Overview
Atman is a Sanskrit word referring to a true inner core of a living being upon which temporary aspects of existence like body, mind, and ego are constructed. Within most Hindu theology and cosmology, the atman is immortal and is reborn into cycles of living, usually until the realization of one’s true nature liberates oneself into unity with Brahman, or the ultimate reality.
This is also one of the biggest points of divergence between Hinduism and Buddhism as belief systems heavily reliant on impermanence and interconnectedness. Buddhism rejects that there is a permanent soul-like aspect to our existence in the first place, instead using the concept of anatta or anatman to refer to a “not-self.”