Dear Students,
The topic for your first four page paper is "A Discussion of Western Soul, Self or Ego and Buddhist "Anatta."
Your first four page paper should be a philosophical paper. You have to develop an argument to express your own thinking of the deference's between western understanding of Soul, Self, or Ego and Buddhist "Anatta." If you do not agree with Buddhist "Anatta," you can argue against Buddhism. If you see the valuable part in this teaching, you can argue for it. But, you have to understand Buddhism correctly at the first place. You can use any other sources to support your argument. But, I suggest that, first of all, you should read the assigned materials carefully. You are encouraged to use examples to support your argument. You need to have a clear conclusion for your essay.
The due day for your first four page essay is Feb. 17 (Friday).
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A Question from a student:Dr. Yuan, is the paper an argument paper for or against the idea of "Anatta?"
I would just like to clear this up. So if we are against the idea of Anatta,
then we find evidence and develop arguments AGAINST it? If we believe Anatta,
then we develop arguments FOR it?
My Answer:
Thank you for your question. Yes. You can either argue against or for the idea of "Anatta." Whatever you do, you need to you understand the idea correctly first. You cannot add in or take off something that is not from the original Buddhist thoughts. In other words, if you want to criticize Buddhism, you need to clarify which framework (western or eastern) that you work in. You should not try to please Buddha or me. All you need to do is to develop a valid argument with a fair point of view.
Best,Jinmei Yuan