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Buddists believe in reincarnation, which would by necessity require the existence of a soul, and are atheists also.


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Then this statement was false - [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

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Correct. The statement above was partially false. Buddhists may or may not believe in reincarnation, but Buddhist doctrine is very clear... NO soul!

Buddhism is a graduated process/system of personal development, amongst its adherers you will find people with different abilities and willingness to put efforts into investigation. None may however deny what is fundamental to the Budhist doctrine. If they do believe in reincarnation, which may be the case, then they very well manifest the very human ability to hold contradicting beliefs without any serious problems. The gradual aspect of Buddhism dicates that as their understanding deepens, usually by a process of personal investigation and mental development and observation, that erroneous views will be eradicated. The final objective of Budhism is the eradication (rather than the domination or suppression) of the triple causes of suffering: greed, hate and ingnorance.