- anatta
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/un"euht tah'/, n. Buddhism.the doctrine asserting the nonexistence of a personal and immortal soul. Sanskrit, anatman. Cf. Three Signs of Being.[ < Pali: lit., breathless]
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▪ Buddhismin Buddhism, the doctrine that there is in humans no permanent, underlying substance that can be called the soul. Instead, the individual is compounded of five factors (Pali khandha; Sanskrit skandha) that are constantly changing. The concept of anatta, or anatman, is a departure from the Hindu (Hinduism) belief in atman (“the self”). The absence of a self, anicca (the impermanence of all being), and dukkha (“suffering”) are the three characteristics of all existence (ti-lakkhana). Recognition of these three doctrines—anatta, anicca, and dukkha—constitutes “right understanding.”* * *
Universalium. 2010.