Religion and Theology

In this paragraph, Nagasena tries to explain the meaning of the soul to the king with the help of an allusion. Nagasena uses a common object like the chariot of the king on which he came to attend the meeting to propound the theory of the soul. Just as the wheel, axle, pole or framework forms the chariot in its entirety which individually cannot be designated as a chariot, similarly the soul cannot be defined by objects and processes present in this world. On their own, the individual parts cannot be called a chariot but without them, the chariot cannot be complete. Without the body, the soul cannot be realized.

In this discourse man is urged to follow a life where conquering of ones desires and restraining oneself from all types of worldly pleasures is the greatest conquest of the human soul. A person who does not have any yearning for this material world and who can control his emotions in adversity as well as prosperity, he is at peace with himself.(1) There is no greater bliss like Nibbana or peace in this human life.

In this paragraph the immortality of the soul is captured according to Buddhism. The soul is abstract beyond all comprehension. Just as emptiness is intangible we can only speculate about the soul. The soul is formless, devoid of emotions, cannot be judged with consciousness and is not formed of any physical material. It cannot be touched, felt or measured. The soul is beyond all human emotions. Human consciousness with its five senses cannot fathom the true meaning of the soul. It is formless and a nameless entity.