Emptiness is such a key word in Buddhist teachings (especially in the Heart Sutra, [“form is empty, yet emptiness has no form”]) and yet, so often when it is mentioned we are also told that it is not void at all but has very important positive aspects. How can we understand that?
To me, the key point seems to be that there is something beyond the phenomena we can perceive with our ordinary sense perceptions, and that – when we settle our mind in stillness – we have the chance of being aware of something quite wonderful, something that is very uplifting but also very difficult to describe with the words we have at our disposal. It is not surprising therefore that quite a number of different terms are used in this context; “unborn clear light”, “luminosity”, “primordial essence”, “innate supreme essence”, “vivid awareness” and “Buddha-nature” all seem to point in the same direction.
So why is it called “emptiness”? Nagarjuna (c. 200 CE) is credited with transforming the sutras’ poetic and sometimes paradoxical declarations on emptiness (“form is emptiness and emptiness is form”) into a philosophical system.
When he uses the word “emptiness” it is not to refer to the absence of existence but to the absence of intrinsic existence and, by implication, to the true or ultimate nature of reality. He stated this primarily to refute the idea – especially held by followers of the Sarvastivada School – that phenomena, the things we can perceive with our ordinary senses, have an intrinsic existence.
This was further amplified by Vasubandhu (around 400 CE), of the Yogachara school, who equated Buddha-nature with both emptiness and nirvana.
There are also some fascinating references to the ultimate nature of reality in the Upanishads, which I find very uplifting. (The terms used here are: the Spirit, the Essence, the Truth, God and – in the personified form – Brahman).
As Buddhists we may shy away from reading these Hindu scriptures, but it is worth remembering that these writings contain the distilled wisdom of thousands of years and essentially reflect the cultural/spiritual background the Buddha was born into. The Svetasvatara Upanishad in particular was written down about the time of the Buddha and contains some striking parallels to the Heart Sutra (“When ignorance is dispelled, there is neither day nor night, neither being nor non-being.”).
Here is a very short excerpt: “The Essence is in everything, from the smallest to the largest. The Spirit’s infinity is beyond what is great or small and its radiance illumines all creation. It is beyond form and beyond pain, and those who have seen the Truth of the Spirit are one with it, their life is fulfilled, and they are ever beyond sorrow.” (Quoted from a translation by Juan Mascaró, 1965).
Hartwin Busch © 2024
