There is a great deal of philosophical writing about emptiness (sunyata), but it is not inherently a complex idea. Emptiness just means that all things are dependent upon other things for their existence. It does not mean nothingness, which is why the once popular translation 'the Void' is so misleading. All things, if you look at them closely, can be further broken down, or shown to depend on other things for their existence. Nothing, then, exists in its own right, outside this network of interdependence. Everything is just a brief coming together of causes and conditions, like a whirlpool, a rainbow or the reflection of the moon as it passes over a pool of water.
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The Spirit of Zen - Sam van Schaik
There is a great deal of philosophical writing about emptiness (sunyata), but it is not inherently a complex idea. Emptiness just means that all things are dependent upon other things for their existence. It does not mean nothingness, which is why the once popular translation 'the Void' is so misleading. All things, if you look at them closely, can be further broken down, or shown to depend on other things for their existence. Nothing, then, exists in its own right, outside this network of interdependence. Everything is just a brief coming together of causes and conditions, like a whirlpool, a rainbow or the reflection of the moon as it passes over a pool of water.
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