That which is Nirgun (has no form), Anaadi (from the beginning), Ananta (endless), specifically, that which is not bound by the concept of time, that has always existed and will continue to exist is called Aatma.

Etymology of Aatma

To understand the concept of Aatma, a poem was written in the Rig Veda, about 8500 years ago. 

There exist two birds, seated on a branch on a tree. One satiates itself by eating a fruit, while the other watches the previous eating the said fruit. 

This is a metaphor. The bird that is eating the said fruit is referencing one's body, that partakes in the intricacies of life, and uses its sense organs to enjoy every aspect of this life, while the bird watching the other is one's Aatma. 

There are three levels to this philosophy. 

One states that "I am observing you".

The other states that my Mann, bird 2 (mind) watches over my Shareer, bird 1 (body). In other words, "I am observing myself".

The third questions, "What entity watches over my mind?"

So the third level states that my Aatma (consciousness) watches over my Mann (mind), or "I am observing my own mind". In English, we may refer to it as recursion. This ability exists only in humans. This trait of observing oneself, as a witness, without getting emotionally involved, stems from the existence of Aatma. 

Rig Veda, along with Upanishads, also state that humans that search for Artha (meaning) to one's life, is moving towards Aatma-gyan (self-realization).

Vedic Philosophy of Aatma

-Brahman, Param-aatma

-Jeev-aatma

-Para-aatma

Forms of Aatma

Aatma is referred to as Dravya, that which awakens your senses. It is that entity that carries the weight of Karma on its back.

Aatma in Jainism

Aatma doesn't exist in Buddhism.
Buddha preached that nothing lasts forever. Everything is temporary and everything should meet its end.
What one refers to Aatma, is in fact a reference to self, to one's identity and thus one's ego that has been carefully nourished over the years.

Aatma in Buddhism

Some refer to it as the soul, but when you dig deeper into its philosophy, it is refers to Consciousness. 
One is differentiated as living from the non-living when this consciousness awakens the hunger within the being. This consciousness awakens ones senses, thus allowing them to partake in this world and its associated materialistic life. 


State University of New York at Buffalo

Originating in the Indian subcontinent, these encompass philosophies that are adopted by the followers of the Sanatana Dharma. Arguably so, each religion has adopted either the entirety of these philosophies or a varied set or in some cases, have rejected all of them. 

- Astik/Nastik

- Aatma/Brahman

- Dharma

- Karma

- Samay (Cosmic Time), States of Consciousness and Yuga cycles

- Samsara and Reincarnation

- Dhyana 

- Darshan

- Samadhi or Renunciation

- Liberation or Enlightenment



South Asian/ Indian subcontinent's Philosophies

Pattanaik, Devdutt (2017), Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik, Penguin Random House Publishing

Devlok with Devdutt Pattanaik

Astik, derived from Asti, which means "there is", refers to a school of thought that accepts the authority of the leading belief pattern established during that period.

The concept of atheism is fluid among the Indian philosophies. Depending on their period of reference, this belief evolved. 


For example, during the Vedic ages (1500-1100 BC), the belief in the spiritual texts, the Vedas, reference Astik as believers or Nastiik as non-believers. Similarly, those who believe in Karma or in the existence of God are referred to as Astik and those who don't Nastik. 


Across the world, atheism has gathered a negative vibe in spirituality, while in the Indian subcontinent there has been a long standing tradition of atheism. Few of the religions that are solely based on atheism are Buddhism, Jainism and Charvak. The Indian Philosophy states that every person is entitled to choose their own belief/s, are encouraged to question and to establish their own meaning to spirituality.

Astik or Nastik

Aatma

Dharma plays a vital role in all religions that arise from Sanatana Dharma.
It refers to the moral law that governs social conduct, and is one of the four pillars of a well-balanced life (the others being artha, kama and moksha).

Dharma/Dhamma

Karma is a philosophical concept where karma is the cumulative of all the actions one performs in a given timeframe. Its adherents view it as a universal causal law by which good or bad actions determine the future modes of one's existence. 

Just as your genetic code that is passed down as a memory for generations, codes for your phenotype, Karma is the memory of the sum of all the actions performed within a given timeframe that gets etched upon one's Aatma/Dravya/Aham.

Karma

The concept of time is an independent variable that is often represented in a cyclical form. There are two dependent variables:

1. Nitya (Permanent)- Example: the Ultimate Consciousness (Brahman)

2. Anitya (Not permanent)- All other states of consciousness. It is a f(t). Can be nullified.

In Jainism, Time is serpentine. Culturally, when one experiences good events as a f(t), time is referred to as Uttasarpini, while during the occurrence of bad events, time is then referred to as Avasarpini. 

When one references time as a serpentine movement, one is technically referring to its Cosine waveform. 
 

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