In this talk, I will tell the story of my own spiritual journey from traditional Islamic faith to Buddhist practice and back again. Raised a Muslim and trained in a pesantren and in Islamic higher education, I began practicing meditation in a vihara to satisfy my spiritual thirst when I had come to doubt Islamic beliefs to the extent of almost being an atheist. After studying in a Buddhist college in Jakarta and then in a Zen monastery in France, I was able to come back to Islam with a new spirit inspired by the Zen Buddhism of my teacher Thich Nhat Hanh.
Mohammad Zaim studied at IAIN Sunan Ampel in Surabaya and Sekolah Tinggi Agama Buddha Nalanda, in Jakarta, and then travelled to France, to study in a Buddhist monastery of the Plum Village Tradition. He is currently a meditation trainer for communities of various faiths and the author of Secangkir Teh dan Sepotong Ketupat (A Cup of Tea and a Slice of Ricecake, [2018]).
Look at the full poster of this event here.