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In this analogy, the jute represents the body and the strand represents the soul. This reference is known by the accomplished
yogis.
The same images are used in the Dighanikiya's Samanjaphalasutta (1/2):
As a man pulls out a strand from a spool of jute, in his mind he determines that the jute and the strand (fiber) are now separate. But the strand was originally taken from the jute itself (it was a part of it).
The Vedic texts are replete with images of various deities, such as Brahma, Indra, Varuna, Yaksha, Gandharva, and Kamadeva. The later Buddhist texts also speak of many celestial realms with multiple deities. And it can be seen that both sets of texts elaborate on several philosophical concepts in identical ways including, sinful and meritorious deeds, heaven and hell, bondage and liberation, the cycle of samsara (death and rebirth).
Moral standards are also treated the same in both traditions: Stealing, consuming intoxicants, violence and adultery are the five sins to be avoided. The Vedic texts maintain that it is essential to abstain from them for the practice of inner meditation. Later, the Buddha gave the very same instructions to his disciples. He mandated that establishing oneself in the five virtues (Shilas), the seeker must practice meditation (dhyāna).
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