anatta

Buddhist theory that there is no permanent entity or self. It is one of the three characteristics of existence in Buddhism; dukkha (suffering) and anicca (impermanence or change) are the other two.

Buddhists say that people are made of five skandas, or elements: body, sensation, perception, will, and consciousness. All these things change continually (anicca) but give us the illusion of continuity. The concept can be likened to a row of candles, each one being used to light the next - the flame appears to be continuous, but each candle is different.