What Is The Difference Between "Mind" In Buddhism And "Soul" Or Ego In General?

Buddhist philosophy is based on understanding the functioning of the human mind. To practice Buddhism, it is necessary to discipline the mind. The first verse of the Dhammapada (the quotations from the Buddha) states that all things are preceded by the mind, led by the mind and created by the mind.

According to the Abidharma, the world has been perceived as a phenomenon which has its origin in the mind. In Buddhism, the mind is defined as a non-physical phenomenon which perceives, thinks, recognises, experiences and reacts to the environment it is in. A person's mind is a combination of both the conceptual aspects and the non-conceptual aspects.

The word soul refers to that part of a person which is immaterial, and which is actually the cause of an individual's life. The word ego basically means the self or an inflated sense of pride in one's superiority over other people.

The mind in Buddhism is defined as a non-physical phenomenon. It can perceive, think, experience, react and recognize the environment. This mind does not have body, form, shape, and colour. It is considered to be like a mirror which reflects objects. There are two types of mind in Buddhism.  One is considered to be conceptual and the other is non-conceptual. The conceptual mind is the one which we use in our daily life. It engages with other objects and lets other things to arise in it. The non-conceptual mind is called Buddha nature. This mind holds emptiness.

The soul in general is considered to be separate from body, memory, intellect, ego, and mind. The soul is considered to be formless, colourless, and the centre of true joy and love. It is not associated with the above mentioned things and is empty. It is referred to as the seed of life. This is also equated to mirror or crystal that takes the form of or reflects things. The soul appears to involve with objects but actually it is not involved unlike the non-conceptual mind. Other impressions also do not arise in a soul unlike in conceptual mind. Thus, considering the above differences and some similarities the soul could be equated to the non-conceptual mind.