Islam and Buddhism - 4

Buddhism has its rituals and practices which depending upon the different schools, the location, the culture heritage of the community it exist in, the rituals varies in forms. Today some Buddhist rituals have become so for removed from the original practice during there time of the Buddha that one cannot tell anymore if it is Buddhism at all the is being practiced. The Buddha asked that His teachings be kept 'simple'. As a matter of fact simplicity is an essence of Buddha's teachings.
The full moon ceremony and the Buddha's Birthday celebration or better known as Vesak Day are the two major Buddhist ceremonies that would involved some form of worship; for lack of better way of calling it. The Full Moon Ceremony is more like a renewal of one's vows or commitment made towards one's practice and honoring the Buddhas of the past, present and the future, for their teachings. It was during such ceremonies that I question myself about performing the rituals such as bowing and prostrating before the altar where usually the statue of the Buddha would be situated; the Muslim part of my mind had problem with that. I had several private discussions one on one with my instructors with  regard to this matter and they convinced to see my own weaknesses and ignorance; I was entertaining my ego, my small mind. I was mistaking the wooden Buddha on the altar for something else other than what it is, a piece of wood.  I was adding form to the formless.
The purpose of the ceremony is to unite the community(Sanga) in a common act of 'worship ' such that the mind becomes humbled by the very action as performed wholeheartedly by one's peers and superiors. Once the mind is freed of itself, the act becomes more spiritual in nature and touches the spirit in more direct manner with the essence of the practice one seeks to understand. It was like getting in tune with the whole history of the teachings from beginingless times. The Bodhisatva's vows that we recited while doing this ceremony became more significant and refined; it touches the soul, that is Buddhism to me. Buddhism teaches me to know who I am and what my potentials are as a human being. In this human form the Buddha taught man can liberate himself from the bonds of suffering and especially ignorance. This to me is why Buddhism practices the virtues of karma and incarnation, the evolution of humanity from the depth of deprivation to that of enlightenment; every man has the potential to become a Buddha in his lifetime.

"In this human form, don't waste time!"
                                               The Buddha.

Whats has this to do with Islam? According to Imam Al Ghazali the great Muslim scholar and Sufi master, the cleansing and purification of the soul is our primary concern as human beings. We can achieve this in various ways such as through daily prayers and observance of 'Shariah' or laws. We can meditate (Tafakur) or contemplate upon the Al- Mighty through His Beautiful names (Asma' Husnah) or we can perform various virtuous acts toward others such as being charitable and kind. All these are grounded in the verses of the Holy Quran and the hadiths of the Prophet. By understanding the exemplary life of the Prophet one can also find insights into what it takes to become a true Muslim. I heard from one of my mentors in Islam that the Prophet when asked how many true Muslims there would be by the end of Days, He was said to have said, something like seventy thousand; in all humanity 70,000 Muslims worth being called true Muslims. I cannot ascertain the truth of this matter but knowing my mentor he must have dug it out from one of his numerous books on islam.
Islam is an Uncompromising religion, my eldest brother warned me this however having practiced Buddhism in its most refined forms i have come to realize that Islam is most accommodating and it is the Muslims that are uncompromising. It is due to the fact that Muslims in most instances are closed minded that they have a difficult time winning the hearts of the non Muslims to embrace the religion of Allah. Some twenty years ago someone closest to me declared that by Muslim virtue he could kill me for being an apostate or (Murtad). I was already dead when I heard this while driving with him is his car, it was like being stabbed in the guts by someone who literally shared the womb with me when I was born. Even as a Muslim I find it hard to forgive and forget on certain matters and this was one of them. Alhamdullilah, by the grace of Allah I feel much more a Muslim than I ever felt before; my anger over the matter has now been absolved. There those who inspired and led me towards Islam while i was growing up but none have made me feel deep within on what or where my faith lies in.
Being a Buddhist in a Muslim community and a Muslim in a Buddhist community had its ups and downs, but being in the latter situation was worse  than in the former, I came to learn. Why was this so? This is what this blogging is all about. This is what the Cheeseburger Buddha set out to find out and it has been a long journey of reaching deep within while travelling far without; a journey of meeting great minds and enduring great challenges that my life has been a manifestaiton. Far be it from being over and many a river yet am I crossing. Insha'Allah, God willing I get there and hopefully before I die.