Book Title: Art And Science Of Meditation
Author(s): Vinubhai D Shah
Publisher: Vinubhai D Shah

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Page 64
________________ Art & Science of Meditation Philosophy and Religion merely had views about things, he taught the Noble Eightfold Path which liberates from suffering. Philosophy The Buddha discouraged his followers from indulging in intellectual disputation for its own sake, which is fruitless, and distracting from true awakening. Nevertheless, the delivered sayings of the Buddha contain a philosophical component, in its teachings on the working of the mind, and its criticisms of the philosophies of his contemporaries. According to the scriptures, during his lifetime the Buddha remained silent when asked several metaphysical questions. These regarded issues such as whether the universe is eternal or non-eternal (or whether it is finite or infinite), the unity or separation of the body and the self, the complete inexistence of a person after Nirvana and death, and others HINDUISM In Hinduism, the Sanskrit words most closely corresponding to soul are jiva, atman and purusha, meaning the individual self. The term "soul" is misleading as it implies an object possessed, whereas self signifies the subject which perceives all objects. This self is held to be distinct from the various mental faculties such as desires, (63)

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