Author: Mehrullah Azizi
An Analysis of the History and Beliefs of Buddhism (part 30)
In the series discussing the beliefs and ideologies of Buddhism, in the previous section we examined some of the important beliefs held by the followers of Buddha regarding his life and status, beliefs such as the appearance of a special star at the time of his birth, his bodily ascension to heaven, as well as the rejoicing of heavenly beings at his birth, and so on. We analyzed and criticized these views and beliefs from both rational and textual perspectives and provided clear and convincing responses.
In this section, we will analyze and critique one of their important and fundamental beliefs, namely “the call to monasticism.” We will further explain where this belief originated from, what kind of belief it is, what the characteristics of Buddhist monks were, and what Islam’s perspective on monasticism is.
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The Call to Monasticism
Among the teachings and beliefs presented in Buddhism are monasticism and the adoption of an ascetic lifestyle.
Buddhism encourages its followers to abandon wealth, possessions, lands, and occupations and to adopt an ascetic life.
It also advises them to stretch out their hands toward others to fulfill their needs and necessities and to live through begging and requesting assistance. Therefore, many of them—especially the monk class—live their lives without any specific work or profession.
One day, a follower of Jainism asked Buddha, “Do you call people to abandon work and give up occupations and crafts?” Buddha replied, “I call people to abandon every deed that is evil and leads a person toward wrongdoing. At the same time, I invite people to do whatever is good for the body, speech, and mind. I also encourage every action that leads to goodness and happiness.” Nevertheless, the overall lifestyle of Buddha was not compatible with the spirit of love for work. [1]
Monasticism in Buddhism means that a person completely withdraws from all matters of social and urban life; that is, he distances himself from the activities and lives of Buddhists who live in homes and among society.
In Buddhism, followers are divided into two groups:
One group consists of ordinary people who live in homes and lead normal lives;
The other group consists of monks—those who abandon homes, wealth, possessions, desires, and worldly pleasures in order to adopt a monastic life.
From this, it becomes clear that the main purpose of monasticism in Buddhism is the elimination of pain and suffering and the elevation of the human soul, or, in other words, attaining “Nirvana,” meaning happiness in this very life.
Buddhists believe that attaining happiness is only possible when a person enters the path of monasticism, because in their view ordinary family life contains many obstacles and difficulties that may prevent a person from achieving happiness in this world.
Monastic life, however, according to them, provides greater opportunities for attaining happiness because within it a person becomes free from all restraints, obstacles, desires, and pleasures and also from the blessings and attractions of worldly life.
Buddha also regarded monasticism as a lofty and valuable way of life because it contains difficult sacrifices that not everyone is capable of enduring, and not everyone can reach its ultimate goal. He even claimed that monasticism is the highest duty for human beings and that monks occupy the highest status among people. [2]
In the following discussion, after defining monasticism, we will first address the history of the emergence of monasticism in Buddhism. Then we will examine the relationship and connection between Buddhism and Christianity in the monastic system. Finally, we will study and critique monasticism from the Islamic perspective.
A: Definition of Monasticism
Literal Meaning
The word “monasticism” originally derives from the word “rahbah,” which means “fear.” It is said: “rahiba yarhabu rahbatan,” meaning “he feared.” [3]
The term “rahbaniyyah” (monasticism) is also attributed to “rahbah” and was formed by adding the letter alif. Its manifestations included acts such as devoting oneself to this way of life, placing chains around the neck, wearing rough woolen garments, abstaining from eating meat, and similar practices to which monks adhered in their monasticism.
Ibn al-Athir says, “This word was taken from the monasticism of Christians, and its root is ‘rahbah,’ meaning fear. By abandoning worldly occupations, forsaking their pleasures, practicing asceticism, and distancing themselves from people, they engaged in monasticism. They even imposed hardships upon themselves to the extent that some castrated themselves or placed chains around their necks and resorted to various forms of self-discipline and self-torture.” [4]
Imam al-Mawardi (RH) says, “There are two ways of reading this word:
The first reading: It is read with a fathah on the letter ‘ra,’ and its meaning is ‘fear and dread,’ derived from the word ‘rahab.’
The second reading: It is read with a dammah on the letter ‘ra,’ in which case it is attributed to ‘al-ruhban,’ just as the word ‘al-rudwaniyyah’ is attributed to ‘Rudwan.’ The reason for this naming is that monks compelled themselves to endure hardships, such as abstaining from food and drink, abandoning marriage, and isolating themselves from people by retreating to caves and monasteries. [5]
A monk is someone who worships in monasteries, abandons worldly occupations and pleasures, turns away from them, and isolates himself from people. The root of this word is the same as “rahbah” and “rahbaniyyah” (monasticism). [6]
To be continued…
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References:
- Al-Adyan al-Waḍ‘iyyah, p. 222.
- , p. 239.
- Ibn Manzur, Lisān al-‘Arab, Vol. 1, p. 436.
- Vol. 1, p. 437.
- Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī, Vol. 17, p. 263.
- Aḥmad ‘Alī, Al-Rahbāniyyah al-Masīḥiyyah wa Mawqif al-Islam Minhā, p. 12.
