DN 7 Jaliya Sutta

Thus have i heard. This is a continuation and repetition of DN 6 Mahali sutta. 

Buddha told Otthaddha that when he was staying in Ghosita Park, in Kosambi, he met two wanderers called Mandissa and Jaliya. After exchanging courtesies, the two wanderers, asked the Buddha, “is the soul the same as the body, or is the soul one thing and the body another?” 

Buddha replied:  “Well now, friends, if you listen and pay proper attention, I will explain.” Buddha went on:
“Friends, a Tathágata arises in the world, an Arahant, fully-enlightened Buddha (he has realized the four noble truths and discovered the noble eightfold path by himself) , endowed with wisdom and conduct, Well-Farer, Knower of the worlds (he knows the arising, the cessation and the means to the cessation of the worlds), incomparable Trainer of men to be tamed (he surpasses in terms of virtue, knowledge, concentration, deliverance and understanding), Teacher of Gods and humans, enlightened and blessed. He, having realized it by his own super-knowledge, preaches the Dhamma, which is lovely in it’s beginning, lovely in its middle, lovely in it’s ending, in the spirit and in the letter, and displays the fully-perfected and purified holy life." 

“A disciple will go forth and practices the moralities, watching his speech, thoughts and actions”. Because of his morality (sila), he sees no danger anywhere. He experiences a blameless bliss that comes from maintaining this Ariyan morality. In this way, he is perfected in morality as if he were freed from debt, from sickness, from any bonds, from slavery and from the perils of the desert.

Guarding his sense doors, he is detached from sense-desires, detached from unwholesome states, he enters and remains in the first jhana such that there is no spot in his entire body that is untouched by this delight and joy born of detachment. Then the disciple attains the second jhana, the third jhana and fourth jhana. With continuous practicing, the disciple develops insights and wisdom, he understands the cessation of suffering, the path leading to the cessation of suffering, there is no more rebirth. "

The Buddha's answer is very subtle : “I do not say that the soul is either the same as or different from the body.”  The Buddha does not want to give a definite answer as this question is one of the 10 questions that he will not answer as it is meaningless to pursue the answer for some questions and also he does not want his disciple to interpret the answer wrongly and have a wrong understanding. 

The two wanderers thanked Buddha for his clarifications and teachings. 

​By WHH

References: 
1. www.accesstoinsight.org
2. https://suttacentral.net/
3. The long discourses of the Buddha (Bhikkhu Bodhi)