Application of Emptiness in Modern Science

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    Applied Buddhism:

    Application of

    Emptiness in

    Modern Science

    Ankur Barua, M.A. Basilio

    Hong Kong, 2009

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    Background: Dr. Ankur Barua had graduated with distinction

    from the University of Hong Kong (MBuddStud, 2009). He had

    also completed two other Master Degrees, one from Sikkim

    Manipal University (MBAIT, 2007) while the other from Manipal

    University (MBBS-2000, MD in Community Medicine - 2003) and

    presently working in professional field. Ms. M.A. Basilio is a

    nursing professional who has also a keen passion for

    conducting research on religion and science.

    First Publication on 26th October 2009

    Buddhist Door, Tung Lin Kok Yuen, Hong Kong

    Copyright Ankur Barua and M.A.Basilio

    Communication Address of Corresponding Author:

    Dr. ANKUR BARUA

    Block EE, No.-80, Flat No.-2A,

    Salt Lake City, Sector-2,

    Kolkata - 700091, West Bengal, INDIA.

    Email: [email protected]

    Mobile: +91-9434485543 (India), +852-96195078 (Hong

    Kong)

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    Contents

    Items Page

    No.

    Acknowledgements 04

    Preface

    05

    The Concept of Applied Buddhism

    06

    Relationship between Emptiness and Dependent

    Origination 13

    The Concept of Emptiness of Matter in Modern Science

    31

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    Acknowledgements

    The authors would like to extend their sincere thanks to Ven.

    Dr. Jing Yin, Professor of Buddhist Studies and Director of the

    Centre of Buddhist Studies in the University of Hong Kong for

    his kind support, inspiration, encouragement and timely advice

    during the compilation of this book.

    The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude and

    indebtedness to Prof. Y. Karunadasa and Ven. Dr. Guang

    Xing, the eminent professors at the Centre of Buddhist Studies

    in the University of Hong Kong for their constant

    encouragement, constructive criticism, personal attention and

    valuable guidance throughout this work.

    The authors would also like to acknowledge gratefully Dr.

    Dipak Kumar Barua, who was the earlier Dean of the Faculty

    Council for Postgraduate Studies in Education, Journalism &

    Library Science in the University of Calcutta (1987-1991) and

    the Director of Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda (1996-1999)

    for his technical guidance and valuable advice on various

    aspects of this project.

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    Preface

    Applied Buddhism is the foundation of our true

    understanding of all the events occurring in nature. The

    term Applied Buddhism explains how every person can

    relate Buddhist ideas in his or her daily life and in

    profession.This book is a humble endeavour to motivate

    the new learners and provide them first-hand guidance

    on the vastness of the Philosophical approach of

    Buddhism. This book is a simplified version and provides

    guidance on how to apply the principles of the Doctrine

    of the Buddha in our day to day life in an effective

    manner.

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    The Concept of Applied

    Buddhism

    Introduction

    Applied Buddhism is the application of Buddhist

    teachings in our daily life. It is a broad umbrella

    under which all the essential aspects of life such as

    physical, mental, social and spiritual wellbeing as

    well as philosophical, bioethical, financial and

    modern scientific aspects could be incorporated.

    This includes the Buddhist ideas practiced by the

    three major schools of Buddhist thoughts in modern

    era, namely the Theravada, Mahyna and

    Vajrayana / Tantrayana (Tibetan) traditions. Apart

    from the commonly discussed philosophical and

    psychological aspects, more emphasis is given here

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    on the traditional culture and social aspects of

    Buddhism.

    1

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    Applied Buddhism also shares valuable

    information on Buddhist contributions to modern

    science, health and wellbeing. As our concept of

    wellbeing is directly related to our mental and

    spiritual health, Buddhist Meditational practices are

    given the prime importance for prevention of

    mental illnesses and recommended for

    incorporation in the regimen of regular

    psychotherapy and in primary and secondary school

    curriculum as a part of primordial prevention.1

    Importance of Applied Buddhism

    Without disrespecting the significance of religious

    rituals, the myths and beliefs and traditional local

    ceremonial practices related to Buddhism are

    however, carefully extracted and excluded from this

    domain of Applied Buddhism.

