reading lists

Buddhism: Emptiness

The most profound and radical teachings of Buddhism are those related to the rather obtuse-sounding notion of 'emptiness'. These books help to explain what this means, why it is so important to the path to liberation, and (most importantly) offer practical means to realise emptiness for oneself.

 
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An introduction to emptiness
by guy newland

This short book is a great place to start your explorations of emptiness. Newland succinctly explains the philosophical meaning of the term, largely from the perspective of Tibetan Buddhism.

 
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Seeing that frees: meditations on emptiness and dependent arising
by Rob BURBEA

If you read one book on emptiness, make it this one. Rob Burbea expertly guides the reader through deeper and deeper understandings of emptiness, with an emphasis on meditative practice and insight, continually emphasizing that these teachings are not mere philosophical curios but pragmatic means to liberation and a more open and ethical life.

 
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Insight into emptiness
by Khensur Jampa Tegchok

A dense but well-written and lucid explanation of emptiness from a systematic Tibetan perspective.

 
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Emptiness: a practical guide for meditators
by guy armstrong

Like Burbea, Armstrong is a long-term practitioner in the Insight Meditation tradition, that is largely inspired by Theravada Buddhism. In this book, Armstrong develops a practical approach to emptiness that is aimed at meditators who have mainly been practicising mindfulness.
 

 
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nagarjuna's middle way: mulamadyamakakarika
translated and with a commentary by mark siderits and shoryu katsura

The fourth-century Indian philosopher Nagarjuna has a credible claim to be the most important Buddhist thinker after the Buddha himself. Certainly, this text - the Mulamadyamaakakarika - is the foundational text for understanding emptiness from a philosophical perspective. In this edition, Siderits and Katsura provide both the Sanskrit text and an English translation, interspersed with a commentary that amalgamates the reflections of later Buddhist philosophers, such as Candrakirti and Buddhapalita.
 

 
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nagarjuna's madyamaka: a philosophical introduction
by Jan Westerhoff

This book is an excellent read once you've digested Siderits and Katsura's translation of Nagarjuna. Westerhoff is a wonderful writer: somehow he manages to convey the most difficult philosophical ideas in clear and engaging prose.

 
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personal identity and Buddhist philosophy: empty persons (2nd edition)
by mark siderits

In this book, Siderits attempts a justification of several Buddhist teachings relating to emptiness. First, he makes a case for reductionism about persons - the argument that what we call a person can be reduced to the elements that make a person up. This is a teaching known as anatta or 'not-self' in early Buddhism and in the Buddhist psychological teachings known as Abhidharma. Siderits then proceeds to make an even more audacious claim: not only are persons not ultimately real, the notion of ultimate truth itself is a flawed and unworkable concept. There is, he argues, no ultimate truth about the way things are (and that's the ultimate truth!).