Difference between Emptiness and Nibbana

 Welcome to Year 2024! Hope the rest of the year will go smoothly for everyone. Let us start the year with a teaching by Luang Por Jamnian. It is on the difference between emptiness and Nibbana. If you search YouTube on Luang Por Jamnian, this topic is mentioned in one of his Dhamma talks, although not entire talk is on this topic. 

In one of Luang Por Jamnian’s teachings, whereby he was asked by a member of his audience a question on emptiness and Nibbana. From the way the question was asked, I can tell that he comes from Mahayana background with many concepts of Emptiness from Mahayana teachings. In this case, he is referring to Sunyata. He was saying something about achieving Sunyata, which to him is having transcended likes and dislikes, pleasures and displeasures, i.e. extremes. He was wondering is that not Upekkha (equanimity). But Luang Por Jamnian explained that Upekkha is neither likes not dislikes, and indeed not being attached in the extreme states/conditions, but that does not mean one who has achieved Upekkha, which is in the state of equanimity. The man thought that the state of Sunyata is one of the qualities of Nibbana (or Nirvana) or at least a stepping stone to the state of Nibbana. In my understanding, Mahayana’s Sunyata is a state of having transcended Samsara and Nibbana. But Luang Por Jamnian clarified that in actual fact Sunyata is a state of voidness, i.e. nothing is there. He gave the example of in between the stars of the universe, that is voidness. Another example is when the air inside a container is sucked out, then inside it would be voidness. Whereas, in the state of Nibbana, Luang Por clarified, there is still a state of pure consciousness that is not attached to the objects of knowing or defiled by anything. So, it’s not like there is nothing anymore, like Sunyata. Please note that any mistakes in interpretation of Luang Por's teachings is mine.

The below paragraphs are my own opinion. 

It should be pointed out that various schools of Buddhism throughout time had debated on this subject of Sunyata. Each school tried to outdo the others by claiming their Sunyata is a more correct Sunyata than the others. They say, “Your sunyata still has something there, not quite empty”. But yet, they also do not want to be accused of being nihilistic. So, even in Prasangika school, the state of Sunyata is just stated as a “not this, not that” (negation), i.e. instead of “it is this, it is that” (affirmation). It is explained that it is not totally empty because all things function due to dependent origination. So, from Lung Por’s teachings, it is obvious that achieving the state of emptiness is not the main criteria of full enlightenment. Rather it is the state of purity from defilements and not attaching to whatever arises or ceases. 

In some Mahayana schools, indeed, they even teach meditation on how to abide in emptiness. But I understand now that abiding in emptiness meditation was not something taught by the Buddha (i.e. the historical Buddha). He taught us that all compounded phenomena is impermanent, unsatisfactory and empty of self. He did not request us to abide and stay in emptiness. Do you see the difference now? Bhante Phra Ek said that if we meditate on emptiness, then we are effectively building a cocoon of empty space around us. Then when we see emptiness around us, we think that we have achieved the highest state. But this is a deception achieved by fools that falsely build voidness around their mind states. Although we can see things as empty, there is still this world we live in. There is still experiences. But if we surround ourselves with emptiness, with continuous meditation on emptiness, then ultimately we cannot experience anything, nor do we see any external objects. We will then live in a bubble of emptiness. Even we become empty. Then we will think we have achieved the ultimate state of nature. But alas! That is only the self-created emptiness due to your own meditation induced emptiness. I noted some changes in my own understanding of emptiness. You may compare yourself between my understanding of Luang Por's teaching in this blogpost and the previous ones.  

If you wish to reach more on emptiness, this is another blog post - https://buddha-and-me.blogspot.com/2010/04/what-is-buddha-nature.html

#emptiness #nibbana #luangporjamnian