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Ancient Buddhist text compares mind and body

Original: The oldest Buddhist description I know, likely composed 200-300 years after Buddha, of how the mind and body are differe

A passage from one of the oldest known Buddhist texts, likely composed two to three centuries after the Buddha's death, is being shared as an early description of mind-body dualism. It likens the mind leaving the body to a reed drawn from its sheath, a sword from its scabbard, or a snake shedding its skin, framing mind and body as distinct things.

Why now: The vivid ancient metaphor for the mind-body distinction resonates with ongoing debates in philosophy and science of consciousness.

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Evidence

• The oldest Buddhist description I know, likely composed 200-300 years after Buddha, of how the mind and body are different: 'Just as if a man were to draw a reed from its sheath. … The sheath is one thing, the reed another…. …[or] a sword from its scabbard …[or] a snake from… · samanaalara · 4

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