noun
state of complete self-effacement; trance
Refers to a mental state where one loses self-awareness, often in the context of deep concentration, meditation, or artistic absorption. The gloss 'trance' captures a similar loss of self but may not fully convey the Buddhist or philosophical nuance of 'no-self'.
彼は無我の境で絵を描き続けた。
He kept painting in a state of complete self-effacement.
瞑想中に無我の境に達した。
During meditation, I reached a state of trance.
忘我 means 'self-oblivion' or 'ecstasy', focusing on forgetting oneself, often in enjoyment. 無我の境 emphasizes the philosophical or meditative state of transcending the self.
Compound of 無我 (muga, 'no-self', from Buddhist terminology) and 境 (kyō, 'boundary' or 'state'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it likely emerged in religious or philosophical writings to describe the experiential state of selflessness.