Like many other words is the western world, emptiness is defined by my perception, a way of looking at an experience.
How does the word emptiness influence your present thinking? Does your past experiences or teachings create an image in your mind? Do you have feelings or emotions attached to the word? Do these images and stories create suffering around emptiness?
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary the definition of Empty is:
1 a: containing nothing
b: not occupied or inhabited
2 a: lacking reality, substance, meaning or value
b: destitute of effect or force
c: devoid of sense
If we empty our old stories, emotions and feelings from the word itself, does the word create a different meaning? The word becomes void of these attached emotions or feelings like loneliness, depression or sadness. There is something, but that something takes on another form. If I take away the negative connotations from the word there becomes a different meaning altogether. I’m not sure I can explain it but it becomes attached to more neutral words like vastness or spaciousness and even connectedness. It becomes larger and seems to encompass the world. It’s like a word that reaches and touches everyone and everything.
The Dalai Lama refers to Emptiness (Sunyata) as “ the knowledge of the ultimate reality of all objects, material and phenomena.” This is the basic concepts in Buddhism and is explained as everything is interrelated, interdependent and is without substance.
My understanding of this teaching is that everything is temporary because everything is forever changing and therefore empty. Everything around us, ourselves included are compounded, the result of something else. I am no longer the baby in my baby picture, I am now a result of many years of growing and learning and maturing. Therefore I have changed and I am empty of the baby. It doesn’t mean I am no longer that person it simply means I am no longer the image of that baby, in fact I am no longer the person I was a few seconds ago writing this article. We are continuously changing, continuously in flux, as is everything around us.
The reason for teaching about emptiness is to release our selves from attachment. Attachments to views, opinions, stories, emotions, etc. leaving ourselves empty of greed, anger, resentment and delusion. If we leave ourselves unattached we are empty of suffering, stress, depression and frustration.
With this new found perception of emptiness there seems to be an overwhelming sense of peace and freedom.
