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EXISTENCE OF THE SOUL
the soul. Ananda said it would have gone contrary to that.
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And Ananda! if I would have replied to the question of Bachchhagotta that there is no soul then he would have been perplexed thinking that he maintained the soul which is denied now.'
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The above conversation requires a careful and deep thinking. The reason why Gotam Buddha did not reply to the questions of Bachchhagotta, and remained silent, appears to be, that he avoided a discussion on these points, and further his mode of silence showed to Bachchagotta that the soul cannot be known by talking, but has to be realized.
Jain Education International
His first reply to his near disciple Ananda shows that Gotam did not take a one-sided view, did not maintain that the soul was absolutely indestructible or destructible. As stated in Jain Philosophy, the soul according to him had both the attributes of permanent existence, and changeability. From the point of view of its nature, the soul is indestructible, while at the same time from its liability to change it is destructible. This is true of every existing substance in the universe. If it be totally indestructible, no change is possible, if it is totally destructible, it cannot exist. We see that substances are ever existing and still changing. To maintain both the predicates is the real Truth. The Jain Saint Samantabhadra, in
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