What Buddhism Has Taught Me About the Baha’i Faith

Often we befriend people who share our own views of the world. Perhaps this is only natural, “like attracts like,” but now we have social media algorithms that help to choose our friends for us and feed us information that we are agreeable with.

But there is so much richness that comes from interacting with people with different perspectives. And this is what I value in some of my friendships.

I’m a Baha’i: two of my closest friends are Buddhists. I have a very deep relationship with both of them, and maybe that is possible by seeing connections between the two faiths.

Actually the quest to reconcile Buddhism and the Baha’i Faith began for me many years ago when I first became a Baha’i. The reason is that before I was a Baha’i, Buddhism, and particularly Zen Buddhism, were a big part of my worldview. In fact, Buddhism was my first step into the world of spirituality.

I have thus realized that delving into both faiths is a big part of my task in life. No doubt, I will need the entirety of my life to learn what shared insights Buddhism and the Baha’i Faith have. Nonetheless, here are some commonalities that I can see already.

Impermanence

What strikes me as most similar between both faiths is the recognition of the impermanent nature of life. Despite how we often act, nothing is permanent or stable in the material world; everything is fleeting and will vanish eventually. We live as though it is permanent, hence our obsession with buying homes and building bank balances. But these too will wither with time.

In the words of the Buddha:

“‘All conditioned things are impermanent’ — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification.”¹

Likewise, Baha’u’llah said:

“The world is evanescent, and one’s life fleeting.”²

It seems that recognising this truth is the beginning of the path to freeing oneself from suffering because much of our suffering is bound up in our desire for the things in this life, things that will soon vanish. As we progress along the spiritual path, we can move from the recognition of impermanence to true acceptance of it. This state can be called “non-attachment” in the Buddhist tradition and “detachment” in the Baha’i Faith. But both faiths say there are even higher states in which we not only accept the fleeting nature of life but fully and joyfully embrace it, which could be known as “equanimity” in Buddhism and “radiant acquiescence” in the Baha’i Faith.

Virtue

Both religions place importance on virtue. It is not just about recognizing that life is impermanent and fleeting and succumbing to its emptiness–this would be somewhat nihilistic or devoid of meaning. In both faiths, especially in the Mayahana Buddhist tradition, it’s vital to make a positive impact on the world around us in very tangible ways. This is done through engaging in action and by developing virtues, from kindness to courage, that guide our actions.

Baha’u’llah reminds us:

“O friends! Be not careless of the virtues with which ye have been endowed, neither be neglectful of your high destiny.”³

Interestingly, the Chan Buddhist teacher, Guo Gu, explains one Chinese interpretation of virtue as follows:

“Virtue can be thought of as having the heart of two people. You are able to feel and give more. You have extra compassion and empathy.”

Closely aligned with virtue is the concept of purification. In one sense it can be understood that we “develop” virtues, in another that we unveil the virtues that are already within. In this latter sense, we need to purify ourselves in order to reveal our inner gems.

Even though we all have the potential to be virtuous, it doesn’t always come easily. That’s why effort is so important.

Effort

Both religions stress the importance of effort.

Throughout the Baha’i sacred texts, there are numerous examples of the need to exert effort in order to spiritually transform. Likewise, there are just as many examples of the power of divine assistance. 

Generally Buddhism stresses the importance of individual effort in spiritual growth. Of course, there were and are more ascetic practices in India that aim at spiritual transformation through self-control. The Buddha’s way was distinct from extreme forms of asceticism. In fact, it was only after the Buddha almost died practicing these methods that He, while meditating under the Bodhi tree, received the idea of the “Middle Way.”

The Middle Way

Both religions make reference to “the Middle Way.”

In Buddhism, the Middle Way refers to the path between asceticism and indulgence in pleasure. After His enlightenment the Buddha said:

“… these two extremes ought not to be practiced by one who has gone forth from the household life… There is addiction to indulgence of sense-pleasures, which is low, coarse, the way of ordinary people, unworthy, and unprofitable; and there is addiction to self-mortification, which is painful, unworthy and unprofitable.
Avoiding both these extremes, the Tathagata (The Perfect One) has realized the Middle Path; it gives vision, gives knowledge, and leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment and to Nibbana.”⁴

Similarly, Baha’u’llah says:

“In all matters moderation is desirable. If a thing is carried to excess, it will prove a source of evil.”⁵

As we can see, both Spiritual Founders emphasized the avoidance of two extremes, with the ideal approach being in between the two. This is also similar to Aristotle’s notion of moderation and the Golden Mean. Following this approach ensures we are not too strict with ourselves on the spiritual path or too lax.

These are just a few of the simple commonalities between Buddhism and the Baha’i Faith. No doubt, there are many differences too. In order to get along, we don’t need to ignore differences. Even when we disagree with others, we can still find common ground in other ways, if not for the fact that we are all human beings living on earth. And perhaps the more we explore these differences, the more we can gain insights into what unites us.

When I first became a Baha’i I thought that I had to get rid of my Buddhist “baggage” and take on a new world view. In one sense this is true but in another sense, anyone who becomes a Baha’i comes with a world view that filters the way they see the Baha’i teachings. And perhaps each background, when shared and discussed with others, offers new ways to understand those teachings.

1. The Buddha, Dhammapada Verses 277 [↩]
2. Baha’u’llah, Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Baha’u’llah [↩]
3. Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 196 [↩]
4. Retrieved from Buddhanet.net [↩]
5. Baha’u’llah, Tablets of Baha’u’llah [↩]

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Peter Gyulay

Peter Gyulay is passionate about sustainable living and the deeper aspects of life. He has a BA (Hons) in philosophy along with an M.Ed. and works in the fields of education and philosophical consultancy/counseling. For more information visit www.thinktalktransform.com. Peter is the author of Walking the Mystical Path with Practical Feet: The Bahai Approach to Spiritual Transformation and other books and articles. For more about his written work visit www.petergexpressions.com.