--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Richard Blumberg <richard@...> wrote:

>
> In another thread, Ardavarz asked:
>
> I just would like to share a thought that occurs to me - could we translate
> > anatta in a sense with "inanimate"?
> > Etymologically it is more or less equivalent - both anima in Latin and atta
> > in Pali mean "soul", but I am not fully aware of all possible connotations
> > of the word "inanimate" in English. Still I think if one say: "The psyche
> > (or mind) is inanimate", the shock from this seemingly paradoxical (for the
> > common sense) statement could be quite insightful.
> >
>
> I'm rather partial to the word "selfless". It's quite literally accurate,
> and it indicates the positive nature of the "not-self" characteristic in a
> way that shocks, yet makes perfect sense upon reflection.
>
> With regard,
>
> Richard
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Neither inanimate or selfless would convey the concept of anatta in Dhamma. The definition of anatta is given in the anattalakkhanasutta, the second discourse of the Buddha. See Vinaya Mahavagga, I. B. Horner.