Baqa and One Mind －A Possible Dialogue between Muslims and Buddhists in Korea upon Wŏnhyo’s Commentary on the Awakening of Faith in Mahāyāna－

Abstract

In comparing any two systems of thought, there should be careful attention lest there may be any possibility of misinterpretation in distorting or deliberately including one system into another. However, in the process of comparison, searching or focusing upon common or similar concepts in those two systems may be essential, especially at the initial stage of it, in virtue of the fact that mutual understanding or dialogue usually begins through common or similar concepts, although later development may be deepened and enriched by mutual ascertainmentof their ultimate difference. This process should not be confused with the above misinterpretation in distorting or deliberately including one system into another. In the history of doctrinal traditions in Islam and Buddhism, we meet the notions of fana in Muslim Sufi tradition and śūnyatā in Buddhist Mādhyamaka tradition as mutually comparable in that both suggest the annihilation or emptiness of self. Further comparison between baqa and One mind [一心, yīxīn] in each of them suggests that the similarity between these two traditions might be deeper beyond the initial resemblance.