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    This is intentionally done in order to make the

    Buddhist ideas more acceptable to people

    belonging other religious realms and cultural

    backgrounds. The idea behind this is to enable

    people practice Buddhism without being converted

    into a Buddhist. One should understand that

    Buddhism is not just a religion, but a way of life.1

    In order to incorporate Buddhist ideas in daily life,

    one need not give up his or her own religion. Just

    that one can remain spiritual without being

    religious, in the same way; one can practice

    Buddhist teachings without formally being a

    Buddhist.1

    Applied Aspect of Buddhism: Integration of

    Buddhist Philosophy with Activities in Daily

    Life1,2

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    Thus, the term Applied Buddhism explains how

    every person can relate Buddhist ideas in his or her

    daily life and in profession. The main focus of this

    new concept is to diffuse the teachings of the

    Buddha in every nook and corner of the society, so

    that all sentient beings, irrespective of their

    religion, culture and creed can benefit from it.

    In recent times, some of the new concepts that

    have evolved in Buddhism are Engaged Buddhism,

    Social Buddhism, Socially Engaged Buddhism and

    Green Buddhism. Like the String Theory of

    quantum physics, Applied Buddhism is an effort

    to integrate all these scattered aspects of Buddhism

    under one single and unified concept in order to

    make it more appealing to the global community.

    Through this Applied Buddhism, one should be able

    to follow Buddhism without being a Buddhist.

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    Evolution of the Concept of Applied

    Buddhism

    1,2

    The term Applied Buddhism was first coined by an

    eminent Buddhist Scholar from India, Dr. Dipak

    Kumar Barua. He was the elected Dean of the

    Faculty Council for Postgraduate Studies in

    Education, Journalism & Library Science in the

    University of Calcutta, West Bengal, India (1987-

    1991) and the Director of Nava Nalanda

    Mahavihara, Nalanda (a Deemed University) in

    Nalanda, Bihar, India (1996-1999). He had

    discussed at length about this new concept of

    Applied Buddhism in his Book entitled, Applied

    Buddhism: Studies in the Gospel of Buddha from

    Modern Perspectives. This book was first published

    during the year 2005 by the Centre of Buddhist

    Studies, under the aegis of the Department of Pali

    and Buddhist Studies of the Banaras Hindu

    University in India.

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    However, due to limited publications and restricted

    circulation of this book within the country, the new

    concept of Applied Buddhism could not be

    popularized outside India for quite some time.

    However, during the later years, this new concept

    was widely appreciated by the renowned scholars in

    various intellectual forums throughout the world.

    The common people from varied religious

    background also found comfort in easy

    understanding of the principle teachings of the

    Buddha.

    Conclusion

    This new concept of the applied aspect of Buddhism

    is destined to bridge the gap of understanding that

    exists due to misinterpretation of the teachings of

    the Buddha by people belonging to diverse religious

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    backgrounds. Once popularized and accepted, it

    would pave the way in promoting peace and

    harmony in the society. Applied Buddhism is also a

    noble endeavor to integrate the Buddhist

    philosophy with modern science and technology.

    This applied philosophy is an integral part of our

    daily life and is expected to be accepted by

    everyone without any discrimination.

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    References

    1. Barua, A., Basilio, M.A. 2009. Applied

    Buddhism in Modern Science: Episode 1.

    Hong Kong: Buddhist Door, Tung Lin Kok

    Yuen & Unibook Publications.

    2. Barua, D.K. 2005. Environment & Human

    Resources: Buddhist Approaches. Applied

    Buddhism: Studies in the Gospel of Buddha

    from Modern Perspectives. . Varanasi, India:

    Centre for Buddhist Studies, Department of

    Pali & Buddhist Studies, Benaras Hindu

    University: 90-6.

