📖 The book The Buddha Teaches Once More. Part 2: Essential Buddhist Teachings. Chapter 18: Emptiness (Śūnyatā) in Buddhism
Emptiness is an extremely important teaching in Buddhism. When we realize that all sentient beings possess emptiness, we come to understand that spiritual cultivation is the duty of all beings in the universe. With this realization, nothing can hinder our journey toward Buddhahood.
Minh Nguyet: Venerable Buddha, I have heard monks teach that “we must cultivate ourselves to return to our state of emptiness“. However, I cannot truly grasp this concept: what does “emptiness” mean? I humbly ask for Your guidance so that sentient beings may understand and awaken to this truth.
To understand emptiness, you must first comprehend your origin. Sentient beings were created through the replication of God’s Dharma Body. Under His divine arrangement, all beings must journey through the six realms of samsara to gain wisdom, cultivate themselves, and ultimately return.
You originated from Emptiness. Before entering the six realms of reincarnation, you first existed within God’s thoughts and divine plan. At this stage, your essence was neither pure nor impure, neither self-arising nor self-extinguishing.
Thus, our existence within God’s thoughts and plan before manifesting in the world is called “Emptiness”. Not only do sentient beings possess Emptiness, but all Dharma teachings used for spiritual guidance also possess Emptiness. Everything that sentient beings create or experience exists within the limits of God’s divine arrangement.
Minh Nguyet: I humbly express my gratitude to You. Your words remind me of a passage from the Heart Sutra:
“When Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound Prajñāpāramitā, He perceived that all five aggregates are empty, thereby transcending all suffering and distress.
Śāriputra, form does not differ from emptiness, and emptiness does not differ from form. Form itself is emptiness, and emptiness itself is form. The same applies to perception, conception, volition, and consciousness.
Śāriputra, all dharmas are marked with emptiness; they neither arise nor cease, are neither pure nor impure, neither increase nor decrease”.
I have read the sutras yet failed to grasp their depth. But now, through Your explanation, I finally understand the true meaning of Emptiness.
I am pleased to see that you have gained clarity. To deepen your understanding of Emptiness, listen as I reveal the hidden meanings within the Heart Sutra.
Conclusion: The nature of Emptiness is the formless essence that exists within God’s divine plan: created, governed, arranged, and orchestrated by Him.
Once we understand Emptiness, we realize that spiritual cultivation occurs naturally. It is not confined to any specific religion, one does not need to follow a particular doctrine to practice true cultivation. Living in this world, fulfilling one’s responsibilities to family and society is also a form of cultivation—one may appear not to be practicing, yet they are practicing in reality.
The path to Buddhahood and liberation from the six realms of samsara is not as difficult as we imagine. Ultimately, we are all destined to attain Buddhahood, for that is God’s divine plan. When we fully comprehend Emptiness, we take our first steps toward enlightenment: seeing through the adversities of life, embracing them with clarity, and learning how to resolve obstacles with wisdom and compassion.
