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ESSEXCE or SOLL
118 VAKA philosophy of Brihaspati in some respects; while in others it imitates the highest theistic view points preached by the Vedas and Jain philosophy. It appears that Buddhist philosophy has adopted the middle course over the subject of Soul and re-birtiz in its traditional way of adhering to the middle course orer such other controversial issues. Buddhists were theists and atheists at the same time On the one hand they sharply criticise and refute the theories about the eternal duration of the soul and on the other they accept all the theories about the position of soul, which have met the acceptance and approral of the theists And to crown all this, though they profess to be the propounders of 'Atheism' and 'Nihilism', they accept the theory of Karmasthe theory of good and bad deeds and the theories of re-birth and salvation Under such circumstances one can happily and safely arrive at the conclusion that Buddhist Philosophy is also a theistic philosophy. Buddhist Philosophy uses the words, Pudgal (matter) Jeeva (life), Atma (self) and Satta (reality) as synonimous For them things which are known by these different words, have got no different and independent existence as such The only two related things and common qualıties in these words are either the 'soul' or the 'matter'. Buddhist philosophy denies the existence of 'soul' as such in theory but it does not do so in practice. In other words according to Buddhist Philosophy the existence of soul is nothing but an aggregate of Eve
