Editing Soul (section)

====Unanswerable question====
The Buddha left [[The unanswerable questions|ten questions unanswered]], one of which concerned the existence of a soul ("Is the soul one thing and the body another?" and "Who is it that is reborn?").<ref>Somaratne, G. A. The Buddha's Teaching: A Buddhistic Analysis. Singapur, Springer Nature Singapore, 2021. p. 298.</ref><ref>Karunadasa, Y. (2015). ''Early Buddhist teachings'' (New ed.). Simon and Schuster. p. 143.</ref> This led some people believe that the Buddha only rejected a soul defined through one (or more) of the [[five aggregates]] (''Skandha'').<ref>The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Pain. Vereinigtes Königreich, Taylor & Francis, 2017. p. 294.</ref><ref>McClelland, Norman C. Encyclopedia of Reincarnation and Karma. Ukraine, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2018. p. 18.</ref><ref>Somaratne, G. A. The Buddha's Teaching: A Buddhistic Analysis. Singapur, Springer Nature Singapore, 2021. p. 168.</ref> Another interpretation holds that he remained silent, because the Buddha considered the question irrelevant to the pursuit of enlightenment. Whether he knew the answer remains a matter of debate.<ref>Karunadasa, Y. (2018). ''Early Buddhist teachings'' (New ed.). Simon and Schuster. pp. 153–154.</ref> Yet another view argues that the Buddha remained silent, because the question itself is invalid.<ref>Somaratne, G. A. The Buddha's Teaching: A Buddhistic Analysis. Singapur, Springer Nature Singapore, 2021. p. 298.</ref>

Those who argue that the Buddha affirmed a self, independent from body and mind, as proposed by the eternalists or annihilists, argue that the soul is something transcending the five aggregates.<ref>McClelland, Norman C. Encyclopedia of Reincarnation and Karma. Ukraine, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2018. p. 18.</ref><ref>Gowans, C. (2004). Philosophy of the Buddha: An introduction. Routledge. pp. 56; 67–68.</ref> Some Buddhists of the [[Mahayana]] tradition believe that the soul is not absolute, but immortal; the soul cannot die, although influenced by karma, since the soul is unborn and unconditioned.<ref>Buddhist Text and Anthropological Society. ''Journal of the Buddhist Text and Anthropological Society, Band 5, Teil 1''. The Society, 1897, digitalized: 21 May 2014. p. 1.</ref> In support for that view, Christopher Gowan points at Buddhist texts, implying some sort of self, such as references to personal pronouns,<ref>Gowans, Christopher. Philosophy of the Buddha: An introduction. Routledge, 2004. p. 68.</ref> and the need for a self who suffers in order to aim for release in nirvana.<ref>Gowans, Christopher. Philosophy of the Buddha: An introduction. Routledge, 2004. p. 68.</ref> Due to the implicit references in the Buddhist doctrines, Gowan also rejects the view that they are merely conventions of speech,<ref>Gowans, Christopher. Philosophy of the Buddha: An introduction. Routledge, 2004. p. 68.</ref> rather the best way to understand Buddha's teachings coherently would be to distinguishing between a substantial self and an ever changing self beyond the five aggregates.<ref>Gowans, Christopher. Philosophy of the Buddha: An introduction. Routledge, 2004. pp. 72–73.</ref> The Buddha would have rejected the former, but implicitly affirmed the latter.<ref>Gowans, Christopher. Philosophy of the Buddha: An introduction. Routledge, 2004. pp. 72–73.</ref><ref>McClelland, Norman C. Encyclopedia of Reincarnation and Karma. Ukraine, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2018. p. 18.</ref>

In contrast, others hold that the Buddha remained silent on this matter, because they are invalid questions.<ref>Somaratne, G. A. The Buddha's Teaching: A Buddhistic Analysis. Singapur, Springer Nature Singapore, 2021. p. 298.</ref> When asked such a question ("Who is reborn?") the existence of a self is presupposed.<ref>Somaratne, G. A. The Buddha's Teaching: A Buddhistic Analysis. Singapur, Springer Nature Singapore, 2021. p. 58.</ref> However, if souls do not exist, noone can be reborn in the first place, and thus, there is no accurate answer to the question.<ref>Somaratne, G. A. The Buddha's Teaching: A Buddhistic Analysis. Singapur, Springer Nature Singapore, 2021. p. 58.</ref> This view also disapproves of later responses within traditional Buddhist schools, such as [[Theravada]], who answered the question on identity in paradoxical terms, yet whereby implicitly affirming some sort of Self or soul.<ref>Somaratne, G. A. The Buddha's Teaching: A Buddhistic Analysis. Singapur, Springer Nature Singapore, 2021. pp. 298–299.</ref>