Emptiness, Sunyata, Interdependent Arising, Buddhist Metaphysics. By Michael P. Garofalo.

Emptiness
Sunyata, Interdependent Arising, Nothingness, The Void, Emptiness
Appearances and Insubstantiality, Buddhist and Existential Philosophy

“I want to make myself an empty room:
Quiet whitewashed walls with slant sunshine
And a fresh breeze through open windows.
Some days are extremely fluid, and all possible courses of action are equally attractive. Rather than do something arbitrary, it is far better to empty oneself completely. Then the more subtle currents of life may be felt. One should avoid the mistake of random action.
Arbitrary action will most likely be out of accord with the times. It is artificial, a structure that we impose from our own thought. Such movements are invariably stilted and wooden; they do not have the fresh perfection of the natural.
We do not have enough peace. Yet peace will never be attained by perpetual action. Stirred water never has the chance to settle clear. A tree buffeted by winds can never grow straight. Give up all unnecessary activity. Give up all arbitrary actions. Make yourself receptive. The peace that you seek shall be quickly at hand.”
- Deng Ming-Dao, 365 Tao: Daily Meditations: Receptivity #248

“According to legend, the Buddha entrusted the one hundred thousand verses of these Sutras of Transcendental Wisdom to the hands of semi-divine, dragonlike sea dwellers, known as Nagas, who kept them safe until they were rediscovered by and Indian philosopher sage named Nagarjuna who lived in about the first century A.D. Because he brought these highly treasured teachings about emptiness back from the Nagas, his name became Nagarjuna, literally translated as “charioteer of the Nagas.” The original exponent of Madhyamika, the Great Middle Way doctrine of Buddhist logic and epistemology, Nagarjuna is considered the Buddhist philosopher of relativism. Madhyamika reveals how it is that nothing exists independently. Everything is conventionally, relatively real, arising through interdependent causes and effects. This it is said that nothing exists forever in any ultimate sense. This is true whether we are talking about a soul or a table. Things just appear to be real and substantial, without being exactly so. This is the mysterious, fertile intersection of the void of nothingness and everything we so vividly experience.”
- Lama Surya Das, Awakening the Buddha Within, p 188

"The short Heart Sutra is often recited frequently in Zen Buddhist Temples and Churches. It is a fundamental scripture of great importance to Buddhist philosophy and beliefs.

Emptiness, the Void, Nothing, Nothingness, Not Here, Not Present, the Fecund Voidness of the Dao, etc. .... have kept Taoists and Zen Buddhists and Existentialists busy thinking for a long time.

Sartre examined "Being and Nothingness" as did Heidegger. Taoists reflected on how Emptiness Gives Birth to Everything. The Empty Circle is an artistic rendering of the importance of the Void found on Zen altars and walls everywhere.

Conditions of emptiness or the non-presence of Something or Other are obvious from the visual and tactile clues in our daily lives. We know (see and feel) when the kitchen larder is empty, when a loved one disappears upon their death, when a classroom is empty of students, in the pitch black moonless night, when the music stops, when the cup is empty, when some words are meaningless, when a Nazi criminal is empty of empathy, when we empty our bowels, when our lives seem empty of achievements, or when viewing the vast empty sky from a mountain peak, etc. As a child, we learn how to talk about empty candy jars, the absence of siblings or mothers, cry about being left alone, being scared of the dark, the loss of toys, the realization that Santa Claus is a fiction. The Void is familiar to us, and, we must deal with it's conditions; but multiplicity, fullness, and the ten-thousand-things occupy most of our attention and concerns.

ALL Forms (shapes, things, ideas, concepts, perceptions, etc.) are NOT emptiness or void. Situations and circumstances and times may change and some forms do disappear, but they are or were Present, Real, tangible, concrete, existents... The transitoriness of things and events does not imply that they are empty or void in essence. Just because circumstances/beings are not eternal, does not imply that they are empty, void of meaning, or unreal.

So, in my opinion, emptiness/void/nothing is indeed part of reality; but just one aspect of our experiences. Emptiness is one form, "A" Form; not the source, nature, or reality of All Forms - as the Heart Sutra touts.