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    Relationship between

    Emptiness and Dependent

    Origination

    Introduction

    In early Buddhism, the term suat or nyat

    is used primarily in connection with the no-self

    (anatman) doctrine to denote that the Five

    Aggregates (skandhas) are empty of the

    permanent self or soul which is erroneously

    imputed to them.1

    The doctrine of emptiness, however, received its

    fullest elaboration by Ngrjuna, who wielded it

    skillfully to destroy the substantiality conceptions of

    the Abhidharma schools of the Theravda. Since

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    there cannot be anything that is not the Buddha-

    nature (buddhat), all that appears is in truth

    devoid of characteristics.1,2

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    The doctrine of emptiness is the central tenet of the

    Mdhyamaka School. A statement of Ngrjuna's

    views in support of it may be found in his Mla-

    Mdhyamaka-Nrik.1,2

    Ngrjuna is regarded as the founder of the

    Madhyamaka school of Mahyna Buddhist

    philosophy which he had established during the 2nd-

    3rd Century A.D. The Mulamadhyamaka-Karika

    ("Fundamentals of the Middle Way") is his major

    work. It was originally composed in Sanskrit. The

    Sanskrit as well as early Tibetan versions of the

    work had survived without significant damage over

    the ages along with the later Chinese translations.

    Several complete English translations of the Karika

    are available in recent times.1,2

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    Emptiness thus becomes a fundamental

    characteristic of Mahyna Buddhism. The teaching

    is subtle and its precise formulation a matter of

    sophisticated debate, since the slightest

    misunderstanding is said to obstruct progress

    towards final liberation. Emptiness is never a

    generalized vacuity, like an empty room, but always

    relates to a specific entity whose emptiness is being

    asserted. In this way up to twenty kinds of

    emptiness are recognized, including the emptiness

    of emptiness. The necessary indiscoverability is the

    essence of emptiness of Mdhyamika. It is

    important to distinguish this emptiness from

    nihilism.1,2,3

    The Buddhist notion of emptiness is often

    misunderstood as nihilism. Unfortunately, 19th

    century Western philosophy has contributed much

    to this misrepresentation. However, the only thing

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    that nihilism and the teaching of emptiness can be

    said to have in common is a skeptical outset.

    Nihilism concludes that reality is unknowable, that

    nothing exists, that nothing meaningful can be

    communicated about the world. The Buddhist

    notion of emptiness is just the opposite. It states

    that the ultimate reality is knowable, there is a

    clear-cut ontological basis for phenomena and we

    can communicate and derive useful knowledge

    from it about the world. Emptiness (nyat) must

    not be confused with nothingness. Emptiness is not

    non-existence and it is not non-reality.1,2,3,4

    However, in Yogcra (Vijnavda), emptiness is

    taught as the inability to think of an object apart

    from the consciousness which thinks of that object,

    i.e. the necessary indissolubility of subject and

    object in the process of knowing is the concept of

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    emptiness in Yogcra. It is important to distinguish

    this from idealism and solipsism.

    1

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    The Concept of Emptiness3,4,5

    In order to understand the philosophical meaning

    of the term emptiness (nyat ), let us take a

    simple solid object, such as a bowl. We usually say

    that a bowl is empty if it does not contain any liquid

    or solid. This is the ordinary meaning of emptiness.

    But a bowl empty of liquids or solids is still full of

    air. To be precise, we must therefore state what the

    bowl is empty or devoid of. A bowl in a vacuum

    does not contain any air, but it still contains space,

    light, radiation, as well as its own substance. Hence,

    from a physical point of view, the bowl is always full

    of something. But from the Buddhist point of view,

    the bowl is always empty. The Buddhist

    understanding of emptiness is different from the

    physical meaning. The bowl being empty means

    that it is devoid of inherent existence.

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    The Concept of Non-inherent Existence

    Though from the Buddhist point of view everything

    is impermanent, but this does not mean that the

    bowl is non-existent. The bowl actually exists, but

    like everything in this world, its existence depends

    on other phenomena. There is nothing in a bowl

    that is inherent to that specific bowl in general.

