Eastern Spirituality

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Śūnyatā (Sanskrit, also shunyata; Pali: suññatā), translated into English as emptiness, voidness, openness, spaciousness, or vacuity, is a Buddhist concept which has multiple meanings depending on its doctrinal context. In Theravada Buddhism, suññatā often refers to the not-self (Pāli: anatta, Sanskrit: anātman) nature of the five aggregates of experience and the six sense spheres. Suññatā is also often used to refer to a meditative state or experience.

Sunyata is a key term in Mahayana Buddhism, and also influenced medieval Hinduism.

Glossary Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z