Emptiness (Śūnyatā)

Our perception of the external world, the various names and appearances, are all established provisionally (*pragmatically designated*) through “conventional designation” (*prājñapti*, 假名, conceptual imputation). These are labels temporarily applied for the sake of human communication and understanding, but they do not represent the ultimate reality of phenomena. All phenomena come into being through dependent origination (*pratītya-samutpāda*) and karmic conditions; as these conditions disperse, things cease to exist—they have no independent, inherent existence (*svabhāva*), and are ultimately empty (*śūnyatā*).

Here, “emptiness” (*śūnyatā*) does not mean that the world is a nonentity or void; rather, it means that all stories and concepts formed by language, script, and symbols are merely conventional agreements constructed by human minds. Names and marks (*nāma-rūpa*, 名相) are subject to constant change according to causes and conditions; they are transient and are the collective consensus established through language, script, and sign—thus, they are an expression of collective karma (*shared karma*, 共業).

As stated in the Diamond Sutra: “All appearances are illusory and unreal” (“All forms are but illusions” — 凡所有相，皆是虛妄), and as Nāgārjuna Bodhisattva points out in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way): “Whatever is dependently arisen, That is explained to be emptiness. That, being a dependent designation, Is itself the middle way.” (“That which arises dependently, I declare to be empty; That is merely a conventional designation; That itself is the Middle Path.” — 因緣所生法，我說即是空，亦為假名，亦是中道義.) These profound teachings illustrate that all dharmas—whether external phenomena or internal experiences—are essentially “conventional designations” (*prajñapti*), lacking any permanent, unchanging, or intrinsic nature.

This perspective applies not only to the myriad external phenomena but also extends to ethical, moral, and legal systems. All codes of conduct, ethical principles, and legal norms are, in essence, artificial rules established to address social needs and maintain harmony and stability. As such, they, too, are shaped by the aggregation of conditions such as historical context, culture, and social environment, and are fundamentally “conventional designations” (*prajñapti*), possessing neither absoluteness nor eternality.

Realizing this helps us perceive the provisional nature of order and rationality in daily life, preventing us from becoming attached to form and convention. It fosters a rational and tolerant attitude and enables the practice of Buddhist wisdom—understanding the interdependence and emptiness of all phenomena (*dependent origination and emptiness of inherent existence*, 緣起性空), and neither clinging to existence nor non-existence.

If this profound doctrine and practice can be integrated into real life, man-made systems, morals, and ethics, we can let go of attachment and discrimination, recognizing that everything is merely a temporary convention arising from the convergence of causes and conditions. Thus, we can live freely and at ease in the world, using the wisdom of emptiness (*śūnyatā*) to reduce afflictions, increase understanding and harmony, and realize a way of life that transcends names and forms, abiding in the Middle Way (*madhyamā-pratipad*).