%A Ibnu Burdah
%J Studies in Interreligious Dialogue
%T INDONESIAN MUSLIM STUDENTS’ VIEW OF BUDDHISTS AND BUDDHISM AFTER SILATURAHM (VISITING BUDDHISTS)
%X Rather than seeking theological intersections of religions that have different doctrines
and historical experiences, interreligious dialogue should first include
attempts to encourage participants’ understanding and acceptance of the reality
of diversity among religious adherents. The outcome from the Indonesian Muslim
students’ experience of visiting and having a dialogue with Buddhists shows
that accepting the diversity is not something easily attainable. Despite the direct
process of learning and dialogue, the Muslim students’ view of Buddhism still
largely reflects a one-sided views, i.e., assessing Buddhist divine traditions and
rituals based on Islamic doctrine. The students showed great admiration for a
number of Buddhist ethical teachings and praxis, yet most of the students still
adjudicate the doctrine of non-theistic Buddhism with theistic Islamic doctrine.
Most of them also judged Buddhist ritual praxis based on the ritual praxis in
Islam, rather than accepting it easily as a reality of diversity. The views of these
students are almost identical to the views of some of the earlier Muslim intellectuals
as reflected in the work of Abu al-Rayḥan Al-Biruni (973-1050 CE) and
Abu Fath Muhammad Abdul Karim al-Syahrastani (1086-1153 CE). The themes
that interest contemporary Indonesians Muslim students are also similar to those
elaborated by the classical Muslim scholars including the theological position of
Siddharta, Buddhist rites, and their judgment about Buddhist doctrines and the
Buddhists’ life.1
%K Indonesian Muslim students, Buddhist and Buddhism, and interreligious silaturahmi
%P 89-111
%D 2018
%I Studies in Interreligious Dialogue
%L digilib33632