Atman

Atman is from the Sanskrit ātman (Devanagari: आत्मन्), an old Indo-European root meaning self, breath, or essence[1]. The cognates suggest an early connection between breath and animating principle[1]. The word appears extensively in Vedic and Upanishadic literature, where it gradually becomes one of the central terms of Indian philosophical reflection[2]. The Pali equivalent attā functions importantly in Buddhist teaching, especially in the doctrine of anatta (non-self) which denies that the kind of permanent self some interpretations of atman propose actually exists[3].

different Hindu schools interpret atman differently, and comparison with Buddhist non-self teaching must be done carefully.

In Hindu philosophical traditions, atman is the deeper self, the witness consciousness behind ordinary experience[2]. The Upanishads present atman as the central object of spiritual inquiry: who or what is the self that experiences[2]? Different schools of Vedanta develop different answers[4]. Advaita Vedanta, associated with the philosopher Shankara, teaches that atman is identical with Brahman, the absolute, and that recognizing this identity is liberation (moksha)[4]. Vishishtadvaita Vedanta, associated with Ramanuja, teaches that atman is real and distinct but eternally related to Brahman as part to whole[4]. Dvaita Vedanta, associated with Madhva, holds atman and Brahman as eternally distinct[4].

Atman also figures in ritual and devotional life. The Bhagavad Gita addresses atman in the context of duty and action, arguing that recognizing the deathless self frees the practitioner to act without fear[5]. Many devotional traditions personalize the relationship between atman and the divine in ways that emphasize love and grace rather than abstract identity[6].

Buddhist tradition uses the cognate attā in a critical mode[3]. The doctrine of anatta argues that no permanent, unchanging self can be found upon careful analysis; what one calls a person is a flow of changing conditions[3]. This is one of the major points of doctrinal difference between classical Hindu and Buddhist thought[6].

Indological scholarship traces the development of atman from Vedic ritual contexts through the Upanishadic philosophical synthesis[2]. The contrast between Hindu atman doctrine and Buddhist anatta has been a major topic in comparative philosophy of religion since the 19th century, with scholars debating whether early Buddhism was rejecting Hindu atman doctrine, redirecting it, or addressing a different question altogether[6]. Modern Indian philosophers including Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and others have explored the relevance of atman doctrine for contemporary thought[7].

• The Upanishadsby Eknath Easwaran (translator)
  primary source
• An Introduction to Hindu Philosophyby Roy W. Perrett
  book