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Concept

Atman

The true self in Hindu thought — identical, according to Advaita, with Brahman, the ultimate reality.

hinduismadvaita vedanta hinduself

Atman is not the personality, the body, or the stream of thoughts. The Upanishads describe it through negation: not this, not this — Neti-neti. What remains when everything that can be observed is set aside as not the observer is Atman.

Advaita Vedanta‘s central teaching — tat tvam asi, “thou art that” — is the identification of this Atman with Brahman, the one without a second. Buddhism diverges: Anatta denies that any such permanent self can be found. Whether the two positions finally disagree depends on what one means by “self.”

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concept tradition practice teacher text
  1. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, especially 2.4 and 4.3
  2. Katha Upanishad 2.1–3
  3. Atman — Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Hindu Concepts)