    Properties such as being hollow, spherical,

    cylindrical or leak-proof are not intrinsic to bowls.

    Other objects which are not bowls have similar

    properties, as for example, vases and glasses. The

    bowl's properties and components are neither bowls

    themselves nor do they imply our perception of

    bowl on their own. The material is not the bowl. The

    shape is not the bowl. The function is not the bowl.

    Only all these aspects together make up the bowl.

    Hence, we can say that for an object to be a bowl

    we require a collection of specific conditions to

    exist. It depends on the combination of function,

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    use, shape, base material and the bowl's other

    aspects.

    3,4,5,6

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    Only if all these conditions exist simultaneously

    does the mind impute the label of a bowl to the

    object. If one condition ceases to exist, for instance,

    if the bowl's shape is altered by breaking it, the

    bowl forfeits some or all of its attributes and our

    mind cannot perceive it as a bowl anymore. The

    bowl's existence thus depends on external

    circumstances. Its physical essence remains

    elusive.3,4,5,6

    It is our mind that perceives properties of an object

    and imputes attributes such as bowl onto one

    object and table onto another. It is the mind that

    thinks "bowl" and "table". Apparently, the mind

    does not perceive bowls and tables if there is no

    visual and tactile sensation. However, there cannot

    be visual and tactile sensation if there is no physical

    object. The perception thus depends on the

    presence of sensations, which in turn relies on the

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    presence of the physical object. We must

    understand that the bowl's essence is not in the

    mind, also it is never found in the physical object.

    Obviously, its essence is neither physical nor

    mental. As the essence of an object cannot be

    found either in our external world or in our mind, we

    must conclude that the objects of perception have

    therefore no inherent existence. 3,4,5,6

    If this is the case for a simple object, such as a

    bowl, then it must also apply to compound things,

    such as cars, houses and machines. For example, a

    car needs a motor, wheels, axles, gears and many

    other things to work. We should also consider the

    difference between man-made objects, such as

    bowls, and natural phenomena, such as earth,

    plants, animals and human beings. One may argue

    that lack of inherent existence of objects does not

    imply the same for natural phenomena and beings.

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    In case of a human being, there is a body, a mind, a

    character, a history of actions, habits, behavior and

    other things to describe a person. We can even

    divide these characteristics further into more

    fundamental properties. For example, we can

    analyze the mind and see that there are sensations,

    cognition, feelings and ideas. 3,4,5,6

    We can analyze the brain and find that there are

    neurons, axons, synapses, and neurotransmitters.

    However, none of these constituents describe the

    essence of the person, the mind, or the brain. Here

    again, the essence remains elusive.3,4,5,6

    Emptiness of Emptiness:

    The ultimate nature of reality is deepened and

    enhanced in our mind. We would develop a

    perception of reality from which we could perceive

    phenomena and events as sort of illusory or illusion-

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    like. This mode of perceiving reality would

    permeate all our interactions with reality. Even

    emptiness itself, which is seen as the ultimate

    nature of reality, is not absolute, nor does it exist

    independently. We cannot conceive of emptiness as

    independent of a basis of phenomena. Because

    when we examine the nature of reality, we find that

    it is empty of inherent existence. If we are to take

    that emptiness itself as an object and look for its

    essence, again we would find that it is empty of

    inherent existence. Therefore, the Buddha actually

    taught us the emptiness of emptiness. 3,4,5,6

    The Concept of Dependent Origination

    The Principle of Dependent Origination or the

    Doctrine of Impermanence is a twelve-factor

    formula titled Paiccasamuppda in Pli. The key

    concepts within the causal relationships are

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    identified as the antecedents and consequents in a

    linear sequence. One factor is identified as a

    conditioning factor for the next which in turn is the

    conditioning factor for the following factor until the

    final stage, the twelfth concept, birth, which

    recommences the process of existence and

    becoming and the whole twelve steps.6

    This formula can also be viewed in reverse order to

    indicate how the removal or cessation of one factor

    leads to the predominant influence of another

    factor, and down the line until the first conditioning

    factor ignorance is removed completely thus

    eliminating the proliferation and building of factors.

