Yes, that is exactly correct. Unfortunately, in German too, the Self is
neuter...and so it sounds again exactly like in the English translation (if
one uses 'Selbst') so it would read "*Das *ist nicht mein, *Das *ist nicht
mein Selbst". The distinction is much more obvious in Pali/German or any
other inflected language if I'd say
"*Das *ist nicht mein (neuter nom.) - na etam mama. Here I am clearly
pointing back to the list of items...
Ich bin *dieser *nicht (masc nom) - na eso aham asmi [but in German, if you
do it that way, it sounds more like: I am not such a one, I am not thus ->
"so whatever I might be, I am definitely not thus". Which does not mean you
believe in a soul outside of what you observe, you just make a rational
observation of what you definitely cannot be from the view point of
self-delusion]
Nicht *dieser *(ist) mein Seelenkern (masc nom) - na eso me atta - Here too
it sounds as if I want to say something like "not of such a nature is my
soul or rather "not of such a nature can my soul be".
Sounds overall a little bit more like the emphatic semantics of etad are
used here "not such (a one) I am" - "not such is my self". Maybe the Pali
demonstrative pronoun expresses such a shade of meaning here.
metta,
Lennart
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