The idea of a self or a soul is maintained by the five aggregates of conditioned existence. They are; a form body, five senses, consciousness, and emotional reaction or involvement with these first three which cause inclination or propensity to action. All of this is the drama of karmic tendencies and the results of this activity of body, speech, and mind is rebirth in the spirit world or as an animal or human. This relative or temporal involvement with one’s self or soul, with others and with the natural world, is a loop. The only way to move outside of this loop is though spiritual training of one’s mind as to it’s ultimate timeless blissful nature, and discipline the body and speech so as to be totally positive. This state of awareness is our inherent wisdom quality, it is totally outside the loop of emotional involvement with what we think or believe, and emotional involvement with our form body, whether it be in the human or celestial realms. Relatively, we are caught in this loop of painful rebirths. Ultimately we are not. The practice of a human bodhisattva is to apply these two truths relative and ultimate to all of the pain and suffering of being caught up in the idea of a self or soul, who insists on staying in this loop of karmic cause and effect. From heaven to hell an in between, and all of this is just drama. Being outside the loop is called enlightenment or buddhahood. Try it, you’ll like it, the Dalai Lama does.