Emptiness: The Most Misunderstood Word in Buddhism
Jan 9, 2018

Melody Greene
Core Spirit member since Dec 24, 2020
Reading time 3 min.

“Emptiness” is a central teaching of all Buddhism, but its true meaning is often misunderstood. If we are ever to embrace Buddhism properly into the West, we need to be clear about emptiness, since a wrong understanding of its meaning can be confusing, even harmful. The third century Indian Buddhist master Nagarjuna taught, “Emptiness wrongly grasped is like picking up a poisonous snake by the wrong end.” In other words, we will be bitten!

Emptiness is not complete nothingness; it doesn’t mean that nothing exists at all. This would be a nihilistic view contrary to common sense. What it does mean is that things do not exist the way our grasping self supposes they do. In his book on the Heart Sutra the Dalai Lama calls emptiness “the true nature of things and events,” but in the same passage he warns us “to avoid the misapprehension that emptiness is an absolute reality or an independent truth.” In other words, emptiness is not some kind of heaven or separate realm apart from this world and its woes.

The Heart Sutra says, “all phenomena in their own-being are empty.” It doesn’t say “all phenomena are empty.” This distinction is vital. “Own-being” means separate independent existence. The passage means that nothing we see or hear (or are) stands alone; everything is a tentative expression of one seamless, ever-changing landscape. So though no individual person or thing has any permanent, fixed identity, everything taken together is what Thich Nhat Hanh calls “interbeing.” This term embraces the positive aspect of emptiness as it is lived and acted by a person of wisdom — with its sense of connection, compassion and love. Think of the Dalai Lama himself and the kind of person he is — generous, humble, smiling and laughing — and we can see that a mere intellectual reading of emptiness fails to get at its practical joyous quality in spiritual life. So emptiness has two aspects, one negative and the other quite positive.

Ari Goldfield, a Buddhist teacher at Wisdom Sun and translator of Stars of Wisdom , summarizes these two aspects as follows:

The first meaning of emptiness is called “emptiness of essence,” which means that phenomena have no inherent nature by themselves.” The second is called “emptiness in the context of Buddha Nature,” which sees emptiness as endowed with qualities of awakened mind like wisdom, bliss, compassion, clarity, and courage. Ultimate reality is the union of both emptinesses.

With all of this in mind, I would like to highlight three common misunderstandings of emptiness: emotional, ethical and meditative.

Emotional

When we say “I feel empty,” we mean we are feeling sad or depressed. Emotionally speaking, “emptiness” is not a happy word in English, and no matter how often we remind ourselves that Buddhist emptiness does not mean loneliness or separateness, that emotional undertow remains. At various times I have looked for a substitute translation for the Sanskrit sunyata — I have tried “fullness,” “spaciousness,” “connectedness,” and “boundlessness” — but as Ari Goldfield points out, “emptiness” is the most exact translation. “Emptiness” is also the term that my own teacher Shunryu Suzuki used, though he usually added context. Once, speaking of emptiness he said, “I do not mean voidness. There is something, but that something is something which is always prepared for taking some particular form.” Another time, speaking of the feeling tone of emptiness, he said, “Emptiness is like being at your mother’s bosom and she will take care of you.”

Ethical

Some Buddhist students rationalize or excuse bad behavior of their teacher by asserting that through his understanding of emptiness the teacher is exempt from the usual rules of conduct. One student said, “Roshi lives in the absolute so his behavior can’t be judged by ordinary standards.” While it is true that Buddhist teachers sometimes use unusual methods to awaken their students, their motivation must come from compassion, not selfishness. No behavior that causes harm is acceptable for a Buddhist practitioner, teacher or otherwise.

Meditative

Some Buddhist students think that a meditative state without thought or activity is the realization of emptiness. While such a state is well described in Buddhist meditation texts, it is treated like all mental states — temporary and not ultimately conducive to liberation. Actually emptiness is not a state of mind at all; it is, as the Dalai Lama says, simply “the true nature of things and events.” This includes the mind. Whether the mind of the meditator is full of thoughts or empty of them, this true nature holds.

Conclusion

Finally, since emptiness seems so difficult to understand, why did the Buddha teach it at all? It is because of his profound insight into why we suffer. Ultimately we suffer because we grasp after things thinking they are fixed, substantial, real and capable of being possessed by ego. It is only when we can see through this illusion and open ourselves, in Ari Goldfield’s words, “to the reality of flux and fluidity that is ultimately ungraspable and inconceivable” that we can relax into clarity, compassion and courage. That lofty goal is what makes the effort to understand emptiness so worthwhile.

by Lewis Richmond For The Huffington Post


Leave your comments / questions for this practitioner

To write a comment please
or
Services
Category filter
Concern filter
Type filter
Sort
 

All categories

Mindfulness meditation
$45 USD
healing session
Brain Optimization Guided Meditation

This service is perfectly suited for those who are looking for individual single sessions to reduce their immediate levels of anxiety that causes lack of concentration, focus, sleep disorders, incapacity to take proper personal or professional decisions, as well as hyper activity originated by their excess of work related stress.

