In Buddhism, one of the most difficult teachings for people to understand is anatman or non-self. The doctrine states that in humans there is no permanent entity that can be called a self or a soul. This denial of “any Soul or Self” is what distinguishes Buddhism from other major religions, such as Christianity and Hinduism, and gives Buddhism its uniqueness.

This sense of being a permanent, solid, autonomous self is an illusion. The problem is this illusion doesn’t fit in with our ordinary experience. We have a sense of a permanent, individual self, but that is all it is, a sense, a feeling.