“Well, Lord, is the soul the same as the body, is the soul one thing and the body another?”

“Well, Lord, does the Tathāgata exist after death?” … | “I have not declared that the Tathāgata exists after death.” … | “But, Lord, why has the Lord not declared these things?” | “Potthapada, that is not conducive to the purpose, not conducive to Dhamma, not the way to embark on the holy life; it does not lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to higher knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbana. That is why I have not declared it.” | M. Walshe, trans. (1987), Sutta 9, verse 28, p. 164