The Buddhist idea of sunyata, or emptiness, is a central tenet of the Madhyamaka school of Mahayana Buddhism. My basic understanding of this concept is that it is a correlate of the Buddhist idea of dependent arising such that all phenomena are dependent/contingent and do not have being in and of themselves. Therefore everything is "empty," or "hollow." Yet at times emptiness is spoken of as a reality unto itself rather than merely a consequence of the way in which all phenomena exist. For example, in the Britannica article linked below sunyata is said to be "the undifferentiation out of which all apparent entities, distinctions, and dualities arise." In this way emptiness seems to be understood as a reality that can be experienced which gives birth to all phenomena, not unlike the ground of being.
This thread is meant to be a discussion of sunyata generally, but I am also wondering if sunyata is thought to be something which exists in and can be experienced in itself, or else is merely a description of a consequence of the Buddhist doctrine of dependent arising. Thoughts?
This thread is meant to be a discussion of sunyata generally, but I am also wondering if sunyata is thought to be something which exists in and can be experienced in itself, or else is merely a description of a consequence of the Buddhist doctrine of dependent arising. Thoughts?