Emptiness of nonentity
emptiness of nonentity and emptiness that is the very essence of the absence of entity are the 15th and 16th of the sixteen types of emptiness, according to the Madhyāntavibhāga.
The first fourteen of the sixteen types of emptiness mentioned the Madhyāntavibhāga can be combined into these two categories.[1]
The Garland of Radiant Light states:
In this context, the absence of any entity in the form of a personal self or that of any other phenomenon is called (15) "the emptiness of nonentity." Here, the negandum, the two types of self, is negated by elimination. This emptiness, the entity that is the very lack of any entity in the form of the two types of self, is established with determination and exists. This emptiness is different from what was explained previously; it is termed (16) "emptiness that is the very essence of the absence of entity." The former is taught to dispel the superimposition of the two kinds of self, while the latter is taught to dispel the depreciative view that emptiness does not exist.[1]
Thrangu Rinpoche states:
The third set of sixteen emptinesses has two members, which are said to pervade all of the others.
15. The emptiness of phenomena refers to the non-self of persons and the non-self of phenomena. The non-self or egolessness of persons refers to the emptiness of "I" and of "mine" and the non- self of phenomena refers to the emptiness of other phenomena.
16. The emptiness of the non-existence of things refers to the previous emptiness. One might think that the fifteenth emptiness of the non-existence of actualities (the two selflessnesses) were itself some truly existent thing; one might think that emptiness were a nothingness and that nothingness itself were an actuality. Thus one meditates upon this final emptiness in order to realize that the non- existence of the two selves is itself without inherent existence; it has no nature of its own either.
This has been the discussion of the classifications of emptiness, nirvana and liberation. It brings us to the fifth topic of the practice which describes the thoroughly pure, or liberation.[2]
Sanskrit term
The most likely Sanskrit term for "emptiness of nonentity" is abhāva śūnyatā (T. དངོས་པོ་མེད་པའི་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་).[3]
However, the explanation for "emptiness of nonentity" given in this text (Madhyāntavibhāga) differs from the explanation given in the Madhyamakāvatāra.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dharmachakra Translation Committee 2007, "The Characteristics of Emptiness".
- ↑ Thrangu Rinpoche 2000, Chapter 1.
- ↑
དངོས་པོ་མེད་པའི་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་, Christian-Steinert Dictionary
Sources
Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2007), Middle Beyond Extremes: Maitreya's Madhyantavibhaga with Commentaries by Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham, Snow Lion Publications- Thrangu Rinpoche (2000), Distinguishing the Middle from the Extremes. The root text by Maitreya and a Commentary by The Venerable Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, Namo Buddha Publications