ARTICLE CRITIQUE

THE IDEA OF SELF IN BUDDHISM

By: GYORGYI SZABO Ph.D

The title of the article is brief and informative. It is completely clear and can be

understood easily. It clearly shows that the article is all about the concept of self in

Buddhism. The title was clearly visible to the average reader. Furthermore, the title is also

very catchy and interesting for readers.

The introduction of the article talks about the teachings of Buddha and its relationship

to self. In this part, the author clearly emphasized the things she wants to discuss and

introduce in the article. This is very beneficial for readers in order to be aware of the different

and relevant topics in the article. It also good that she systematically introduce the topics step

by step which written in the part that she said that she will first discuss about the origins of

Buddha, before going on the deeper topics. She also specifies that she will explore the

Buddhist attitude to the idea of self. And for me, it is clearly agreed with the title of the

article. The author also adds to the introduction what will be the final part of the article. I also

gained an idea of the direction of the article and what the author wanted to analyze and share.

The flow of the article is very organized. It is also good that she included a title in

each main topic. And each title is very meaningful and also related to the discussion itself.

Each discussion agreed with the title and seemed to be of educational significance. The first

topic discussed in the article is entitled “Buddha – the Awakened One. The author introduced

the life and experience of Buddha and how he became aware and enlightened. The second

discussion is entitled “Buddha’s Teachings-Buddhist world view. It this part the author

emphasizes the teachings of Buddha, Buddhist path of practice, and the goal of Buddhism.
They also explained some important terms and its meaning. They also specified the four

universal sufferings and the four noble truths. The different explanation about Buddha’s

teachings was clearly stated. The author also cited different terminologies which help the

reader to understand more about Buddhism. The third discussion is entitled “The Idea of

Self”. In this part of the article, it is clearly discussed the relationship of self to Buddhism.

The author cited appropriate references used in this section. The last discussion is entitled

“Redefined Idea of Self”. The discussion in this part is short compared to the previous

discussion. But relevant topics were emphasized. The author cited that teachings of Buddha

may be applicable to monks and nuns but difficult for lay people to follow. But explained

briefly that even though ordinary people find it very hard to follow the teachings, Buddha still

want to inspire and encourage people to overcome their sufferings and enjoy the prospect of a

greater future.

Overall, I found the article interesting. The article gave a substantial amount of data that

made the article easy to understand. The way the idea of each topic was introduced and

written in the article was systematic. It was obvious that the article was written to express one

point of view. As a critical thinker, I am satisfied because more and relevant facts were

included so that the reader could form an objective opinion on the topic. I am also satisfied

with the title of the paper since it is precisely stated the main topic of the article and the

manner of the sequencing of the topics leads to a better understanding of the said article.

Every author write up to promote their own agenda, this article greatly enhanced by

discussing different issues and giving the reader the opportunity to learn and understand more

about the concept of self in Buddhism.