Reincarnation in Buddhism: an Analysis from Islamic Perspective

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Reincarnation in Buddhism: an Analysis from Islamic Perspective REINCARNATION IN BUDDHISM: AN ANALYSIS FROM ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE SHEIKHA SAIDAH BINTE MOHAMAD NAJEEB JARHOM DEPARTMENT OF ‘AQIDAH AND ISLAMIC THOUGHT ACADEMY OF ISLAMIC STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA KUALA LUMPUR 2014 REINCARNATION IN BUDDHISM: AN ANALYSIS FROM ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE SHEIKHA SAIDAH BINTE MOHAMAD NAJEEB JARHOM DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF USULUDDIN DEPARTMENT OF ‘AQIDAH AND ISLAMIC THOUGHT ACADEMY OF ISLAMIC STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA KUALA LUMPUR 2014 ABSTRACT Belief in the concept of reincarnation is a sign of true faith among the Buddhists. A Buddhist has to follow the Four Noble Truth and the Eightfold Path in order to achieve enlightenment which is nirvana. They believe in the rebirth of the soul from the last breath to the liberation of soul which entwines the journey of life from death to karma, to rebirth and finally achieving nirvana. Worshippers of Islam on the other hand have to follow the six Pillars of Faith, the five Pillars of Islam and ihsan which is to do good things in life. They believe in resurrection on the day of Judgement. On this day, Muslims after death will be awaken in the frontiers of barzakh and be judged and placed appropriately in either paradise or hell as promised in the holy Qur’an. By collecting data using documentary method which applied to library materials, the researcher has found that there are still a number of Muslims who were influenced by the traditional beliefs of animism, Hinduism and Buddhism. This is because the Malays were Hindus and Buddhists long before they became Muslim. Even though at this time the Malays are Muslims, the traditional beliefs are still deeply rooted in them. The Malay Muslims influence is within the indigenous belief in spirits, ghosts and reincarnation. On top of that, their culture and traditional practices have also been influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism such as practices of kenduri arwah. Besides that, there are deviant Muslim sects who believe that the idea of reincarnation exists in Islam for instance Al-Arqam and Abu Bakar Bappu. This research aims to analyze the concept of reincarnation from Islamic perspective. Buddhists and Muslims emphasize on moralities, ethics and righteousness plus both believe in death. The major difference in their faith lies in the concept of the hereafter. Buddhism spreads the belief of rebirth, karma and nirvana. Muslims however believe that death occur only once. They will stay in barzakh until the day of Judgement. In contrary to the concept of karma, Islam offers the concept of i forgiveness and the purpose of suffering is only a test from Allah. Differences also arise in attaining goals as well as the concept of paradise and hell whereby Buddhists believe that it is primarily a transitory process of achieving nirvana while for Muslims, they are taught to worship Allah in order to enter paradise eternally. Even though Islam rejects the doctrine of reincarnation, the Malay Muslim society is still influenced by the traditional beliefs and practices whereby some of it is erroneous which can lead to polytheism (shirk), a cardinal sin in Islam. This is caused by lack of understanding on Islam as well as fanaticism and extremism towards ones clan. In conclusion, it is a duty for Muslims to make the Muslims realize that some of the customs and traditions of certain ethnics are against the teaching of Islam. Therefore, it is important to understand Islam so it would not be mix up with traditional beliefs which are contrary to the tenets of Islam. ii ABSTRAK Kepercayaan kepada konsep reinkarnasi itu adalah satu tanda keimanan yang benar di kalangan penganut agama Buddha. Penganut Buddha harus mengikut Empat Kebenaran Mulia dan Jalan Lapan Lapis Mulia untuk mencapai pencerahan iaitu nirvana. Mereka percaya kepada kelahiran semula dari nafas terakhir kepada kebebasan jiwa yang bermula dengan perjalanan hidup selepas kematian kepada karma, kepada kelahiran semula, kepada samsara dan akhirnya mencapai nirvana. Penganut Islam pula harus mengikut enam rukun iman, lima rukun Islam dan juga ihsan iaitu melakukan perkara- perkara yang baik dalam kehidupan. Mereka percaya kepada kebangkitan pada hari kiamat. Yang mana selepas kematian pada hari itu, penganut Muslim akan dibangkitkan di alam barzakh dan akan terima balasan yang sewajarnya sama ada ditempatkan di syurga atau neraka seperti yang dijanjikan dalam Al- Qur’an. Dengan mengumpul data menggunakan metod dokumen iaitu bahan perpustakaan, pengkaji telah dapati bahawa beberapa penganut Islam yang terpengaruh dengan kepercayaan tradisional animisme, Hindu dan Buddha. Ini kerana pada zaman dahulu Orang Melayu adalah penganut agama Hindu dan Buddha sebelum kedatangan Islam. Walaupun sekarang mereka adalah penganut agama Islam, kepercayaan tradisi masih tertanam