Friday, September 28, 2018

No-soul or no-clue?




A review of "The Broken Circle-Criticism of the Buddhist religion An account of a troubling experience with Buddhism for an Asperger’s young adult."

This is a peculiar little article (only 4 pages long) by Michael Smulkowski, whose main claim to fame is apparently a Harry Potter parody known as Garry Plotter. I haven’t read it, but I did read the mystifying “Is Luke Skywalker a real person?” by the same author. I think that was parody, too!

By contrast, Smulkowski´s e-article on Buddhism seems to be seriously intended. He blames the Buddhist concept of Anatman or No-soul on the problems he experienced in senior high and the first years of college. I agree that the concept could be disconcerting (especially to a person raised as a Catholic), but with all due respect to the author, I think his problems were a combination of normal teenage angst and Asperger´s syndrome (which he is diagnosed with according to the title of the e-book).

Also, I think Mr Smulkowski haven´t studied Buddhism deeply enough, since he seems to think that the religion believes in a creator-god! Ahem, no, that would be Hinduism. Note also that no actual Buddhist led him astray, it was all his own naïve reading of some stray Buddhist or Buddhoid text which did so.

Finally, my bro, remember the esoteric secret: repeat the Nembutsu and thou shalt be saved! May the Force be with you…

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