The doctrine of anatta is a key concept of buddhist philosophy and refers to the buddhist view that no unchanging, permanent self or essence can be found in any existing phenomenon. This thesis is designed as one complete whole which could allow a better understanding of this East Indian buddhist philosophy, which has been realized in a completely different culture, at a different time and in a very specific spirit. With that aim, the introduction presents a brief overview of Western theories of self from ancient to modern philosophy. Then follows the wider context of Indian thoughts and interpretations of ātman concept through various traditions of Indian philosophy. What underlies this study is the presumed intuition according to which human beings understand themselves as unique persons. According to the Buddha, it is precisely in this assumption that the great delusion lies, as exposed in his doctrine of non-self. The central part of the thesis is dedicated to analyzing this doctrine on the examples of canonical texts and explaining misunderstandings and problems associated with this complex teaching. It is also explained how Buddhism without such an entity depicts a person and its continuity through time, the question of personal responsibility and the problem of free will. The final part of the thesis brings attention back to the Western thought by presenting some contemporary theories from the cognitive sciences which can easily be related to what the Buddha and Buddhist tradition taught two and a half millennia earlier.