Bahá'í Faith and Buddhism

Buddhism is recognized in the Bahá'í Faith as one of nine known religions and its scriptures are regarded as predicting the coming of Bahá'u'lláh (Maitreya). Buddha is included in the succession of Manifestations of God. The authenticity of the current canon of Buddhist scriptures is seen as uncertain. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of Bahá'ís from Buddhist background.[1]

Bahá'í scholarship

The differences between religious concepts in Buddhism and the Abrahamic religions has caused questions for Bahá'í scholarship. Jamshed Fozdar presents the Buddhist teaching about an unknowable reality as referring to the concept of God,[1] for example in the following passage from the Udana (v.81) in the Khuddaka Nikaya: "There is, O monks, an Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed. Were there not, O monks, this Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed, there would be no escape from the world of the born, originated, created, formed. Since, O monks, there is an Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed, therefore is there an escape from the born, originated, created, formed."[2] Moojan Momen shows the many similarities between the ethical teachings in Theravada Buddhism and the Bahá'í Faith, and states that the metaphysical differences originate from culture-bound terminologies.[1][3][4]

Eightfold Noble Path

The Bahá'í teachings uphold all parts of the Eightfold Noble Path: right view, right aim or right-mindedness, right speech, right action, right living or livelihood, right effort or endeavour, right mindfulness and right contemplation.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Smith, Peter (2000). "Buddhism". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp. 95–96. ISBN 1-85168-184-1.
  2. ↑ Fozdar 1995, pp. 133
  3. ↑ Momen 1988, pp. 185–217
  4. ↑ Momen 1994
  5. ↑ Momen 1994, pp. 5

Further reading

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