anātman [anattā] the no-soul doctrine. It can also be described as egolessness, impersonality, non-being, non-ego, non-self or soullessness. Anattā is one of the three characteristics of existence. According to the eternal soul theory, apart from the elements that form a body, the body consists of a soul which is imperishable and eternal. The material theory rejects the existence of such an entity. According to Buddhism both these theories are obstacles to salvation.
The so-called 'I' or soul or self is a combination of changing forces. These forces are made up of body or matter (rūpaskandha), sensation (vedanāskandha), perception (saṃjñāskandha), mental formations (saṃskāraskandha), and consciousness (vijñānaskandha). The forces are always in a flux of momentary change and never the same for two consecutive moments. Nothing that can be considered as a self-existing real ego-entity or soul or any other substance is found either within or outside the psycho-physical phenomena.
It is said, "Whether the Tathāgata-s appear or not, O Bhikkhu-s, it remains a fact, an established principle, a natural law that all conditioned things are transient (anitya), sorrowful (duḥkha), and everything is soulless (anātman).
This fact the Tathāgata realises, understands and when he has realised and understood it, announces, teaches, proclaims, establishes, discloses, analyses, and makes it clear, that all conditioned things are transient, sorrowful and that everything is soulless."
Prajñā or wisdom denotes the right understanding of the nature of the world, that is, transiency, sorrowfulness, and soullessness. The no-soul doctrine connotes the non-substantiality of elements (dharma-s). The elements exist only by means of the union of conditions. There is no eternal and unchangeable substance in them. The idea that five aggregates constitute a unitary self or ego is wrong and it is derived from deep rooted clinging.
In the Anattalakkhanṇa Sutta the Buddha said, "The body, O Bhikkhu-s, is not the self. Feeling is not the self. Perception is not the self. The mental formations are not the self. And neither consciousness is the self. Knowing this, O Bhikkhu-s, the disciple gives no value to the body, or feeling, or perception or mental formations, or consciousness. Thus he becomes free from passions and is liberated." He says, "Then, O Bhikkhu-s, body, whether past, present or future, personal or external, coarse or subtle, low or high, far or near, should be understood by right knowledge in its real nature. This is not mine, this I am not, this is not my soul." 'na me so attā'.
The anātman, that is, no-soul doctrine of the Buddha occurs in the Mahāyāna School as śūnyatā or voidness. Nāgārjuna elaborated the concept of śūnyatā. A soul is considered as avyākṛta and forbidden as a topic of discussion.
anātman
(Sanskrit; Pāli, anattā). Non-self, the absence of self (ātman); the key Buddhist doctrine that both the individual and objects are devoid of any unchanging, eternal, or autonomous substratum. It is one of the three ‘marks’ (lakṣaṇa) or attributes of all compounded phenomena (the other two being anitya and duḥkha). Some Buddhist schools, such as the Vātsīputrīya and the tradition associated with the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, did accept the existence of some form of the self, often identified with Buddha-nature.
無我
bdag med pa
[translation-san] {C,MSA,MV} nairātmya
[translation-san] {C,MSA} anātman
[translation-san] {C} nirātmatva
[translation-san] {MSA} anātmatā
[translation-san] {MSA} nirātmaka
[translation-eng] {Hopkins} [self-not exist]; selflessness; selfless
[translation-eng] {C} without a self; absence of self; is nothing of itself
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