Buddhist & Taoist Emptiness: Connections
My own feeling is that the emptiness/Shunyata that is spelled out precisely, as a technical term, in Buddhist philosophy, is actually implicit in Taoist practice & world-view. The notion that all phenomena arise as a result of dependent origination is simply assumed by the Taoist emphasis on elemental cycles; on the circulation/transformation of energy-forms in qigong practice; and on our human body as the meeting-place of heaven and earth. It’s also my experience that studying the Buddhist philosophy of emptiness/Shunyata tends to produce states of mind consistent with the Taoist ideals of Wu Wei, Wu Nien and Wu Hsi: a feeling (and actions) of ease, flow and simplicity, as the mind that grasps at things as permanent begins to relax. Nevertheless, the term “emptiness” itself has very distinct meanings in the two traditions of Taoism and Buddhism – which, in the interest of clarity, make good sense to keep in mind.
