I think the best introduction is the Diamond Sutra, which was one of the first and most famous Mahayana Buddhist scriptures to express these ideas. It's quite short, but you can listen to it on YouTube as an audiobook!
Basically emptiness is the philosophical position that nothing exists, as counter-intuitive as that sounds. It is total nihilism, taken to its most extreme extent.
It is a mindset that is so powerful because of how it fits into Buddhist soteriology. According to the Four Noble Truths the cause of suffering is attachment, but this attachment itself has a cause, which is conceptualisation. The Buddhist teachings recognise the fundamental disconnect between our mind that conceptualises, and grasps at solidity and a self, and the reality of a universe which in constant flux and characterised by impermanence, always changing. The root of suffering is attaching emotionally to things that are only really a snapshot of a moment in time, like a dream or an illusion.
It's pretty scary, as it leaves you basically staring into a gaping void. But emptiness is the door through which you pass into the religious, or you could say transcendental side of Buddhism. It is a philosophical method that is meant to break your conceptual mind and cut through to a pure vision of the ultimate reality, beyond this material world.
That's why this is called the diamond sutra, or in the Sanskrit, "Vajra Cutter Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra." Emptiness represents the unbreakable nature of consciousness abiding in the ultimate reality. It's the inspiration behind my name, adamantine, and the symbol I use, the vajra. 😊
I think the best introduction is the Diamond Sutra, which was one of the first and most famous Mahayana Buddhist scriptures to express these ideas. It's quite short, but you can listen to it on YouTube as an audiobook!
Basically emptiness is the philosophical position that nothing exists, as counter-intuitive as that sounds. It is total nihilism, taken to its most extreme extent.
It is a mindset that is so powerful because of how it fits into Buddhist soteriology. According to the Four Noble Truths the cause of suffering is attachment, but this attachment itself has a cause, which is conceptualisation. The Buddhist teachings recognise the fundamental disconnect between our mind that conceptualises, and grasps at solidity and a self, and the reality of a universe which in constant flux and characterised by impermanence, always changing. The root of suffering is attaching emotionally to things that are only really a snapshot of a moment in time, like a dream or an illusion.
It's pretty scary, as it leaves you basically staring into a gaping void. But emptiness is the door through which you pass into the religious, or you could say transcendental side of Buddhism. It is a philosophical method that is meant to break your conceptual mind and cut through to a pure vision of the ultimate reality, beyond this material world.
That's why this is called the diamond sutra, or in the Sanskrit, "Vajra Cutter Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra." Emptiness represents the unbreakable nature of consciousness abiding in the ultimate reality. It's the inspiration behind my name, adamantine, and the symbol I use, the vajra. 😊
Thanks will check it out!