dalam diri mereka. Orang Melayu Islam terpengaruh dalam kepercayaan asli seperti kepercayaan kepada roh, hantu dan reinkarnasi. Selain itu, budaya dan amalan tradisi mereka juga telah dipengaruhi oleh Hindu dan Buddha seperti amalan kenduri arwah. Selain itu juga terdapat ajaran sesat seperti Al-Arqam dan Abu Bakar Bappu yang percaya bahawa konsep reinkarnasi wujud dalam Islam. Kajian ini adalah untuk menganalisis konsep reinkarnasi menurut perspektif Islam. Penganut Buddha dan Islam menekankan pada moral, etika dan kebaikan. Mereka juga percaya akan kematian. Perbezaan utama dalam kepercayaan mereka terletak pada konsep akhirat. Buddha percaya akan kelahiran semula, karma dan nirvana. Manakala umat Islam pula percaya bahawa kematian itu iii berlaku sekali sahaja. Bertentangan dengan konsep karma, Islam menawarkan konsep pengampunan dan tujuan penderitaan adalah ujian dari Allah. Perbezaan juga timbul dalam mencapai matlamat serta konsep syurga dan neraka di mana penganut Buddha percaya bahawa ia adalah satu proses sementara untuk mencapai nirvana manakala bagi umat Islam, mereka diajar untuk menyembah Allah supaya dimasukkan ke syurga buat selama-lamanya. Walaupun Islam menolak doktrin reinkarnasi, masyarakat Melayu Islam masih dipengaruhi oleh kepercayaan dan amalan tradisi di mana sebahagian daripadanya adalah salah dan boleh membawa kepada syirik iaitu dosa besar. Ini adalah disebabkan oleh kurang kefahaman mengenai Islam serta mempunyai sifat fanatik dan pelampau terhadap puak yang tertentu. Kesimpulannya, ia adalah satu kewajipan bagi umat Islam untuk memberi kesedaran kepada umat Islam bahawa sebahagian dari adat dan tradisi sesuatu etnik adalah bertentangan dengan ajaran Islam. Oleh itu, adalah penting untuk memahami Islam supaya ia tidak dicampur aduk dengan kepercayaan tradisi yang bertentangan dengan prinsip-prinsip Islam. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT احلمد هلل رب العاملني، والصﻻة والسﻻم على أشرف اﻷنبياء واملرسلني، سيدنا حممد وعلى آله وصحبه أمجعني. أما بعد، All praises and thanks to Allah, Lord of universe, may Allah's peace and blessing be upon our Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h and members of his household and his companions and let them be peace. My initial thank to my supervisor for this research Associate Prof. Dr Khadijah Mohd Khambali @ Hambali who guide me throughout this very hard time finishing it. Without a doubt, the most knowledgeable person I have ever known in this field. My deep appreciation is extended to my family especially to my parents Sharifah Rohaiya and Mohamad Najeeb as well as my brothers Su’ud, Shahmi and Naufal who encouraged me not to give up on my study and always reminds me to complete my research. My Gratitude also to Nurhanisah Senin, a friend and a course mate at department of ‘Aqidah and Islamic thought for helping me and taking the trouble to check my research. In addition, a special thanks to Ahmad Saiful Rijal for his generous assistance in helping me on my research. Plus, my sincere thanks also to all my friends in Singapore for their advice and moral support. Finally, I wish to express my sincere thanks to the lecturers and staffs from Department of ‘Aqidah and Islamic Thought and Academy of Islamic Studies for their cooperation and support. I also thank the University of Malaya for providing me with all the necessary facilities. Sheikha Saidah Binte Mohamad Najeeb Jarhom 33A Lorong Melayu Singapore 416918 [email protected] 017-7182961 (Malaysia) 65-96601204 (Singapore) 6th April 2014 / 6 Jamadil Akhir 1435 (Hijri) v TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTENTS PAGE TITLE ORIGINAL LITERARY WORK DECLARATION ABSTRACT (ENGLISH) i ABSTRAK (MALAY) iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT v TABLE OF CONTENTS vi TRANSLITERATION SYSTEM xi LIST OF ABBREVIATION xii LIST OF APPENDIX xiii CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.1. Introduction 1 1.2. Background of the Study 1 1.3. Statement of the Problem 10 1.4. Objective of the Study 10 1.5. Importance of the Study 10 1.6. Definition of Terms 11 1.7. Scope of the Study 14 1.8. Literature Review 15 1.9. Research Methodology 22 1.9.1. Subject Method 23 1.9.2. Data Collection Method 24 1.9.2.1. Documentary Method 24 1.9.3. Data Analysis Method 24 1.9.3.1. Inductive Method 25 1.9.3.2. Deductive Method 25 1.9.3.3. Comparative Method 25 1.9.3.4. Historical Method 26 vi 1.10. The Structure of the Writing 26 1.11. Conclusion 27 CHAPTER TWO REINCARNATION IN BUDDHISM 2.1. Introduction 28 2.2. Buddhism 28 2.3. The Four Noble Truths 29 2.3.1. The Noble Truth of Dukkha or suffering (Dukkha Sacca) 29 2.3.2. The Noble Truth of the Origin of Dukkha (Samudaya Sacca) 30 2.3.3. The Noble Truths of the Cessation of Dukkha (Nirodha Sacca) 31 2.3.4. The Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of Dukkha (Magga Sacca) 31 2.4. The Soul (Atman) 32 2.4.1. The Theory of Mind Only 33 2.5. Buddhism on Death 35 2.5.1. Modes of Death 36 2.5.2. The Process of Dying 37 2.6. Karma 37 2.6.1. Karma and Vipaka 40 2.7. The Laws Of Cosmic World 40 2.7.1.
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