anatman means the doctrine that there is no transcendental ego or soul and the perceived true self is an illusion. It corresponds to the Hinayana or Theravada Buddhist doctrine of anatta. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
anatman is pronounced /ˈɑn ˈɑːtman/.
Why “anatman” is a great word
The foundational Buddhist doctrine that no permanent, unchanging self or soul exists within any being. From Sanskrit anātman, from an- ("not, without") + ātman ("self, soul"), entering English usage around 1880. Unlike atman—the luminous, eternal core posited by Hindu philosophy—or anatta (its Pali-language sibling in the Theravada tradition), anatman is the universal Sanskrit negation, the philosophical absence that defines a worldview. It is the dismantling of a chariot, wheel by spoke, to find no core 'chariot-ness' remaining; the echo in an empty hall; the river that is never the same water twice. Ultimately, it is the quiet, terrifying freedom of being a process, not a thing.
Etymology
From an- + atman.
noun
- The doctrine that there is no transcendental ego or soul and the perceived true self is an illusion. It corresponds to the Hinayana or Theravada Buddhist doctrine of anatta.
- That which is other than the atman (self), such as the body.