Not “heretics”, merely mistaken. Heresy is a Christian concept.
Didn’t Nagarjuna use the term tirthika to refer to Hindus? I thought tirthika meant heretic? (Probably wrong spelling—it’s from memory.)
The Buddhist problem with an eternal soul is that it can negate the possibility of salvation and it always negates the utility of moral behaviour. If the soul is eternal then, like anything eternal, it cannot change. If an unchanging soul is not currently saved then, because it cannot change, it can never be saved - the possibility of salvation is negated. If the soul is currently saved then, because it cannot change, it is always saved no matter how many immoral acts are done. In either case, morality is useless bacause it can have no effect on whether we are saved or not. A belief that denies the utility of morality is not seen as useful.
Good catch—this was somewhat equivocal of me. By eternal soul, I didn’t mean unchanging, but something that will not pass out of existence ever.
You don’t have to die to attain nirvana - it is available here and now. The Buddha attained nirvana when he became enlightened at age 35. He died for the last time aged 80. He spent 45 years living in the world while at the same time living in nirvana.
You don’t have to die to attain redemption and fellowship with God, either. You do have to die to attain a blessed afterlife. And isn’t death the “Final Nirvana”—the release of the body?
Thanks for your thoughtful replies to what I said in the previous post. May God bless you in all ways.
