Not-Self

Not-self (anattā) is the teaching that nothing we point to as "me" or "mine"—our body, feelings, thoughts, or sense of being a person—is a fixed, independent self that we own and control. The Buddha pointed this out not to deny that you exist, but to loosen the tight grip of clinging that causes suffering: if even your moods and opinions arise and pass on their own, there's less reason to take every passing state so personally. Notice how a strong emotion appears, lingers, and fades without you commanding it—that flowing, unowned quality is a taste of not-self.