Some seem to speak of "emptiness" as a mode of perception--- seeing things as they are without conceptions or presuppositions. Similar to phenomenological "bracketing" or epoche. A kind of purified perception. I doubt this can be accomplished--- we are "impure" and caught within a mental and perceptual web of previous experience and future intentionality. Even Zen Masters say that only a few, out of thousands, can achieve this level or dimension of awareness and awakening, i.e., being in a state of non-dual consciousness.

Yes, all objects/events/things exist now because of the existence of Everything Else, Inter-Depenence, Webs, our environment, the Inter-Being of interrelated causes and effects. However, this does not imply that the Reality of Now is empty or grounded in Voidness; on the contrary, it is grounded in Plentitude, in Richness.

Even "empty space" outside the Air of Our Earth is Not Empty. Particles/waves of energy flow through space from the Sun, and cosmic microwave background radiation is everywhere. Don't consider what we cannot see with our eyes as the criterion of emptiness. Even an empty barrel is full of air.

Of course, the Heart Sutra says "There is No Wisdom, and There is No Attainment Whatsoever." But, if there is "No Wisdom" then the Sutra itself stumbles and trips on its own unwise feet and leaves us with fallen ideas, obvious doubts, and gives little support for standing beliefs.

It could just be a matter of my action-method-somatic preferences. I don't find useful or beneficial the dulling stillness and pretending-empty- mindedness of long hours of Zazen. I prefer the joys of gardening, reading, walking, dancing, and enjoying the Fullness, Plentitude, Richness, Complexity, and Substantial Nature of our and my Reality and Experiences.

"Oh, I love to climb a mountain And to reach the highest peak; But it doesn't thrill me half as much
As dancing cheek to cheek."

"When the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara
Was Discoursing in the Deep Prajna Paramita,
He Perceived That All Five Skandhas Are Empty.
Thus He Overcame All Ills and Suffering.
Oh, Sariputra, Form Does not Differ From the Void,
And the Void Does Not Differ From Form.
Form is Void and Void is Form;
The Same is True For Feelings,
Perceptions, Volitions and Consciousness.
Sariputra, the Characteristics of the
Voidness of All Dharmas
Are Non-Arising, Non-Ceasing, Non-Defiled,
Non-Pure, Non-Increasing, Non-Decreasing.
Therefore, in the Void There Are No Forms,
No Feelings, Perceptions, Volitions or Consciousness.
No Eye, Ear, Nose, Tongue, Body or Mind;
No Form, Sound, Smell, Taste, Touch or Mind Object;
No Realm of the Eye,
Until We Come to No realm of Consciousness.
No ignorance and Also No Ending of Ignorance,
Until We Come to No Old Age and Death and
No Ending of Old Age and Death.
Also, There is No Truth of Suffering,
Of the Cause of Suffering,
Of the Cessation of Suffering, Nor of the Path.
There is No Wisdom, and There is No Attainment Whatsoever.
Because There is Nothing to Be Attained,
The Bodhisattva Relying On Prajna Paramita Has
No Obstruction in His Mind.
Because There is No Obstruction, He Has no Fear,
And He passes Far Beyond Confused Imagination.
And Reaches Ultimate Nirvana.
The Buddhas of the Past, Present and Future,
By Relying on Prajna Paramita
Have Attained Supreme Enlightenment.
Therefore, the Prajna Paramita is the Great Magic Spell,
The Spell of Illumination, the Supreme Spell,
Which Can Truly Protect One From All Suffering Without Fail.
Therefore He Uttered the Spell of Prajnaparmita,
Saying 'Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha.' "

- The Heart Sutra of Buddhism

The Heart Sutra, Buddhist Scripture, circa 200 CE (PDF Version)

"When I unroll my yoga mat and carefully place it on the floor, I often briefly reflect on the fact that this yoga mat has created a sacred space. The mat has outlined a spiritual domain, marked the Four Magickal Quarters, hallowed out an empty space for action. Could we stand tall and strong like The Warrior without this freedom of Nothing in Our Way? Without this potent emptiness how could we move to align with the Divine?

My Taijiquan practice area is also a wide empty space. A clear space for flowing movements with a clear mind. An uncluttered domain for cultivating an uncluttered mind. Nothing is essential here for doing something of real value.

