Śūnyatā

A form of sunyata — Emptiness, the absence of an intrinsic essence or nature which is stable and separable from other things.

Meanings

nounŚūnyatā (plural Śūnyatās)

plural Śūnyatās

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of sunyata.

    If there is one teaching that is peculiar to Buddhism alone among all the world's religions, I would say it is the principle of Śūnyatā (Voidness or Emptiness).

    1971, Garma C. C. Chang, The Buddhist Teaching of Totality: The Philosophy of Hwa Yen Buddhism, →ISBN, page 60
    2 more examples

    Accordingly, when one awakens to Śūnyatā in everything one is emancipated from the substantialization of and attachment to everything and realizes the independent relationality of everything including oneself.

    1995, Masao Abe, Steven Heine, Buddhism and interfaith dialogue, →ISBN, page 54

    On the intellectual plane śūnyatā is the relativity of all things and conditions, insofar as no thing exists independently in itself, but only in relationship with others and ultimately in relationship to the whole universe.

    2007, Richard Power, Anagarika Brahmacari Govinda, The Lost Teachings of Lama Govinda: Living Wisdom from a Modern Tibetan Master, →ISBN, page 83
Cite this entry
APA

Śūnyatā. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%C5%9A%C5%ABnyat%C4%81

MLA

“Śūnyatā.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%C5%9A%C5%ABnyat%C4%81. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Śūnyatā,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%C5%9A%C5%ABnyat%C4%81.

Source: Śūnyatā on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.