non-self
|non-self|
🇺🇸
/nɑnˈsɛlf/
🇬🇧
/nɒnˈsɛlf/
not self
Etymology
'non-self' originates from Modern English, formed by combining the prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non', meaning 'not') with 'self' (from Old English 'self', meaning 'the self, oneself').
'self' comes from Old English 'self' (from Proto-Germanic *selbaz), and the combining prefix 'non-' derives from Latin 'non' and was used in Medieval and Modern English to form negatives; the composed expression 'non-self' was later used in translations of Pali/Sanskrit Buddhist texts to render anatta/anatman.
Originally a straightforward negative compound meaning 'not self' or 'not belonging to the self'; over time it came to be used as a technical term, especially in Buddhist philosophy, to denote the doctrine that there is no permanent, independent self.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a philosophical or religious doctrine (especially in Buddhism) that denies a permanent, unchanging personal self or soul; the quality or state of there being no enduring, independent 'self'.
The monk lectured on non-self, explaining that what we call the 'self' is a changing process rather than an enduring entity.
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Noun 2
the quality of not belonging to or characteristic of oneself; something regarded as external to one's own identity or ownership.
During meditation she experienced a temporary sense of non-self, as if her usual boundaries of ownership and identity had loosened.
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Adjective 1
not pertaining to the self; lacking the characteristics of a stable, personal self.
The text described a non-self perspective that undermines the idea of a fixed personal identity.
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Last updated: 2025/08/22 08:23