What is Emptiness in Taoism? 什么是虚
Paul PengWhat is Emptiness in Taoism?
A fundamental concept in the philosophy of Daoism and Taoist religion, as well as in Internal Alchemy. It refers to the state of the boundless void—formless and featureless—that existed before the creation of the universe.
The Guanzi·Xin Shu states: "The way of heaven is empty and formless" and "Emptiness is the beginning of all things". Daoist thinkers used emptiness to describe the essence of the The Dao, defining it as an immaterial state of voidness.
What is Emptiness in Taoism?
The Zhong He Ji notes: "Thus we know that emptiness is the essence of the great Dao, the beginning of heaven and earth. Motion and stillness arise from it, yin and yang are established by it, and all things are born of it. Therefore, emptiness is the foundation of all under heaven." For this reason, Taoist philosophy and Internal Alchemy also regard emptiness as the primal state of the universe and the supreme realm of cultivation. The Chang Dao Zhen Yan states: "To refine emptiness is to unify the emptiness of the yang spirit with the emptiness of the boundless void, merging them into an inseparable whole—this is what is meant by 'the body and spirit both achieving subtle transcendence, and uniting with the The Dao to attain true reality'." The state of emptiness is a realm of void that is clear and luminous, unborn and imperishable, neither existing nor non-existing, eternal and abiding—a state of true void and wonderful existence.Taoist scriptures such as the Dao De Jing contain teachings like "Reach the utmost of emptiness and hold fast to the perfection of stillness", "Only the Dao abides in emptiness", and "If one can rid the mind of all thoughts within, the innate true nature will be empty and void of itself". All these describe emptiness from the perspectives of cosmology or the theory of body and spirit, regarding it as the ultimate state of the universe and the spirit.