    Once this is achieved an individual can be said to

    be enlightened because he is no longer haunted by

    the specter of ignorance as he has defeated the

    three poisons and understood the arising and

    ceasing of phenomenon.4,6

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    The traditional interpretation of this formula states

    that this is what causes the arising or rebirth and

    death and requires at least three lifetimes. The

    Dependent Origination can be viewed

    microcosmically and be applied just to this lifetime

    to describe the arising and ceasing of thoughts and

    the perceptual process, thereby indicating the

    correct way to apprehend an object if

    enlightenment is sought.4,6

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    Emptiness in Relation with Dependent

    Origination

    Dependent Origination demonstrates the

    interconnectedness of all phenomenons, their

    impermanence, their lack of an intrinsic self, and

    factors of conditioning. Likewise, emptiness for

    Ngrjuna is equivalent to Dependent Origination

    as stated by Candrakrti, The meaning of the

    expression Dependent Origination is the same as

    emptiness, but it entails a further emphasis on

    the lack of intrinsic nature of dhammas and states

    that all dhammas are conceptual constructs. To the

    Abhidhamma, dhammas are the smallest

    analyzable unit of existence, but for Ngrjuna,

    even these dhammas are conceptual constructs,

    and understanding this is having proper wisdom

    (praja): the understanding of emptiness.2,4,6

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    Dependent Origination is the main ontological

    principle in early Buddhism and Abhidhamma

    Buddhism, but in Nagrajunas system emptiness

    becomes the term to represent this chief

    ontological principle. He writes, It is Dependent

    Origination that we call emptiness. Dependent

    arising and emptiness describe how reality comes

    to be; as such, it is ultimate truth and an ontological

    truth. This emphasis of emptiness as an ultimate

    truth is a later development unique to Ngrjuna

    and later Buddhist thought. Ngrjuna emphasizes

    the lack of intrinsic existence in the conventional

    level of reality. This lack must be apprehended by

    understanding the ultimate truth of emptiness.2,4,6

    These two levels of reality mutually imply each

    other. Emptiness becomes dhammatta, the true

    nature of things. A commentator to Ngrjuna

    describes emptiness as, non conditioned by others,

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    quiescent, accessible to saints only by direct

    intuition, beyond all verbal differentiations, still, it is

    nothing more than the mere absence of inherently

    or intrinsically real existence. As a principle

    nyat states that everything that one encounters

    in life is empty of a permanent soul or inherent

    nature and is inter-related, never self-sufficient, or

    independent; thus nothing has independent

    reality.2,4,6

    Although there are different ways to explain the

    theory of emptiness, all are based on the theory of

    Dependent Origination. Ngrjuna provides an

    insightful formulation of nyat as the mark of all

    phenomena, as a natural consequence of

    Dependent Origination and an elaboration upon

    dependent arising. A further elaboration upon

    Dependent Origination is that the concept of

    emptiness is not itself a true doctrine or view, but is

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    a therapeutic device. Ngrjuna had explained this

    as the antidote to all viewpoints (i).

    2,4,6

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    Conclusion

    Emptiness is a key concept in Buddhist philosophy,

    or more precisely, in the ontology of Mahyna

    Buddhism. The phrase "form is emptiness;

    emptiness is form" is perhaps the most celebrated

    paradox associated with Buddhist philosophy. It is

    the supreme mantra. The expression originates

    from the Prajna Paramita Hridaya Sutra, commonly

    known as the Heart Sutra, which contains the

    philosophical essence of about six hundred scrolls

    making up the Maha Prajna Paramita. The Heart

    Sutra is the shortest text in this collection. It

    belongs to the oldest Mahyna texts and

    presumably originated in India around the time of

    Jesus Christ.2,4,5,6

    Ngrjunas unique version of emptiness is a direct

    result of the eight-fold method of negation. It is

    interpreted as non-arising, non-ceasing, non-

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    permanence, non-annihilation, non-identity, non-

