The assertion that there is nothing in the constitution of any person that deserves to be considered the self (atman) - a permanent, unchanging kernel of personal identity in this life and those to come - has been a cornerstone of Buddhist teaching from its inception. Whereas other Indian religious systems celebrated the search for and potential discovery of one's 'true self,' Buddhism taught about the futility of searching for anything in our experience that is not transient and ephemeral. But a small yet influential set of Mahayana Buddhist texts, composed in India in the early centuries CE, taught that all sentient beings possess at all times, and across their successive lives, the enduring and superlatively precious nature of a Buddha. This was taught with reference to the enigmatic expression tathagatagarbha - the 'womb' or 'chamber' for a Buddha - which some texts refer to as a person's true self. The Buddhist Self is a methodical examination of Indian teaching about the
