At least in early Buddhism emptiness or voidness are not in the same category as nirvana or liberation. These are specific signifiers that are used to signify transcendence and can stand alone. By contrast, terms like ‘good’, ‘large’ or ‘empty’ cannot stand alone.
In traditional logic such terms as ‘good’, ‘large’ or ‘empty’ are called syncategorematic. Each of these terms must be joined explicitly or implicitly to a “categorematic” term which can stand alone. When joined properly we might get: ‘a good job’, ‘a large tub’ an ‘empty room’. On their own, these terms do not signify. On the other hand, the term ‘nirvana’ has signification.
As a syncategorematic term, the signification of the term ‘empty’ changes depending on what word it is connected with. For example. the Zen term ‘empty mind’ or wu-shin, means that the pure Mind is empty of defilements. Mind empty of defilements is naturally self luminous.
On a somewhat different note, the term, highest emptiness (P., paramanuttara suññatâ) has implicit reference to Mind being totally empty of the flow of sensory desire, becoming and ignorance. When referring to the liberation of Mind/spirit (cetovimutti) that is non-temporal and immovable it is also called the void Mind liberation (suññatâ-cetovimutti).
Turning to another example the Uttaratantra says:
“The Buddha-essence is emptiness of traits of adventitious [defilements] with discriminations, but it is not emptiness of the supreme attributes of Buddhahood.”
If I say that the essence of the Buddha is emptiness, I really mean to say that the essence of the Buddha is empty of defilements. If you’ve personally seen this essence, there are no defilements present whatsoever. It is like an empty house which is present but is empty of furniture, rugs, curtains, etc.
When the Madhyamikas say that all things are unreal like a mirage (which is empty of water although the deluded believe otherwise), this is emptiness of intrinsic nature (svabhâva). Such things are dependently originated (fabrications) which means they lack intrinsic nature. They are empty of it or nihsvabhâva.
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