Emptiness
Buddhist concept that all phenomena lack inherent existence or fixed essence. Emptiness (Sanskrit: śūnyatā) doesn't mean nothingness but interdependence—things exist only in relation. Nothing has independent, permanent self-nature. Understanding emptiness liberates from attachment and suffering. Nagarjuna's Madhyamaka philosophy elaborated emptiness as the middle way beyond existence and non-existence. Emptiness applies even to emptiness itself, preventing nihilism. The concept challenges substantialist thinking and reveals the fluid, constructed nature of reality. Realizing emptiness is key to Buddhist enlightenment.
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