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The most coherent critique of emptiness as a cornerstone concept in Buddhism is that it minimizes the very real challenges of our lives, and at its worst can support a quietistic non-engagement that can seem almost nihilistic. I wonder if this is partly a symptom of our growing awareness of oppression and injustice combined with the sense of empowerment born of living in somewhat more democratic states where social action actually has a chance of leading to real cultural change.

Buddhist writing from Ruth Fuller Sasaki’s translations of Rinzai (“the true Man of No Rank, what a sh*t-wiping stick he is!”) through Ayya Khema’s German Theravāda mysticism (Being Nobody, Going Nowhere) taught freedom from ambition and goal as the heart of both meditation and the path. This theology depends profoundly on the concept of emptiness. It also may reflect the intermingling of emptiness with other philosophical ideas, including Taoist nature mysticism on the part of Zen, and German idealism for Khema and other Theravāda modernists.

It’s important to feel how far the mystical non-dualism of these traditions evolved from the meditative heart of Theravāda and Prajñāpāramitā concepts of emptiness. It is this non-dual discourse that underpins much contemporary Buddhist advice for everyday life. Originally, emptiness was a much more specific non-dual meditative state, having nothing to do with non-dual approaches to ordinary stress. So if we are going to call on the doctrine of emptiness as a skillful means on our path now, how do we avoid the pitfall of nihilism and spiritual bypass that is so common in contemporary non-dual discourse? I’ll explore this tonight, probably touching on the relationship of equanimity to meditative states of profound silence, and what succor nondual doctrines might more appropriately offer us in lives where the conditions for meditative serenity are profoundly lacking.

SEAN OAKES
Sean Feit Oakes, PhD (he/they, queer, Puerto Rican & English, living on Pomo ancestral land in Northern California), teaches Buddhism and somatic practice focusing on the integration of meditation, trauma resolution, and social justice. He received Insight Meditation teaching authorization from Jack Kornfield, and wrote his dissertation on extraordinary states in Buddhist meditation and experimental dance. Sean holds certifications in Somatic Experiencing (SEP, assistant), and Yoga (E-RYT 500, YACEP), and teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, East Bay Meditation Center, Insight Timer, and elsewhere.

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Blessings on your path.