In this teaching, “emptiness” (śūnyatā) points to the fact that all phenomena are devoid of any inherent, independent, or fixed essence. Nothing exists as a separate, self-contained entity with its own unchanging core; rather, every experience and every “thing” is contingent, relational, and conditioned. The five aggregates—form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness—are described as empty in precisely this sense: they do not possess a solid, enduring self-nature. This insight is extended even further, so that all dharmas, including what is conventionally called enlightenment or nirvāṇa, are said to be empty of intrinsic existence.

Emptiness here is inseparable from dependent arising: because all things arise through causes, conditions, and conceptual designation, they cannot stand on their own. To say “form is emptiness, emptiness is form” is to indicate that emptiness is not elsewhere, not a separate realm, but the very way form and all phenomena actually exist. Emptiness therefore does not signify a nihilistic void or sheer nothingness; it is a way of describing the fluid, interdependent character of reality, in which no phenomenon can be pinned down as absolutely real in itself. When this is understood deeply, attachment to fixed ideas of self, others, and spiritual attainments loosens, and the afflictive emotions that depend on such clinging begin to fall away.

From this perspective, wisdom (prajñā) is not merely an abstract doctrine but a transformative seeing of how things truly are. Recognizing that all experiences lack inherent existence allows a practitioner to move through the world with less fear and rigidity, since there is no solid self or object to defend or grasp. This is why such insight is called the “perfection of wisdom”: it undermines distorted views at their root and opens the way for unobstructed, compassionate activity.