Empty

Good Afternoon All,

My study group is tackling the most central sutra of Zen Buddhism, The Great Heart of Wisdom Sutra. The sutra is the core teaching of Zen. Its about "no" and suggests how we understand "no" may set us free. Free, but from what? Well, now, that's an interesting question. In a way, free from the constraints of mind. In another way, free from our history, our beliefs, and ultimately, free from ourselves.

The sutra alleges that pretty much everything is "empty." Even the quest for enlightenment is "empty." Now, this "emptiness" is quite something. It does not mean "empty" as in my cup is empty of tea. This emptiness is about the relative or "conditioned" nature of existence. All things, everything, exists because the conditions for their existence are present. When these "conditions no longer exist, the thing falls away and returns to the source. Because something has no "permanence" that very thing is "empty." What does any of this mean to us in our everyday lives?

Be careful about what you lean on.

Gassho