BUDDHISM IN THE EYES OF INTELLECTUALS – SOUL

BUDDHISM IN THE EYES OF INTELLECTUALS – SOUL

Belief in soul is the cuase of all the trouble

Buddhism stands unique in the history of human thought in denyingthe existence of such a Soul, Self, ot Atman. According to the teaching of the Buddha, the idea of self is an imaginary, false belief which has no corresponding reality, and it produces harmful thoughts or ‘me’ and ‘mine’, selfish desire craving, attachment, hatred, illwill, conceit, pride, egoism, and other defilement, impurities and problems. It is the source of all troubles in the world from personal conflicts to wars between nations. In short, to this flase view can be traced all the evils in the world.

– Ven. Dr. W. Rahula, “What the Buddha Taught”

Life after death is not a mystery

The difference between death and birth is only a thought moment: the last thought moment in this life conditions the first thought moment in the so called next life, which in fact is the continually of tha same series. During this life itself, too, one thought moment conditions the next thought moment. So, from the Buddhist point of view, the question of life after death is not a great mystery, and a Buddhist is never worried about this problem.

– Ven. Dr. W. Rahula, “What the Buddha Taught”