Ātman
From Bodhicitta
आत्मन्
self
བདག་
bdag
我,灵魂
wǒ, línghún
Sanskrit - Noun
Basic Meaning
Though it can simply be used as the expression "I" or "me", in Indian thought the notion of self refers to a permanent, unchanging entity, such as that which passes from life to life in the case of people, or the innate essence (svabhāva) of phenomena.
Has the Sense of
The notion of ātman is often equated with the Western notions of an eternal soul.
| Term Variations | |
| Key Term | Ātman |
|---|---|
| Topic Variation | ātman |
| Tibetan | བདག་ ( dak) |
| Wylie Transliteration | bdag ( dak) |
| Devanagari Sanskrit | आत्मन् |
| Chinese | 我, 灵魂 |
| Chinese Pinyin | wǒ, línghún |
| Japanese Transliteration | ga |
| Korean Transliteration | a |
| Buddha-nature Site Standard English | self |
| Karl Brunnhölzl's English Term | identity |
| Jeffrey Hopkin's English Term | self |
| Gyurme Dorje's English Term | "self" |
| Term Information | |
| Source Language | Sanskrit |
| Basic Meaning | Though it can simply be used as the expression "I" or "me", in Indian thought the notion of self refers to a permanent, unchanging entity, such as that which passes from life to life in the case of people, or the innate essence (svabhāva) of phenomena. |
| Has the Sense of | The notion of ātman is often equated with the Western notions of an eternal soul. |
| Related Terms | anātman, svabhāva |
| Term Type | Noun |
| Definitions | |
| Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism | See page 78: In Sanskrit, “self’ or “I,” with a similar range of meanings as the terms possess in English, but used especially to refer to a perduring substratum of being that is the agent of actions, the possessor of mind and body (nāmarūpa), and that passes from lifetime to lifetime. |
| Rangjung Yeshe Dictionary | essence, self-entity, identity. |
