No-self

A fundamental concept in Buddhism, that worldly phenomena do not have a self or a separate real substance.  Each phenomenon is made up of many conditions that are all interdependent and ever-changing and, therefore, it does not have real substance by itself.  This is a law that the Buddha has realized and proclaimed, together with impermanence and suffering, as the three characteristics of worldly phenomena.  Not understanding the law of no-self is the main cause of greed, desire, and conflict.

P: anattā, S: anātman, V: vô ngã