sunyata

See also: Śūnyatā

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Śūnyatā

From Sanskrit शून्यता (śūnyatā), from शून्य (śūnya, “zero, nothing”) + ता (-tā, “generalizing suffix”). Cognate with Pali suññatā.

sunyata (countable and uncountable, plural sunyatas)

(Buddhism) Emptiness, the absence of an intrinsic essence or nature which is stable and separable from other things.
- 1993, Sunyata, Emptiness and Self-emptying, Kenosis by Ven. Dr. Rewata Dhamma published in Buddhist - Christian Dialogue London, 27th March
  However since emptiness empties itself and so cannot itself be an object of attachment, dynamic 'sunyata' empties itself out as just the things themselves.
(psychology) Emptiness, in terms of a meditative state; an Eastern concept of a high meditative state of calm and freedom from distraction.
- 1975, Herbert V. Guenther, Chögyam Trungpa, The Dawn of Tantra, 2001, Shambhala Publications, pages not numbered,
  Shunyata can be explained in a very simple way. […] In the shunyata experience, the attention is on the field rather than on its contents.
- 1986, White Lotus Sutra - Unchecked by Sangharakshita; STUDY LEADERS SEMINAR 1986 Padmaloka.
  all dharmas were reducible to sunyata. So in a sense you have got a sort of merging of the particular in the universal.
- 1996, Steve Odin, The social self in Zen and American pragmatism, page 112:
  In his treatment of Zen Buddhism, Abe emphasizes that the true self of Zen Buddhism is dynamic śūnyatā: "That is to say, true Sunyata is nothing but the true self and the true self is nothing but true Sunyata"

state of mind