Shoonya

[Jitendra Hydonus]

This term reminds me of what in the west and in science as; dark matter.

Shoonya Emptiness

Introduction by VIPUL RIKHI, Ajab Shahar Team
Shoonya is literally zero in the Indian numbering system, the place from which all things begin. It is also a term in Buddhist thought, usually translated as emptiness or nothingness. In Sanskrit, one of its primary meanings is empty space or void.

Specifically in the Buddhist tradition, it refers to being empty or devoid of a self (‘anatta’ or ‘anatma’, that is, non-self). This view denies the essential existence of any particular thing or phenomenon – nothing exists by itself, or can be defined by itself, but only in relation to other things. This is also called the doctrine of dependent origination.

To our modern minds, any talk of emptiness or non-self may seem rather dire, but for Bhakti poets ‘shoonya’ is very much a state/place to be aspired to and celebrated. It could be worthwhile to reflect on how such a view of life and self can be freeing instead of depressing. In several of his poems, Kabir empties out the universe, evoking a land and self free from the limitations of form.