nyat

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"Sunyata" redirects here. For other uses, see Sunyata (disambiguation).

Translations of

nyat
English: emptiness, voidness, openness, thusness, etc.

Pali:

suat

Sanskrit:

nyat, shunyata (Dev: )

Chinese:

(pinyin: Kng)

Japanese:

(rmaji: K)

Korean:

( (RR: gong-seong)

Mongolian:

qousun

Tibetan:

(Wylie: stong-pa nyid THL: tongpa nyi)

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nyat, (Sanskrit, also shunyata; Pali: suat), in Buddhism, translated into English asemptiness, voidness[1], openness[2], spaciousness, thusness, is a Buddhist concept which has multiple meanings depending on its doctrinal context. In Mahayana Buddhism, it often refers to the absence of inherent essence in all phenomena. In Theravada Buddhism, suat often refers to the not-self(Pli: anatta, Sanskrit: antman)[note 1] nature of the five aggregates of experience and the six sense spheres. Suat is also often used to refer to a meditative state or experience.

Contents
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1 Etymology 2 Development of the concept

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2.1 Pali Canon 2.2 Prajna-paramita Sutras 2.3 Mdhyamaka

2.3.1 Nagarjuna 2.3.2 Prasagika 2.3.3 Svatantrika 2.3.4 Nihilism and eternalism

3 Understanding in various Buddhist traditions

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3.1 Theravada 3.2 Buddha-nature

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3.2.1 Srimala Sutra 3.2.2 Mahparinirva Stra 3.2.3 Scholarly opinions

3.3 Yogacara 3.4 Tibetan Buddhism

3.4.1 Sakya 3.4.2 Jonang 3.4.3 Gelugpa 3.4.4 Bon

3.5 Chinese Buddhism

3.5.1 Chn

4 Influence on Advaita Vedanta 5 Alternate translations 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References 9 Sources

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9.1 Primary 9.2 Secondary

10 External links

Etymology[edit source | editbeta]

"nyat" (Sanskrit noun from the adj. nya: "zero, nothing") is usually translated as "emptiness". It is the noun form of the adjective "nya" (Sanskrit) which means "empty" or "void",[4] hence "empti"-"ness" (-t). Sunya comes from the root svi, meaning "swollen", plus -ta "-ness", therefore "hollow, hollowness". A common alternative term is "voidness". This word is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo European root grow'.
[5]

u- which means 'to swell' and also 'to

Development of the concept[edit source | editbeta]

Over time, many different philosophical schools or tenet-systems (Sanskrit: siddhnta)[6] have developed within Buddhism in an effort to explain the exact philosophical meaning of emptiness. After the Buddha, emptiness was further developed by Ngrjuna and the Mdhyamaka school, an early Mahyna school. Emptiness ("positively" interpreted) is also an important element of the Buddha nature literature, which played a formative role in the evolution of subsequent Mahy na doctrine and practice.

Pali Canon[edit source | editbeta]

A simile from the Pali scriptures (SN 22.95) compares form and feelings with foam and bubbles.

The Pali canon uses the term emptiness in three ways: "(1) as a meditative dwelling, (2) as an attribute of objects, and (3) as a type of awareness-release." [7] The Sua Sutta,[8] part of the Pli canon, relates that the monk nanda, Buddha's attendant asked, It is said that the world is empty, the world is empty, lord. In what respect is it said that the world is empty?" The Buddha replied, "Insofar as it is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self: Thus it is said, nanda, that the world is empty.

Tibetan king Khri srong lde btsan (742797) invited the Chan master Mo Ho Yen () (whose name consists of the same Chinese characters used to transliterate Mahayana) (Tibetan: Hwa shang Mahayana) to transmit the Dharma at Samye Monastery. Mo-ho-yen had been disseminating Dharma in the Tun-huang locale, but, according to Tibetan sources, lost an important philosophical debate on the nature of emptiness with the Indian master Kamalala, and the king declared Kamalala's philosophy should form the basis for Tibetan Buddhism.[46][47] Kamalala wrote the three Bhvankrama texts () after that. However, a Chinese source found in Dunhuang written by Mo-ho-yen says their side won, and some scholars conclude that the entire episode is fictitious.[48][49] Pioneering Buddhologist Giuseppe Tucci speculated that Hwashang's ideas were preserved by the Nyingmapas in the form of dzogchen teachings.[50] According to A. W. Barber of the University of Calgary,[51] Chan Buddhism was introduced to the Nyingmapa in three principal streams: the teachings of Korean Master Kim, Kim Ho-shang, (Chin ho shang) transmitted by Sang Shi[52] in ca. 750 AD; the lineage of Master Wu Chu () of the Pao T'ang School was transmitted within Tibet by Ye-shes Wangpo; and the teaching from Mo-ho-yen, that were a synthesis of the Northern School of Chan and the Pao T'ang School.[53] John Myrdhin Reynolds and Sam van Schaik hold a very different point of view. Reynolds

states "Except for a brief flirtation with Ch'an in the early days of Buddhism in Tibet in the eighth century, the Tibetans exhibited almost no interest at all in Chinese Buddhism, except for translating a few Sutras from Chinese for which they did not possess Indian originals."[54] Schaik emphasises that Chan and Dzogchen are based on two different classes of scripture, Chan being based on sutras, while Dzogchen being based on tantras.[55]Schaik further states "apparent similarities can be misleading."[55] Whichever may be the case, Tibetan Buddhists today trace their spiritual roots to Indian masters such as Padmasambhva, Atia, Tilopa, Naropaand their later Tibetan students.

