Emptiness And Suchness Analysis

Professor Masao’s article, Emptiness is Suchness had some very insightful points of views regarding exactly what emptiness and suchness are, as well as the term “everything is empty.” He had a different way of explaining these concepts that helped to make sense and grasp a better understanding of some pretty deep and complex beliefs. The comparisons he used throughout the text, especially the ones that pertained to Christianity, really help the reader to make important connections and understand key points. The terms Emptiness and Suchness are vague and sort of confusing if you do not practice Buddhism or keep up with their beliefs. For someone of a different and more westernized religious background, this could be hard to fully understand or appreciate. However, the way in which Masao goes about explanation is extremely insightful. He starts out by saying that the term, “everything is empty,” tends to be misleading, I for one would agree with this statement. When first hearing the term I …show more content…
In fact, the more modest these things are the better. By getting rid of such luxuries one gets rid of their ego and is then closer to enlightenment. Ego is a power thing in today’s modern society, we care a lot about material things and we are constantly comparing ourselves to others who have bigger and better things. When we don’t have what someone else has, we feel like less of a person. It should not be this way, a person should be judged on character and morals before what physical items they possess and I fully agree with this simple Buddhist belief. By getting rid of ego and other anxieties, one can focus on the truth and come closer to a state of as it is-ness. Masao did a great job of explaining such a simple concept, but when you really study and analyze it, it’s an extremely complex goal for human beings to