    difference, non-coming, and non-exiting. Through

    the eight-fold negation, all the concepts by which

    we normally apprehend the world are placed in the

    negative form. In this way, one is supposed to

    realize correct understanding of emptiness. By

    understanding the emptiness of these concepts by

    which we conceptually construct and apprehend the

    world and even the Dhamma, the teaching of the

    Buddha, one can understand the emptiness of

    emptiness (unyatunyat). This is an innovation

    in Buddhist thought attributed to Ngrjuna.2,3,4,6

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    References

    1. Bowker, J. 1997. nyat. The Concise Oxford

    Dictionary of World Religions. UK:

    Encyclopedia.com. [Serial online]. [Cited

    2009 April 28]; [2 screens]. Available from:

    URL: http://www.encyclopedia.com

    2. Garfield, J.L. 1995. The Fundamental Wisdom

    of the Middle Way: Ngrjuna's

    Mulamadhyamakakarika, translation (from

    Tibetan) and commentary. New York: Oxford

    University Press.

    3. Finkelstein, D.R., Wallace, B.A. ed. 2001.

    Emptiness and Relativity. Berkeley, CA:

    University of California Press.

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    4. McCagney, N. 1997. Ngrjuna and the

    Philosophy of Openness. Lanham, MD:Rowman & Littlefield Publishers: 135-218.

    5. Knierim, T. 2009. Emptiness is Form [serial

    online]. [Cited 2009 October 20]; [4 screens].

    Available from: URL:

    http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/emptin

    ess.html

    6. Williams, P. 2009. Mahyna Buddhism: The

    Doctrinal Foundations, 2nd edition. UK:

    Routledge: 69-82.

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    The Concept of Emptiness

    of Matter in Modern Science

    Introduction

    Dependent Origination demonstrates the

    interconnectedness of all phenomenons, their

    impermanence, their lack of an intrinsic self, and

    factors of conditioning. Likewise, emptiness for

    Ngrjuna is equivalent to Dependent Origination

    as stated by Candrakrti, The meaning of the

    expression Dependent Origination is the same as

    emptiness, but it entails a further emphasis on

    the lack of intrinsic nature of dhammas and states

    that all dhammas are conceptual constructs.1

    To the Abhidhamma, dhammas are the smallest

    analyzable unit of existence, but for Ngrjuna,

    even these dhammas are conceptual constructs,

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    and understanding this is having proper wisdom

    (praja): the understanding of emptiness.

    Ngrjunas concept of emptiness can also be

    applied to the analysis of matter and explains why

    our very existence is based on emptiness.1

    The Emptiness of Atoms

    The ancient Greeks believed that matter is

    composed of indivisible small elements with certain

    characteristics, such as the characteristics of earth,

    water, air, and fire. They called these elements

    atoms and they held that atoms were solid and

    fundamental. However, Ernest Rutherford later

    demonstrated that atoms have an internal structure

    though an experimental verification. 2,3

    Rutherford had discovered that atoms have a

    nucleus containing most of its mass and that

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    electrons orbit the nucleus.2,3 Moreover, he

    established that the nucleus of an atom is only

    about one ten-thousandth of the diameter of the

    atom itself, which means that 99.99% of the atom's

    volume consists of empty space. This is the first

    manifestation of emptiness at the subtle level of

    matter.2,3

    Soon after Rutherford's discovery, physicists found

    that the nucleus of an atom likewise has an internal

    structure and that the protons and neutrons making

    up the nucleus are composed of even smaller

    particles, which they named quarks after a poem of

    James Joyce. Interestingly, quarks are hypothesized

    as geometrical points in space, which implies that

    atoms are essentially empty. This is the second

    manifestation of emptiness at the subtle level of

    matter.2,3

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    Emptiness and the Quantum

    The terms "quarks" and "points in space" still

    suggest something solid, since they can be

    imagined as irreducible mass particles. Yet,

    quantum field theory does away even with this finer

    concept of solidity by explaining particles in the

    terms of field properties. Quantum electrodynamics

    (QED) has produced an amazingly successful theory

    of matter by combining quantum theory, classical

    field theory and relativity. No discrepancies

    between the predictions of QED and experimental

    observation have been found till date. According to

    QED, subatomic particles are indistinguishable from

    fields, whereas fields are basically properties of

    space. In this view, a particle is a temporary local

    densification of a field, which is conditioned by the

    properties of the surrounding space. This implies

    that matter is not different from space. This is the

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    third manifestation of emptiness at the subtle level

    of matter.

