Anatta - GCSE Religious Studies Definition

Anatta is a fundamental concept in Buddhism. It refers to the idea of 'non-self' or the absence of a permanent, unchanging soul within individuals. Anatta is the idea that people do not have a fixed soul or self. This means that nobody has an unchanging personal identity. Instead, a person is made up of five aspects, called the five aggregates or skandhas. According to Buddhist teachings, understanding anatta can lead to greater wisdom and reduce attachment and suffering, as it encourages individuals to see the world as ever-changing and interconnected. For GCSE Religious Studies students, exploring anatta helps to deepen their understanding of Buddhist beliefs about the nature of existence and the path to enlightenment.