The whole topic of Emptiness (Sunyata, Mu, the Void, Inter-Dependent Arising, impermanence, etc.) leads us into thoughts and insights about consciousness, knowing, and metaphysics. The Heart Sutra is a classic Buddhist scripture that reflects on the emptiness at the core of all beings and that is a path for true understanding. This understanding along with the Four Immeasurables (Love, Compassion, Joy and Impartiality), the Ten Paramitas, and Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) provide us with a wide path for going beyond, far beyond, to the Other Shore.

Our simple yoga mats, like a beautiful window or door, can open us up and out to energizing possibilities, allow us to play with new experiences, allow us to see in new ways, grant us a place for becoming. Emptiness creates the ground for what is to emerge, from the holy heart of creation. Emptiness is receptive and giving at the same time. So, today, just lay your mat down, enter the Dragon's Gate of Emptiness, sit, and savor Nothing."
- Michael Garofalo, The Empty Mat

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 30
Form is Not Emptiness
By Michael P. Garofalo

Scholar Eagle asked Professor Coyote "The Heart Sutra says that," 'Form Does not Differ From the Void, And the Void Does Not Differ From Form. Form is Void and Void is Form.' Is this true?"

Professor Coyote said, "Did I not discuss this question yesterday? The Heart Sutra says that Profound Insight is a Supreme Spell, a magical incantation. Why concern yourself with spells?

Scholar Eagle said, "But reaching the supreme understanding will remove all obstructions, fears, and confused imagination. Can't you help me understand that Supreme Enlightenment?"

Professor Coyote said, "If you could even attain non-attainment, and if all your perceptions and consciousness were empty, and nothing could be made of nothing, then I don't believe you would need Supreme Enlightenment. Why do you reach for the comet, and ignore the smell of the wet earth? Just be here and now, and have a cup of tea."

Scholar Eagle replied, "You are avoiding my question. You are evasive."

Professor Coyote said, "So be it! Even Sutras are often less useful to real wisdom and clear understanding. Listen, I'm sorry, but I am nauseated today, and don't feel like answering any more metaphysical questions. Go ask Raven Roshi."

Scholar Eagle then went and asked Raven Roshi the same questions about emptiness.

Raven Roshi said,
"The moon shines brightly in the empty sky.
The bucket bottom broke and all the water emptied out.
I wrote the characters for 'True" and "False' on an empty page.
I have nothing more to say, nothing!"

Raven Roshi then paused, then laughed. He told Scholar Eagle to go ask Reverend Toad the same questions.

Scholar Eagle went and asked Reverend Toad the same questions about emptiness.

Reverend Toad said, "Croak! Croak! Nonsense! Your soul will live for all eternity. You might be reborn as a old woman with Alzheimer's disease and think about and remember nothing; or find yourself as a young beautiful woman arguing with two obnoxious ugly men in Sartre's Hell."

Reverend Toad than smacked Scholar Eagle three times on his back with a dirty wash rag. He laughed and said, Go ask Badger Nerdy the same questions.

Scholar Eagle gave up, stopped asking questions, went home, and brewed some tea. It was refreshing! The cup warmed his hands. The steamy tea tickled his nostrils. That afternoon, he drank all the tea, until the small kettle was completely empty (except for wet tea leaves).

Comments, Sources, ObservationsIf

Forms are Empty, Idealism is sadly triumphant.
There is nothing to concern yourself about Nothing.
When nothing is left, there is no more You.
Fret less about ideas, and feel more.
Leave such puzzles for bored adults to figure out.
Magic spells seldom work for useful purposes.
Void does differ from Forms, otherwise confusion reigns.
Form does differ from Void, otherwise mindlessness triumphs.
So you get over to the other shore--- what then do you do?
Never abandon your boat, you or others may need it again.
Nothing is ever Completely Empty!
Truth or falsity don't apply to meaningless pronouncements."

Emptiness, Sunyata, Interdependent Arising, Void, Nothingness
Appearances and Insubstantiality, Buddhist Metaphysics

The Fireplace Records, Chapter 20: Scholar Eagle Asks Questions About The Heart Sutra

The contents of this webpage were first published on the Internet on September 6, 2012.

This webpage was last modified, reformatted, improved, expanded, or updated on September 14, 2023.