Śūnyatā

Synonyms

Emptiness; Nothingness; Voidness

Definition

Doctrine about the nonexistence of a perceiving subject and the perceived objects.Abassara Brahma Loka

Buddhist Account of Śūnyatā

The term śūnyatā often translated as “emptiness” in English is generally associated with the Mādhyamika school of Buddhism, and is the main reason for the appellation “śūnyavādin” of this school. However, a thorough study of the history of Buddhism reveals that the term śūnya or the concept śūnyatā was not the innovation of this particular school; rather the concept has its origin in the teachings of Lord Buddha himself. This concept of śūnyatā has been discussed by other Buddhist schools also. Early reference to this term is found in the Majjhima Nikāya in the context of elucidation of śūnyatāvihāra ([1], pp. 965–978). There, a monastery is described as śūnyain the sense that it is devoid of elephants, cows, horses, etc., but not devoid of monks. A person residing in a forest may be devoid of...