A Comparative Investigation in to the Concept and Reality of " Muraqhabah" (Meditation) in Islamic and Buddhist Mysticism

In Islamic and Buddhist mysticism, two terms “Muraqhabah” and “Zen” or “Meditation” are of important positions. These two terms are commonly considered as being correspondent with each other and are used in translations as two equivalent terms. But whether these two terms indicate the same thing in two mystical traditions is a question that should be scrutinized. Drawing upon an analytical method and taking a phenomenological approach, this paper deals with the comparative investigation into the concept and reality of “Muraqhabah” in Islamic mysticism and that of “Zen” or “meditation” in Buddhist mysticism. This research shows that these two terms, “Muraqhabah” and “Zen” or “meditation” literally have different meanings. But in terms of terminology, there are differences and similarities between the terms. Also the reality of “Muraqhabah” in Islamic mysticism is human awareness of and attention to God’s knowledge which surrounds him, but in Buddhist mysticism, “Zen” or “meditation” is restraining and quenching the mind in order to receive the reality of objects and being a Buddhi.