Abstract
A fresh perspective is needed on the historical roots and contemporary politics of the essentials of nursing. In the 21st century, the profession needs to move past separatist thinking and the pursuit of identifying what can be called a professional self. Two ways that nurses have tried to characterize a professional self is through claiming caring as the essence of nursing and using the esoteric taxonomy system of nursing diagnoses. The Buddhist teaching of nonself (anatman) is proposed as an alternative way of viewing the nature of the profession.