in need (currently estimated to be 15 times global humanitarian aid donations).
Many beautiful buildings, architecture and works of art depicting abstract designs. (the human, animal or natural world is generally forbidden in Islamic art, although interpretation varies by country)
In general most Islamic cities, towns and villages live in relative peace, although "outside" influence is heavily curtailed.
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Major detriments to the human condition in deaths. |
Unaware of any Buddhist inspired aggressions or wars. However Buddhists have taken up arms and killed in defensive encounters. Buddhist monks and laymen fought bravely against invading Japanese armies under Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1592 and again in 1597. Buddhists struggled against colonialism throughout Asia, although mostly peacefully, have fought communist incursions, and undergone imprisonment and death when persecuted by other religious / political regimes. Especially so in the South Vietnamese detention/death camps where between 1955-1960 under the fanatical Catholic President Ngo Dinh, president of South Vietnam, an estimated half a million were sent. An estimated 2 million Buddhists died at the hands of the Cambodian Marxist Khmer Rouge government of Pol Pot between 1975-1979 and many of the professional and technical classes were exterminated. In some parts of the world today Buddhists are fighting and killing defensively against Islamic fundamentalist inspired aggressions. |
Many deaths resulting from centuries of wars of conquest, plus both defensive and aggressive wars of the crusades.
Aggressive wars of Islamic colonialism throughout India and under Aurangzeb’s fanatical Islamic reign brought India close to total economic decline.
Wars of expansion of the Turkish Ottoman empire.
Aggressive wars of separation between Islamic Pakistan/India, causing over 250,000 deaths in 1947, followed by civil war between Islamic Pakistan and Islamic West Bengal (Bangladesh).
Currently increasing numbers of deaths from Islamic fundamentalist terrorism and civil wars in many countries aimed at the formation of Islamist only states.
In the 21st century, heresy is still punishable by death in many Islamic states
In the 21st century, adultery is still punishable by death in many Islamic states
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Other Major detriments to the human condition. |
Through the different factions of Buddhism that have developed over the millennia, some have developed beliefs in afterlives, rebirths, hells etc., probably for cultural reasons, which are far away from the original teachings.
Some criticize Buddhism for promoting what they see as nihilism. Some Marist groups have criticized Buddhism for causing Tibet to have an undeveloped, agrarian economy.
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Muhammad indulged in Polygamy, having many wives, and also kept slaves.
Women's rights in Islamic states today vary greatly, however generally women are treated inferiorly, despite the Quran stating that men and women are equal, although may have different responsibilities.
Although greatly varied by Islamic country, and that countries level of conservatism / fundamentalism, even today in some Islamic countries:
· Women are not allowed to vote · Women undergo arranged marriages · Women are not allowed to inherit (land, property, goods or chattels) · Women are not allowed to work except in the home* · Women are not allowed to attend school or be educated* · Men can have up to four wives · Men can marry non-Islamic women but not the reverse · Men and women are not allowed to mix socially* · Women must dress modestly in public - varying from simple hair covering to total bodily cover including a yashmak* · Women are not allowed to drive cars or ride bicycles* · Women are not allowed to participate in sport* · Women must be accompanied by a male relative when in public* · Women undergo genital mutation as girls · Women are not allowed to dance or listen to music · Many more………….
*In some countries special religious police enforce these rules/laws in public
Education of boys (and girls in countries that allow it) is strictly controlled and follows a narrow Islamic agenda of total Islamic indoctrination.
Freedom of thought, expression and freedom of speech are not allowed and generally considered heresy. (only statements concomitant with Islam are allowed)
Certain Sharia inspired punishments are generally barbaric - the cutting off of hands for theft, public beheadings, stoning to death for adultery, payment of blood money or undergoing physical mutilation etc. Although these are extreme examples, many radicals wish to revive these types of punishment.
(Although an Islamic country like Qatar is supposed to have one of the finest rehabilitation prison systems in the world, resulting from the segregation of secular law - that deals with crime, and sharia law - that deals with family affairs)
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Notes |
· The 14th Dalai Lama states: "From one viewpoint, Buddhism is a religion, from another viewpoint Buddhism is a science of mind and not a religion. Buddhism can be a bridge between these two sides. Therefore, with this conviction I try to have closer ties with scientists, mainly in the fields of cosmology, psychology, neurobiology and physics. In these fields there are insights to share, and to a certain extent we can work together." · Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche states: "If you are interested in 'meeting the Buddha' and following his example, then you should realize that the path the Buddha taught is primarily a study of your own mind and a system for training your mind. This path is spiritual, not religious. Its goal is self-knowledge, not salvation; freedom, not heaven. And it is deeply personal." |
· In many instances, most religions have been able to adapt to modernity by accommodating the diversity of contemporary culture, in part by the adaptation of religion to secular values and the repositioning of conservative religion that was previously in direct opposition to secular values (such as the Vatican II council in the Catholic Church). This is not so in Islamic fundamentalism which sees itself as unchanging. (The retired head of MI5 when discussing the radicalisation of young people to violent fundamentalism – terrorism – said about the Islamic religion "as a whole is not well geared to reviving and modernising itself so that it meets the values and the norms of a 21st Century society").
· Islamic fundamentalist inspired terrorism, which wants to take Islam back to the middle ages, which kills schoolchildren for wanting to be educated, kills women for attending parties and dancing, kills people born in Islamic countries but who believe in a different religion or no religion at all, kills men even for shaving off their beards etc., is abhorred by a horrified world at large and by mainstream Moslems.
· It is surprising that in the west the leaders and hierarchy of Moslem organisations only seem to condemn Islamic terrorism when absolutely pressured to do so. Could this be because of the subconscious and unstated belief, even in supposed moderates, in the 4th way of jihad (by the sword) to bring about world Islamisation?
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