Zeroness (शून्यता): The Eastern Truth of Emptiness That Is Full
In the modern world, nothing is feared.
Nothing means loss.
Nothing means failure.
Nothing means being left behind.
But Eastern philosophy looks at nothing very differently.
Here, nothing is not empty.
It is open.
This openness is called शून्यता (Śūnyatā).
What Is शून्यता Really?
In Buddhism, the Buddha taught that all things are śūnya—empty of permanent, fixed essence.
This does not mean nothing exists.
It means:
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nothing exists independently
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nothing exists permanently
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nothing exists exactly the way we imagine it
The Heart Sutra says:
“रूपं शून्यता, शून्यतैव रूपम्”
Form is emptiness; emptiness itself is form.
This line alone changes how we see life.
It tells us that emptiness and fullness are not opposites.
They are two ways of seeing the same reality.
Zero as Freedom, Not Loss
In Eastern thought, suffering comes from attachment.
We suffer not because things disappear,
but because we demand that they should not disappear.
The Buddha identified this clearly:
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attachment to identity
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attachment to success
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attachment to permanence
When life takes these away, we call it “nothing.”
But Buddhism calls it freedom from illusion.
When nothing remains to cling to, the mind becomes light.
That lightness is शून्यता.
Vedic Silence: When Words End, Truth Begins
The Vedas and Upanishads do not explain reality fully with words.
They often stop speaking.
In the Mandukya Upanishad, after explaining waking, dreaming, and deep sleep states, the final reality—Turiya—is described as:
“न प्रज्ञं, नाप्रज्ञं…”
Neither knowing nor unknowing… beyond description.
Why?
Because ultimate truth is not an object.
It cannot be held.
It can only be experienced in silence.
That silence is zeroness.
Not ignorance—but awareness without content.
The Hindu Idea of Creation from Zero
In Vedic cosmology, creation does not begin from something solid.
The Nasadiya Sukta (Rig Veda) says:
“नासदासीन्नो सदासीत्तदानीम्”
At first, there was neither existence nor non-existence.
This is powerful.
Before the universe, there was no “something” and no “nothing” as we understand them.
There was potential.
That potential is zeroness.
From this formless state, everything emerged.
So in Eastern thought, zero is not the end of life.
It is the womb of life.
Why Zeroness Appears in Human Life
Eastern philosophy accepts that life moves in cycles:
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creation and dissolution
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gain and loss
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attachment and release
When a person faces loss, failure, or confusion, philosophy does not rush to fix it.
Instead, it asks:
What if this empty phase is necessary?
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna:
“नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि…”
The Self cannot be destroyed.
Even when everything external collapses, the inner reality remains untouched.
Zeroness reveals that truth.
The Middle Path Between Nothing and Everything
Eastern wisdom always avoids extremes.
Not indulgence.
Not denial.
The Buddha called it The Middle Path.
Zeroness lies exactly there,
between craving everything
and rejecting everything.
It teaches us to live without clinging, yet without escaping life.
Why Zeroness Is Necessary Today
In a world obsessed with achievement, identity, and noise,
zeroness feels uncomfortable.
But Eastern philosophy reminds us:
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Without emptiness, there is no space to grow
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Without silence, there is no understanding
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Without losing meaning, we never find true meaning
Zeroness is not depression.
It is reset.
Conclusion: Emptiness That Holds Everything
Eastern philosophy does not ask us to fear emptiness.
It asks us to enter it consciously.
Because when the false falls away,
what remains is not nothing—
It is life as it truly is.
शून्यता is not the absence of meaning.
It is the space where meaning becomes real.
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✍️ Author:
Lovedev Sharma
Undergraduate Student
BA (English Studies) & B.Ed. (TESOL)
Kathmandu University, School of Education
📧 Email: l@lovedev.com.np
📞 Mobile: +977-9840629598
🌐 Website: www.lovedev.com.np
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