    2,3,4

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    Emptiness and Interrelations of Quantum

    Physics

    An important class of phenomena in the subatomic

    world is defined by the various interactions between

    particles. Although interactions can be described

    clearly in mathematical terms, there is no clear

    distinction between the notions of phenomena,

    particles and interactions. For example, there are

    interactions between free electrons by means of

    photons that result in an observed repelling force.

    There are also interactions between the quarks of a

    nucleon by means of mesons, interactions between

    the neighboring neutrons or protons, interactions

    between nucleus and electrons and interactions

    between the atoms of molecules. The phenomena

    themselves involving the nucleon, the nucleus, the

    atom and the molecule are sufficiently described by

    these interactions.2,3,4,5

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    Study of the respective equations suggests that

    interactions and these phenomena are

    interchangeable terms. However, the interrelations

    of quantum physics do not describe actual

    existence. Instead they predict the potential for

    existence. A manifest particle, such as an electron,

    cannot be described in terms of classical

    mechanics. It exists as a multitude of superposed

    "scenarios" in which one or another manifests only

    when it is observed upon measurement. Therefore,

    matter does not inherently exist. It exists only as

    interrelations of "empty" phenomena whose

    properties are determined by observation. This is

    the fourth manifestation of emptiness at the subtle

    level of matter.2,3,4,5

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    Conclusion

    Findings from the Buddhist analysis of matter goes

    hand in hand with our modern scientific

    understanding of matter. Quantum physics has

    recently proved that the major part of matter

    actually consists of empty space. Whenever we

    analyze matter, most of the time we come across

    emptiness, while the solid part of matter is hard to

    recognize. On one side all the atoms are empty at

    micro level, on the other side at macro level; most

    part of the space is also empty.2,3

    Albert Einstein, the pioneer for Quantum Mechanics,

    and many modern scientists were very much

    influenced by the Buddhist doctrines related to the

    concepts of absence of any Creator God, absence of

    any soul or self (anatta), Dependent Origination

    (paticcasamuppada), impermanence (anicca) and

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    the emphasis on practicing compassion with moral-

    driven, volitional activities (kamma).

    4,5

    Einstein had also predicted that the religion of the

    future will be a cosmic religion and

    enthusiastically stated that if there is any

    religion that would cope with modern

    scientific needs, it would be Buddhism.4 In his

    opinion, Buddhism has the characteristics of what

    would be expected in a cosmic religion for the

    future. Buddhism transcends a personal God and

    avoids dogma and theology. Buddhism covers both

    the natural and spiritual domains of human

    existence. Buddhism is also based on a religious

    sense aspiring from the experience of all things,

    natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity.4

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    References

    1. Williams, P. 2009. Mahyna Buddhism: TheDoctrinal Foundations, 2nd edition. UK:

    Routledge: 69-82.

    2. Knierim, T. 2009. Emptiness is Form [serial

    online]. [Cited 2009 October 20]; [4 screens].

    Available from: URL:

    http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/emptin

    ess.html

    3. Finkelstein, D.R., Wallace, B.A. ed. 2001.

    Emptiness and Relativity. Berkeley, CA:

    University of California Press.

    4. Dukas, H., Hoffman B., ed. 1954. Albert

    Einstein: The Human Side. Princeton, NJ:

    Princeton University Press.

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    5. Jammer, M. 1999. Einstein and religion:

    physics and theology. Princeton, NJ: PrincetonUniversity Press.