Some of those who pioneered Buddhism in the West did a pretty good job of deluding people because most everything people believe today about Buddhism is more or less false.
The biggest delusion they suffer from is that the Buddha denied the ātman. They won’t give it up. Some even believe that anātman is some kind of essence, maybe a negative essence. This is stupid beyond belief. As I have pointed out numerous times on this blog, the Buddha’s teaching is about weaning us off the belief—and attachment—to our temporal bodies which we, erringly, believe to be our self or ātman.
The Buddha even breaks down our temporal body into five aggregates, namely, physical form, feeling, perception, volitional formations and consciousness, none of which are our true self. He tells his monks that everyone of these aggregates is anātman, that is, not their self.
He even tells his monks what these aggregates are like—it’s all negative. They are impermanent, suffering, like a disease, a boil, a dart, a calamity, an affliction, as alien, as Mara the Evil One’s bait, etc. Not very good,right? Then in the Natumhāka Sutta we find the following:
At Savatthi. “Bhikkhus, whatever is not yours, abandon it. When you have abandoned it, that will lead to your welfare and happiness. And what is it, bhikkhus, that is not yours? Form is not yours: abandon it. When you have abandoned it, that will lead to your welfare and happiness. Feeling is not yours … Perception is not yours … Volitional formations are not yours … Consciousness is not yours: abandon it. When you have abandoned it, that will lead to your welfare and happiness.
“Suppose, bhikkhus, people were to carry off the grass, sticks, branches, and foliage in this Jeta’s Grove, or to burn them, or to do with them as they wish. Would you think: ‘People are carrying us off, or burning us, or doing with us as they wish’?”
“No, venerable sir. For what reason? Because, venerable sir, that is neither our self nor what belongs to our self.”
“So too, bhikkhus, form is not yours … consciousness is not yours: abandon it. When you have abandoned it, that will lead to your welfare and happiness” (SN 22:33).
In light of this, how dumb are today’s Buddhists? My guess would be pretty damn dumb. Let me repeat myself by saying many of those who pioneered Buddhism in the West did a pretty good job of deluding people because most everything people believe these days about Buddhism is more or less false.
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