In Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, the eternal soul or spiritual essence of a living being that is considered eternal and divine.
From Sanskrit ātman, meaning 'breath' or 'self,' derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *eme- meaning 'to breathe.' The word originally referred to the breath but evolved to mean the innermost self or soul in Indian philosophical traditions.
The word 'atma' has the same root as the English word 'animate'—both come from the idea that breath equals life and consciousness, which is why many ancient cultures associated breathing with the soul.
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