The Lotus and the Nightingale

Jalal al-Din Rumi and Chinese Buddhist Thought

Abstract

The following article is a comparative analysis of the perception of the relationship between the partial or mundane truth and the absolute truth underlying the universe, within two religious systems. The first is Sufi mysticism, as manifested in the works of the thirteenth century poet, Muhammad Jalal al- Din al-Rumi. The second is Chinese Mahayana (large vehicle) Buddhism, as manifested in one of its most prominent texts, the suth century The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana. These two religious systems are very different and yet there are similarities in their approach to the question of truth. At first glance, both Rumi’s work and The Awakening of Faith seem to be monistic, because both mention an absolute truth present throughout the universe. However, at the same time, there is a substantial gap between them. Rumi’s Sufism is part of the Islamic monotheistic tradition, the adherents of which believe in one god, external to the universe. In contrast, The Awakening of Faith belongs to the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, which, does not propose the concept of one supreme being, and puts forward the ideal of an internal truth. It is worthwhile to attempt this comparison as a test-case of whether or not it is possible to bridge the gap between monotheistic and non-monotheistic traditions by regarding partial similarities in ideas and terminology.