Anatma (Buddhism)

The Buddhist doctrine of the nature of man as not conceivable by the human mind is also accepted by Zen. The mind can only know objects. What is referred to as "myself", object, cannot be one's self; it is simply the five [skandhas]

, or tendencies - form, emotions, perceptive faculties, character habits or tendencies, and mental ability or discrimination. This false self reincarnates, always subject to change, until replaced by truth, when only the not-self or truth would be as "suchness". This should not be confused with the Hindu anatman, referring to the objective things of the world, including ahankara, buddhi and manas; in these terms the atman is the true Self identical with the Absolute, Brahman.

One of the three characteristics of the phenomenal world, the others being anicca (transitoriness) and dukkha (suffering).