At the same time, this online session is indicated to those with depressive symptoms, lack of self-steam, as well as mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion, helping to align their body, mind, emotions and soul, as well as to increase self confidence.

Johann Strerath
5
Mindfulness meditation
$10 USD
consultation
Personalised Meditation

This includes:
One 30 minute consultation call to explore hopes, needs, likes and dislikes.
One audio file meditation to keep, max 60min
(Select from: 5min/10min/15min/30min/45min/60min)
Optional* Sample bottles of recommended essential oil based on consultation

Who is this for?

Are you looking for a mindful meditation with all the things you like about meditation and non of the things you don’t?

You have probably tried a free YouTube or app meditation before but found it hard to connect to or stay focused.
You like the idea of meditating but just don’t know if you can really get into it.
You want the results of feeling calm and quieting all the chatter in your head, but you can’t seem to get there any time you've tried before.
You enjoy meditating but your picky about what you like and depending on the persons voice or the background sounds you can get distracted by them.

Follwoing our consultation I will create your perfect mediation, one that you will use and go back to time and time again. No one meditiation is the same, because no one person is the same!

These are a joy to create and I cant wait to support you with yours!

Nicole H.R
Third Eye Meditation
$70 USD
mentorship session
Third Eye Meditation Practice

During our online meeting, I will guide you through a meditation session for you to have a Third Eye perception experience. You do not need to know how to meditate prior to this session. You do not need to have any special gifts or abilities. Everyone has the potential ability to experience a non-3D experience.

I will use my shamanic practices to help you enter that state, where you can perceive with your Third Eye. I will be doing some blessing and energy work in the background to help you perceive with your Third Eye.

All you need is a desire to experience Third Eye perception and to have questions. Questions towards yourself, towards anybody and anything, and regarding whatever you are curious about.

Once you have had your Third Eye perception experience, it will be easier to continue developing it on your own.

It is my intention to leave you with a personalized set of tools for you to be able to continue to practice and develop your Third Eye perception on your own after our session.

I recommend having at least one question ready for our meditation session. It could be something you wanted to ask from your higher self/your soul, your guides, or just to get more information on a particular topic of your interest.

Developing my Third Eye perception has been one of the most exciting things in my life. I want to share this ability with you so that you too can start your amazing Third Eye journey of this lifetime.

Remember, the experience you seek is also seeking you!

  • Please make an appointment with me at least one day in advance. Thank you.
Olga Aydınoğlu
Guided Meditation
$10 USD
coaching session
[Discounted] 1-on-1 Coaching: Experience The Enlightened Self

During this 60 minute 1-on-1 coaching session, you are paying for my undivided attention, not the onset of Enlightenment, which is freely available on my website via a prerecorded audio instructional.

My recommendation is to experience the proof of a truly Enlightening Experience of Freedom, first; then book direct coaching, should you feel the need for an in depth and personalized clarification as to how this experience can be embodied in every moment of your waking life.

Otherwise, leave a review and continue to practice it daily, before getting too involved in the day.

The result of sufficient understanding, which can happen intuitively with patient self-inquire, or rapidly with direct coaching is the ongoing experience of peace, love and joy; plus the removal of all doubt & sorrow as you progress through your own sanctification unto full Liberation.

At present, I do have a book in the works that will clarify 100% of what needs to be known to secure Enlightenment for the average person, but that work will not be readily available until later this year (2022).

I look forward to directly introducing you to The Kingdom, within.

Hallelujah, forevermore.

Amen.

This $10 service is only applicable if you consent to allowing me to record the meditation and conversation so as to use it as content in later publications. If you do not consent, please select the alternative, $150 option.

Michael Smith

Related Articles

View All
3 min.
Yantra Meditation
Jan 26 2021
What is Yantra?

Yantra Meditation

What’s the difference between mantra and yantra? It’s the difference between mind and body. A mantra is a word or phrase you repeat in the mind to concentrate on, a yantra is a physical symbol that you use to meditate to engage the mind…

Demi Powell
13 min.
Meditation
Mar 29 2018
Neidan, the Traditional Meditative Practice

The traditional meditative practice consists of an array of terminology, breathing, concentration, and visualization techniques: xinzhai 心齋, or “fasting the heart,” zuowang 坐忘, or “sitting and forgetting,” cunsi 存思, or “focusing and observing,” shouyi 守一,…

Jonathan Bates
3 min.
Breathing Meditation (Pranayama)
Mar 2 2021
Similar Effects of Meditation and Psychedelics

Do you ever find yourself worrying about an upcoming situation, even though similar past experiences have worked out fine? Or do you worry about your relationship or finances in a way that is out of proportion with your actual circumstances? These are cla…

Demi Powell
3 min.
Mindfulness meditation
Apr 14 2023
Spiritual Crisis: Navigating the Dark Night of the Soul

Spirituality is an essential aspect of human existence, and for many people, it provides a sense of purpose and meaning. However, spiritual journeys are not always easy, and at times, individuals can experience what is known as a spiritual crisis, commonl…

Fred Ojei
Registered individuals enjoy all the possibilities of Core Spirit.