Common Ground Between Islam and Buddhism: Spiritual and Ethical Affinities

"Whether one says gods or Buddhas, there is no difference between the water and waves." - Kobo Daishi"Study the teachings of the Great Sages of all sects impartially." - Gampopa"Seek ye wisdom, even in China." - Prophetic hadith"Every prophet and every saint hath a way, but it leads to God: all the ways are really one." - RumiUpon purchasing and receiving recently this book, 'Common Ground between Islam and Buddhism', I nearly read it straight through immediately. It is a beautiful work in terms of content and a delight to read in terms of style. The work itself is suffused simultaneously with the 'spiritual fragrances' of Buddhism and Islam; it is, in my opinion, eminently successful in reaching its target like a kyudo master's arrow. If I was prevailed upon to single out a particular section as a favourite it would, perhaps, be 'Worship of the One', which dives to the deep consonance of intention underlying the methodical or ritual elements in each tradition without in any sense forgetting or forsaking the necessary role of formal or apparent diversity.The book itself is something of a garland of diverse splendours, including pieces from the Dalai Lama, Prof. Muhammad Hashim Kamali, Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, all of these 'movements' alongside the main text itself masterfully composed by Dr. Reza Shah-Kazemi. Each of the contributors adds a certain frisson of their own to Dr Shah-Kazemi's opus, though if, again, I were prevailed upon to point out a disappointment it would be particularly in regard to Prince Ghazi's otherwise fine Introduction which opens with a somewhat 'journalistic' quality the note of which rings not wholly, to these ears, 'in key' with the necessarily and fundamentally esoteric (thus individual and inward-directed) character of this noble undertaking.The reviewer above from Publishers Weekly (whoever they were), gives the impression of not having read the book, anticipating and answering as it does the very points raised, if circumspectly with regard to the space limitations of a brief monograph and, more pertinently, with a constant view to the transcendent goal and purpose necessitating less of a focus on more peripheral aspects and subjects.This is an eloquent and authoritative book offering a profoundly meaningful 'taste' of these two religious worlds and their essential harmony. I recommend it highly, whether to a Buddhist, Muslim or anyone else interested in these subjects, and who today can afford not to take such an interest? To paraphrase Seyyed Hossein Nasr, 'For those interested in Buddhism or Islam in one way or another the book is mesmerising.'For a more comprehensive review see Elena Lloyd-Sidle's written for [...] and available at [...]

If you are interested in the subject matter, I highly recommend this book. Kazemi's writing, while scholarly and well cited, is accessible and free flowing. This is not a dense or difficult read.(I recently completed a B.A. in Religious Studies, and this text was a primary resource for my final project.)

Wonderful book by a terrific author

As someone who grew up with a Muslim Arab father and a Christian American mother in a non-religious household, and who is an avid Buddhist practitioner himself, I must say this is a fantastic piece of modern scholarship. I have searched very extensively for such a text for several years and this is really the first instance I've found of one; and I must say that it does not disappoint. I think every masjid and every sangha should have this text made available to them.My only complaint (which doesn't take away from the fact that this book is a strong 10/10) is that there was little Buddhist contribution. I understand that this was almost meant to be a Muslim work written as a piece of open invitation of dialogue to the Buddhist community, but in the future I should like to see a follow-up work co-written between a Buddhist and a Muslim scholar respectively.

I am re-reading after diving deep into Buddhism, and this is a gem

This book's emphasis on tolerance and mutual respect and understanding of different faith is something the world needs more of. I highly recommend it, and it gives high hopes for the expansion of constructive interfaith relation.

Really well written and well explained to understand not only islam or buddhism but spiritually as well.I really recommend it.