Later history[edit source | editbeta]

Atia

From the outset Buddhism was opposed by the native shamanistic Bn religion, which had the support of the aristocracy, but with royal patronage it thrived to a peak under King Rlpachn (817-836). Terminology in translation was standardised around 825, enabling a translation methodology that was highly literal. Despite a reversal in Buddhist influence which began under King Langdarma (836-842), the following centuries saw a colossal effort in collecting available Indian sources, many of which are now extant only in Tibetan translation. Tibetan Buddhism exerted a strong influence from the 11th century AD among the peoples of Inner Asia, especially the Mongols. It was adopted as an official state religion by the Mongol Yuan dynastyand the Manchu Qing dynasty that ruled China. The Mongols may have been attracted to the Lamaist tradition and responded the way they did due to the Lamaist's superficial culture similarities with the Mongol's shamanist culture. Even with this attraction, however, the Mongols "paid little attention to the fine points of Buddhist doctrine."[56] Coinciding with the early discoveries of "hidden treasures" (terma),[57] the 11th century saw a revival of Buddhist influence originating in the far east and far west of Tibet.[58] In the west, Rinchen Zangpo (958-1055) was active as a translator and founded temples and monasteries. Prominent scholars and teachers were again invited from India. In 1042 Atiaarrived in Tibet at the invitation of a west Tibetan king. This renowned exponent of the Pla form of Buddhism from the Indian university ofVikramala later moved to central Tibet. There his chief disciple, Dromtonpa founded the Kadampa school of Tibetan Buddhism, under whose influence the New Translation schools of today evolved.

Schools[edit source | editbeta]

Genealogy of Tibetan Buddhist schools

Sakya Pandita

Kalu Rinpoche (right) and Lama Denys at Karma Ling Institute in Savoy

Tibetan Buddhism has four main traditions. They display a marked degree of overlap so that, "about eighty percent or more of the features of the Tibetan schools are the same".[59] Differences include use of apparently, but not actually, contradictory terminology, opening dedications of texts to different deities and whether phoenomena are described from the viewpoint of an unelightened practitioner or of a Buddha. [59]The fifteenth Dalai Lama explains that "there are no fundamental philosophical differences between them." [60]

Nyingma(pa),[61] the Ancient Ones. This is the oldest, the original order founded by Padmasambhvaand ntarakita.[62] Whereas other schools categorize their teachings into the three vehicles: The Foundation Vehicle, Mahyna and Vajrayna, the Nyingma tradition classifies its into nine vehicles, among the highest of which is that known as Atiyoga or Dzogchen (Great Perfection).[63] Hidden treasures (terma) are of particular significance to this tradition.

Kagyu(pa), Lineage of the (Buddha's) Word. This is an oral tradition which is very much concerned with the experiential dimension of meditation. Its most famous exponent was Milarepa, an 11th-century mystic. It contains one major and one minor subsect. The first, the Dagpo Kagyu, encompasses those Kagyu schools that trace back to the Indian master Naropa via Marpa, Milarepa and Gampopa[62] and consists of four major sub-sects: the Karma Kagyu, headed by a Karmapa, the Tsalpa Kagyu, the Barom Kagyu, and Pagtru Kagyu. There are a further eight minor sub-sects, all of which trace their root to Pagtru Kagyu and the most notable of which are the Drikung Kagyu and the Drukpa Kagyu. The once-obscureShangpa Kagyu, which was famously represented by the 20th century teacher Kalu Rinpoche, traces its history back to the Indian master Naropa via Niguma, Sukhasiddhi and Kyungpo Neljor.[62]

Sakya(pa), Grey Earth. This school very much represents the scholarly tradition. Headed by the Sakya Trizin, this tradition was founded by Khon Konchog Gyalpo, a disciple of the great translator Drokmi Lotsawa and traces its lineage to the Indian master Virupa.[62] A renowned exponent, Sakya Pandita(1182 1251CE) was the great grandson of Khon Konchog Gyalpo.

Gelug(pa), Way of Virtue. Originally a reformist movement, this tradition is particularly known for its emphasis on logic and debate. Its spiritual head is the Ganden Tripa and its temporal one the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama is regarded as the embodiment of the Bodhisattva of Compassion.[64]Successive Dalai Lamas ruled Tibet from the mid-17th to mid-20th centuries. The order was founded in the 14th to 15th century by Je Tsongkhapa, renowned for both his scholasticism and his virtue.

These major schools are sometimes said to constitute the Old Translation and New Translation traditions, the latter following from the historical Kadampa lineage of translations and tantric lineages. Another common but absolutely meaningless differentiation is into "Red Hat" and "Yellow Hat" schools. The correspondences are as follows: