Belief In Soul - Indeed in his opinion the Belief In Soul existence is far more dangerous than the Belief in God.
Belief In Soul - The Buddha said that religion based on Belief In Soul is based on speculation.
Nobody has seen the soul or has conversed with the soul.
The soul is unknown and unseen. The thing that exists is not the soul but the mind.
Mind is different from the soul.
Belief in soul He said is unprofitable. A Religion based on soul is therefore not worth having.
It only ends in creating superstition. The Buddha did not leave the question there.
He discussed it in all its aspects. Belief in the existence of soul is as common as the belief in the existence of God
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The Philosophy Of Existence
Belief in the existence of soul was also a part of the Brahmanic religion.
In the Brahmanic religion the soul is called Atma or Atman.
In the Brahmanic religion, Atman is the name given to an entity which was held to be abiding separate from the body, but living inside the body constantly existing from the moment of his birth.
Belief in the soul included other beliefs, connected with it. The soul does not die with the body.
It take birth in another body when it comes into being. The body serves as an external clothing for the soul.
Did the Buddha believe in the soul.? No. He did not.
Did the Buddha believe in the soul.? No. He did not.
His doctrine about the soul is called An -atta, no soul.
Given a disembodied soul various questions arise : What is the soul? Where did it come from?
What becomes of it on the death of the body? Where dies it go? In what form does it exist "hereafter.
" How long does it remain there? These questions the Buddha tried to argue out with the upholders of the doctrine of the soul.
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The Soul Theory
He asked those who believed in the existence of the soul, what the soul was like in size and in shape.
To Ananda he said the declarations concerning the soul are abounding. Some declare : My soul has a form and it is minute.
" Others declare the soul to have form and to be boundless and minute. Others declare it to be formless and boundless.
In so many ways, Ananda, are declarations made concerning the soul. How is the soul conceived by those who believe in the soul ?
In so many ways, Ananda, are declarations made concerning the soul. How is the soul conceived by those who believe in the soul ?
Was another question raised by the Buddha. Some say, My soul is feeling. " Others says,
" Nay, my soul is not feeling, my soul is not sentient " , or again :
" Nay, my soul is not feeling, nor nor is it non - sentient, my soul has feeling, it has the property of sentient.
" Under much aspects as these is the soul .
The Buddha next asked those who believed in the existence of the soul is to the condition of the soul after the death of the body.
He also raised the question whether the soul was visible after the death of the body.
He found infinite number of vague statements. Does the soul keep its form after the death of the body.
He found that there were eight different speculations.
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The Soul Experience
Does the soul die with the body? There were innumerable speculations on this.
He also raised the question of the happiness or misery of the soul after the body is dead.
Is the soul happy after the death of the body?
On this also the Recluses and Brahmins differed.
Some that it was altogether miserable.
Some said it was happy.
Some said it both happy and miserable and some said it is neither happy nor miserable.
His answer to all these theories about the existence of the soul was the same which he gave to Cunda.
To Cunda he said : Now, Cunda, to those recluses and Brahmins, who believe and profess any one of these views, I go and say this : Is this so, friends?
And if they reply : Yes. This alone is true, any other view is absurd. " I do not admit their claim.
Why is this? Because persons hold different opinions on such questions. Nor do I consider this or that view on a level with my own, let alone higher.
Now the more important question is what were the arguments of the Buddha against the existence of the soul.
The general arguments he advanced in support of his denial of the soul were the same as those which he advanced in support of his denial of the existence of the God.
He argued that the discussion of the existence of the soul is as unprofitable as the discussion of the existence of God.
He argued that the belief in existence of the soul is as much against the cultivation of Samma Ditthi as the belief in the existence of God.
He argued that the belief in existence of the soul is as much against the cultivation of Samma Ditthi as the belief in the existence of God.
He argued that the belief in the existence of soul is as much a source of superstition as the belief in God is.
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The Existence Of Soul
Indeed in his opinion the belief in the existence of soul is far more dangerous than the belief in God.
For not only does it create a priesthood, not only is it the origin of all superstition but it gives the priesthood complete control over man from birth to death.
Because of these general arguments it is said that the Buddha did not express any definite opinion on the existence of the soul.
Others have said that he did not repudiate the theory of the existence of the soul.
Others have said that he was always dodging the issue.
These statements are quite incorrect. For to Mahali he did tell in most positive terms that there is no such thing as a soul.
That is why his theory of the soul is called Anatta, means non - soul.
Conclusion -
Apart from the general arguments against the existence of the soul, the Buddha had a special argument against the existence of the soul which he regarded as fatal to the theory of the soul.
His theory against the existence of the Belief In Soul as a separate entity is called Nama - Rupa.