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The Kathavatthu is a Buddhist text included in the Pāli Abhidamma Piṭaka. It presents a series of questions from a non-Theravāda perspective, with refutations in the answers. A significant portion of the text debates the existence of a soul. Moggaliputtatissa, who presided over the third Buddhist council around 250 BCE, is credited with authoring the Kathavatthu. This council also saw the organization of Buddhist missions to regions adjacent to India. The Kathavatthu is part of a larger body of Buddhist literature that evolved over centuries, with various schools and interpretations emerging after the Buddha's death.123

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