To explain how the "Illusion of Self" is constructed, the Buddha broke the human system down into five components. Much like a car is just a collection of parts (wheels, engine, chassis) that we label "car," the human is a collection of processes we label "me."
Form (Rupa): The physical "hardware"—matter and energy.
Sensation (Vedana): The "Sensors"—the raw data of pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral.
Perception (Samjna): The "Processor"—recognizing and labeling the data (e.g., "that is a bell").
Mental Formations (Sankhara): The "Software"—our habits, biases, and volitional responses.
Consciousness (Vijnana): The "Feedback Loop"—the awareness that coordinates the other four.
In Systems Thinking, Anatta is the ultimate recognition of a Process-Oriented Reality. It suggests that the "self" is not a static piece of "hardware," but a dynamic, ever-shifting "software" output generated by the interaction of multiple subsystems.
Researcher Note:
The Ego: Tries to build a dam to keep the water still (Stagnation/Suffering).
The Ego: Tries to build a dam to keep the water still (Stagnation/Suffering).