[jonesboy]

Thank you very much Sky.. I understand those terms it was your interpretation that was in question.

Here let me help. First let me provide a link for everyone as to where you go this:

The anatta teaching is not a doctrine of no-self, but a not-self strategy for shedding suffering by letting go of its cause, leading to the highest, undying happiness. At that point, questions of self, no-self, and not-self fall aside. Once there's the experience of such total freedom, where would there be any concern about what's experiencing it, or whether or not it's a self?

This might help

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/a.../notself2.html

That is from No-self or Not-self? by Thanissaro Bhikkhu and is the very last paragraph if anyone is interested.

Originally Posted by sky123

Of course this is correct according to the Buddha.
Anatta - Pali = Non Self.
Sunyata - Sanskrit, Sunnata - Pali = Emptiness/Voidness.
Hope this helps Jonesboy


Atman in Buddhism also means ' Ego '.

It is the understanding that sunyata/emptiness is the true nature of everything. A soul or Atman which the thread is about refers to some thing that is made up of stuff that resides somewhere.

As far as ego and annata .. here maybe this will help.

Thus the Buddha teaches that, in the ultimate sense, amongst all these psychophysical phenomena of existence there cannot be found any eternal or even temporary ego-entity, and hence that all existence of whatever kind is something impersonal, or anattaa.

In this connection I would like to emphasize the fact that this fundamental doctrine of egolessness and emptiness is not, as some misinformed Western Buddhists assert, only taught in the southern school of Buddhism, but that even in the so-called the Mahayana schools it forms a most essential part.

...Thus whenever in the Buddhist scriptures mention is made of I, self, living being, etc., even of the Buddha, these expressions accordingly are used merely as conventional terms, without referring to any real entities. Therefore the Buddha has said: "It is impossible, it cannot be that a man with real understanding should ever consider anything as a real entity."

He who has not penetrated the ego-illusion and is still attached to self-vanity will believe that it is he himself that suffers, will believe that is he himself that performs the good and evil deeds leading to his rebirth, that it is he himself that will enter Nirvana, that is he himself that will bring the eightfold path to perfection.

Whoso, however, has fully penetrated the egolessness of existence, knows that, in the highest sense, there is no individual that suffers, that commits the kammic deeds, that enters Nirvana, and that brings the Eightfold Path to perfection.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/a.../wheel202.html

Hope this helps,

Tom