Meditation and Religion: Buddhist Practice and Islamic Contemplative Analogues
Ahmad Nubail, Lazuardi Fadhlan Arrazy, Zul Fadhli Sultani, Haydar Syihabuddin
Misykat al-Anwar Jurnal Kajian Islam dan Masyarakat January 31, 2026 DOI: 10.24853/ma.9.1.27-38 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Keywords | Islam Contemplation Spiritual practice Intervention counseling Perception Prayer Epistemology Religious studies Aesthetics Spiritual development Religious experience |
| Key points | Argues that the medicalization of meditation detaches it from its original spiritual meanings, and identifies both convergences and divergences between Buddhist meditation and Islamic practices, particularly within Sufism. |
Abstract
This paper examines meditation, a practice that has become a global trend and is increasingly promoted as a therapeutic intervention in health-related contexts. This development has contributed to a shift in the public perception of meditation—from a religious tradition to a medicalized instrument—potentially detaching it from its original spiritual and religious meanings. Accordingly, this study explores meditation in Buddhism as its primary focus and discusses Islamic traditions as a comparative perspective. By clarifying key terms and conceptual meanings, the paper identifies both convergences and divergences between Buddhist meditation and selected Islamic practices, particularly within Sufism. It also addresses a recurring controversy in public discourse, namely the claim that “there is no meditation in Islam,” while acknowledging that the two religions are not treated as equivalent or interchangeable frameworks.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental balance and well-being: Building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Buddhist and Psychological Perspectives on Emotions and Well-Being | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Too Early to Tell: The Potential Impact and Challenges—Ethical and Otherwise—Inherent in the Mainstreaming of Dharma in an Increasingly Dystopian World | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From self to nonself: The Nonself Theory | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |