Buddhism in Morocco

Buddhism in Morocco is a small religious minority in the kingdom of Morocco. Estimates for the number of Buddhists in Morocco range from a few dozen,[1] to under 0.01% of the population [2](or about 3000 people). The Pew Forum estimates that about 0.1% of Morocco's population is Buddhist.[3]

The vast majority of the Buddhists in Morocco are foreigners, especially from Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia.[4] There are Buddhist holy shrines in Rabat and Casablanca.[5]

Zen-Islam syncretism

In 1977, the Zen Association of Morocco was founded by the doctor and writer Claude Durix[6] and his disciple Driss Badidi.[7] In 1981, Taisen Deshimaru initiated six Moroccans into the Zen tradition, during a retreat that brought together 200 people near Marrakech.[6] The Zen dojo of Casablanca was created in 1983 by Claude Durix, himself a disciple of Deshimaru.[6]

This dojo, as well as the association, are now led by Driss Badidi.[8][9]

Badidi broke with the Association zen internationale, and distanced himself from the Buddhist tradition in favor of a convergence between Zen and the mystical traditions of Islam.[6] This syncretism is made possible through a correspondence of concepts. The sirr (the spiritual “secret”) is interpreted in terms of “energy” or “spiritual flows”. Allah becomes “the Being”. Religiosity is reconfigured as “a path toward self-knowledge”.[6] This system of syncretic correspondences then allows Driss Badidi to see in Zen a means of deepening his Arab-Muslim identity.[6][7]

According to him, around 50 Moroccans initially benefited from his spiritual guidance.[6] During the 1990s, his spiritual techniques gradually took on a more local character.[6] These techniques took root not only within expatriate circles but also among the Moroccan bourgeoisie, which was undergoing significant political and religious transformations.[6] However, the number of disciples at the dojo never exceeded about a dozen at a time.[10] Driss Badidi adapts Zen by removing its Buddhist and Japanese elements,[10] favoring a minimalist approach focused on posture, breathing, frugality, and the universality of the practice.[6][11] For example, he refuses to place Buddha statues in his dojo and rejects all iconography with Japanese references.[6] Badidi practices Zazen, a form of seated meditation derived from Japanese Zen Buddhism, adapted to the Moroccan context, following the Soto Zen school, which, according to Badidi, is in harmony with Arab-Muslim culture.[11]

Similarly, Rachid Ben Rochd, a former entrepreneur who became a writer after his business failed, practices Zen and yoga, which he combines with the teachings of the tariqa of Sidi Hamza.[9]

References

  1. ^ "الخارطة الدينية في المغرب: تنوع وتضييق" (in Arabic). September 6, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  2. ^ Religions across the World - knoema.com
  3. ^ Morocco: Religions and beliefs
  4. ^ "مغرس: خبراء يهددون من غزو البوذية للمغرب" (in Arabic). 2014-06-07. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  5. ^ Mohsine El Ahmadi. "Not so bad for non-Muslims in Morocco". Common Ground News Service. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k About Islam Lesson Books.
  7. ^ a b "Zen, a personal experience". lematin.ma (in French). 25 April 2003. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  8. ^ Dominique Blain (2011). Taisen Deshimaru, Zen master (in French). Paris: Albin Michel. p. 112. ISBN 978-2-226-22152-0.
  9. ^ a b Studia Islamika: Sufism and the "Modern" in Islam (PDF). 2003. p. 197.
  10. ^ a b "Can the Buddha be Moroccan?". 15 July 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  11. ^ a b Badida, Driss Shah (27 February 2017). "Practice of Zazen in Morocco or the art of meditation". Retrieved 21 June 2025.
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