changed  according  to one's  liking.  So it follows

　　   that  the  attaa  or  the  individual   soul  enjoys

　　   complete   self-mastery   and  remains  ever  happy.

　　   Moreover  the five skandhas  are not attaa  for they

　　   are impermanent and subject to change and suffering.

　　   This shows that the attaa concept rejected  here was

　　   believed   to   be  identical  with  the   skandhas,

　　   permanent, changeless, happy and characterised by an

　　   awareness  of an 'I' and 'mine'.  So the concept  of

　　   attaa   which  emerges   wholly   conforms   to  the

　　   Ssaa'svatavaada.

　　　　  Two opposing  trends of thought  are discernible

　　   in this sutta.  One represent  the viewpoint  of the

　　   'Saa'svatavaada as presented above.  The other trend

　　   shows the Buddha's acceptance of the notion of I and

　　   mine as a basis for further  argumentation  in order

　　   to disprove  the soul's identity  with the skandhas.

　　   The line  of reasoning, partly  explicit  and partly

　　   implicit, may be presented thus: the idea of 'I' and

　　   'mine'  is the characteristic  feature  of attaa and

　　   implies complete self-mastery of oneself.  Wha t one

　　   refers to as 'I' and 'mine'  must be its own master.

　　   Moreover the individual  soul is permanent.  But the

　　   body (ruupa) is beyond one's control.

　　   ────────────

　　   (50) Diigha   Nikaaya,   Vol.I, pp.179,  182   ff, ;

　　　　   Dialogues of the Buddha, Part I, p.246ff.  Also

　　　　   see,  A.K.Warder,  Indian   Buddhism   (Motilal

　　　　   Banarasidas, Delhi, 1991) pp.124ff.

　　　　　　　　　　　　  P.414

　　   It grows, becomes  old and ultimately  dies  without

　　   anybody  being  able to do anything  to arrest  this

　　   process.   In  short  this  philosophy  upholds  the

　　   self-mastery  and permanency  of an individual  soul

　　   but advocates in the same breath the identity of the

　　   soul  with the five skandhas  which  are impermanent

　　   and lack  self-mastery.  Thus it is clear  that  the

　　   viewpoint  of  the  'Saa'svatavaadins  suffers  from

　　   internal contradiction and cannot be accepted.

　　　　  It should  be noted  that  the  Buddha  did  not

　　   criticise  this  philosophy  on  the  basis  of  any

　　   Buddhist doctrine.  The impermanence of body etc, is

　　   a matter of common experience and no higher philophy