What does it mean to be empty?
A cautionary tale
Hints of Gladness, February 27, 2023
The trails are frozen making for a bit of a precarious walk this morning. That said, it’s cold and the ground is covered with snow which I get a particular joy in seeing.
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Emptiness
I am contemplating emptiness this morning which I know sends cautionary shivers down the spines of some Christians. I was warned about this by a "well-meaning" Christian on the weekend when I used the word emptiness at a retreat I was co-leading. After their warning, I smiled, thanked them for their feedback, and walked away. I didn’t see the point in discussing it with them and I needed to leave and get to another event.
If I had the time, I would have explained that the meaning of emptiness to me is that all things are empty and without meaning. Practically it means that we won’t find happiness in objects, concepts, perceptions, labels, beliefs, or experiences. All of those things are empty. Happiness and joy surface when we stop looking at these things as a source of happiness and decide to let go. As I once heard, healthy spirituality encourages us to let go. (Richard Rohr)
In the Judeo-Christian way of thinking (it’s not just a Buddhist concept), all things are meaningless; devoid of meaning. In other words, empty as it says in the book of Ecclesiastes. Accordingly, happiness can only be found in letting go of ALL things that we think will make us happy and at the same time being open to the love and care of the God of our understanding.
Quotes
“‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless…’
“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.” - Ecclesiastes 1 NIV
“Emptiness is a mode of perception, a way of looking at experience. It adds nothing to and takes nothing away from, the raw data of physical and mental events. You look at events in the mind and the senses with no thought of whether there’s anything lying behind them.” - Thannisaro Bhikkhu
“Surrender means surrendering who you are not, so that who you really are may emerge. You are not what you think, you are not what you believe, [and] you are not what you like or dislike. Those are the adopted filters…”
- Yogi Amrit Desai
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All right. Time to go home. I feel much better than when I woke up this morning. I woke up in a very self-critical place. A little bit of fresh air, being in nature, and spending some time letting go helped center me.
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May we know the joy and freedom of letting go of our programs for happiness.
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