Buddhism and Islam

Kieko Obuse, DPhil (University of Oxford), was formerly a Lecturer at Mahidol University, and is currently affiliated with the Kobe City University of Foreign Studies and McGill University. She co-edited The Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of the Middle East (2022) and is the book review editor of the Journal of Religion in Japan.

• AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsNotes on Transliteration, Foreign Names, and TranslationIntroduction: Diversity and Change in Buddhist-Muslim Engagements1 Challenges Accompanying the Study of Buddhist-Muslim Engagements2 Toward a Comprehensive Approach to Buddhist-Muslim Engagements3 Why Focus on Doctrines?4 Redefining Doctrines and Theologies5 The Production of Difference: Mutual Perceptions as Interpretive Possibilities6 Buddhist-Muslim Engagements in Southeast Asia and Japan1 Buddhism and Islam: A Doomed Project?1 Applying the Categories in the Theology of Religions to Buddhist-Muslim Engagements2 The Two Types of Parallelism3 Key Concepts and Doctrines of Buddhism and Islam3.1 Prophethood and God in Islam3.2 Bodhisattva and Emptiness as the Dharmakāya3.3 Theravāda, Sōtō-Zen, and Jōdo-shin Schools4 Comparative Analysis and Implications for Buddhist-Muslim Perceptions4.1 Holy Men in Buddhism and Islam: Prophets, Saints, and Bodhisattvas2 Buddhas and Prophets in the Shared History1 The Early Period (632–1256)1.1 First Encounters1.2 Early Muslim Writings1.3 Early Buddhist Writings2 The Post-classical Period (1256–1585)2.1 Post-classical Encounters2.2 Post-classical Muslim Writings2.3 Post-classical Buddhist Writings3 The Modern Period (1585–1947)3.1 Modern Encounters3.2 Modern Muslim Writings3.3 Modern Buddhist Writings3 The Challenge of Pluralism and the Chance of Parallelism within Buddhist-Muslim Dialogue in Southeast Asia1 Buddhist-Muslim Relations in Thailand and Malaysia2 Dialogue Initiatives in Thailand and Malaysia4 Southeast Asia as a Fertile Ground for Parallelism? Emerging Trends in Contemporary Buddhist-Muslim Engagements1 Buddhist Writings in Thailand2 Buddhist Writings in Malaysia3 Muslim Writings in Malaysia4 Leading Voice of Parallelism in Southeast Asia: Imtiyaz Yusuf5 Parallelism Employed Outside Southeast Asia5.1 Pioneer of Buddhist Parallelism: Alexander Berzin5.2 Metaphysical Parallelism: Reza Shah-Kazemi5 From Exoticism to Asian Brotherhood: The Japanese Engagement with Islam1 The Early-to-Modern Period (754–1854)1.1 Early Encounters1.2 Japanese Writings of the Early Period1.3 Muslim Writings (from the Seventeenth Century Onward)2 The Late-Colonial Period (1854–1912)2.1 Late-Colonial Encounters and First Japanese Conversions to Islam2.2 Japanese Writings from the Late-Colonial Period2.3 Muslim Writings of the Late-Colonial Period3 The Imperialist Period (1912–1945)3.1 Encounters during the Imperialist Period3.2 Japanese Writings on Islam from the Imperialist Period3.3 Muslim Writings during the Imperialist Period6 Repositioning Islam in Contemporary Japan: Can Parallelism Challenge the Monotheism-Polytheism Divide?1 Islam-Related Incidents in Japan and the Discourse of Othering1.1 The Japanese Discourse of a Monotheism-Polytheism Divide2 Dialogues and Symposiums2.1 Buddhist-Muslim Dialogues in Japan3 Muslim Writings in Contemporary Japan3.1 Accounts by Non-Japanese Muslims3.2 Accounts by Japanese Muslims4 Buddhist Writings in Contemporary Japan4.1 Seeds of Parallelism4.2 Toward a Fully-Fledged Parallelism4.3 Structural Parallelism of Mystical Experiences: Toshihiko Izutsu4.4 Emptiness-Based Inclusivism: Masao Abe4.5 Parallelism between Allah and Emptiness/Amida Buddha: Rikyū KonoConclusion: The Potential of Parallelism as a Method for Religious StudiesBibliographyIndex