<p>Yes.</p>

<p>Emptiness characterizes everything, including Nirvana and even emptiness itself.</p>

<p>Have you read the Heart Sutra?  I highly recommend that for an example of the all-permeating nature of emptiness.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-02T17:41:30.860Z
2015-01-02T17:41:30.860Z
R. Barzell
<p>Actually, Nirvana... is something beyond emptiness.
Emptiness (sunyata) is the stopping phase of cultivation.
Nirvana is the "seeing" phase, where you transcend even that stopping, which is a type of total non-existence, still dual.</p>

<p>Nirvana is beyond all dualism. It is not existence nor non-existence.
Heart sutra is reccommended.</p>

<p><strong>Nirvana is a synonym for the enlightened state. The Enlightened state is beyond non-existence ("emptiness") and existence (experiencing the skandhas) and is capable of existing and exercising its function anywhere, no matter what, be it in hell or heaven. N onetheless, we must experience both sides fully, existence and non-existence before we can enter into the non-dual, indescribeable, open awareness of Nirvana.</strong></p>

<p>Note: despite this, emptiness is still the first step, especially in this age where everyone is obsessed with materialism and existence. Finding emptiness IS the first step. You must make your mind empty and clear and must discover and BECOME emptiness, particularly through attainment of samadhi before you can truly succeed on the vipassana path.
Of course, others have differing perspectives saying that "dry insight" is enough to get to Nirvana but I don't think it's that easy or even reliable as a path.</p>

<p>Calm your mind (emptiness, samatha practice, focus your mind on clarity), and see (Nirvana, vipassana, let go of everything and just witness).</p>

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2015-01-13T18:42:51.340Z
Good answer, @Ahmed. (Also love your Cundi profile picture. )
Methexis
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2015-01-13T21:04:58.530Z
@Methexis thank you! hail mommy buddha accepting of all as-is, can be chanted anywhere :)
Med
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2015-01-03T16:59:42.607Z
2015-01-03T21:04:07.763Z
2015-01-03T21:04:07.763Z
Med
<p>I think not: because "empty" is a characteristic of 'conditioned' phenomena, but nirvana is unconditioned.</p>

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2015-01-13T02:06:53.027Z
2015-01-13T02:06:53.027Z
ChrisW
<p>Yes. Nirvana is empty in two ways.</p>
<p>Firstly, Nirvana is empty of a self. This is covered by &quot;all phenomena are not self&quot; (<em>sabbe dhamma anatta</em> from <a href="https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=277" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Dhp 279</a>) and the <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.085.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Suñña Sutta</a>.</p>
<p>Secondly, Nirvana is empty of the essence given to it by mental conceptualization / objectification-classification/ reification/ <em>papanca</em>. Please see <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/28981/471">this question</a> for details.</p>
<p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/mn1/en/bodhi" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MN 1</a> covers both, making the former a specialized case of the latter.</p>

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2021-06-20T19:44:31.330Z
2021-06-20T19:51:12.907Z
2021-06-20T19:51:12.907Z
ruben2020
<p>Yes, but if you look around nirvana is right here, right now. Nirvana is simply heaven on earth. </p>

<p>You might read The Heart Sutra Explained by Donald S. Lopez. It explains the fullness and emptiness of shunyata. </p>

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2015-01-02T19:17:48.670Z
2015-01-02T19:17:48.670Z
buddhababe
<p>Maybe a strange question, but I wonder if emptiness (sunyatta) is also a characteristic of the state of nirvana?</p>

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2015-01-03T20:31:58.823Z
Welcome to Buddhism.SE! I hope you found use in the answers to your question. I've removed your reply answer since it didn't answer the question, comments and upvotes (and accepting answers, which you've done) are more traditional ways of indicating that you appreciated an answer.
Hrafn
<nirvana><sunyata>
The emptiness of nirvana
# The emptiness of nirvana

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-01-02)

Maybe a strange question, but I wonder if emptiness (sunyatta) is also a characteristic of the state of nirvana?

**Tags:** nirvana, sunyata

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome to Buddhism.SE! I hope you found use in the answers to your question. I've removed your reply answer since it didn't answer the question, comments and upvotes (and accepting answers, which you've done) are more traditional ways of indicating that you appreciated an answer.  

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## 5 answers

### Answer by username_7 on 2015-01-02. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Yes, but if you look around nirvana is right here, right now. Nirvana is simply heaven on earth.

You might read The Heart Sutra Explained by Donald S. Lopez. It explains the fullness and emptiness of shunyata.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2015-01-02. Score: 2

Yes.

Emptiness characterizes everything, including Nirvana and even emptiness itself.

Have you read the Heart Sutra? I highly recommend that for an example of the all-permeating nature of emptiness.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2015-01-03. Score: 2

Actually, Nirvana... is something beyond emptiness.
Emptiness (sunyata) is the stopping phase of cultivation.
Nirvana is the "seeing" phase, where you transcend even that stopping, which is a type of total non-existence, still dual.

Nirvana is beyond all dualism. It is not existence nor non-existence.
Heart sutra is reccommended.

**Nirvana is a synonym for the enlightened state. The Enlightened state is beyond non-existence ("emptiness") and existence (experiencing the skandhas) and is capable of existing and exercising its function anywhere, no matter what, be it in hell or heaven. N onetheless, we must experience both sides fully, existence and non-existence before we can enter into the non-dual, indescribeable, open awareness of Nirvana.**

Note: despite this, emptiness is still the first step, especially in this age where everyone is obsessed with materialism and existence. Finding emptiness IS the first step. You must make your mind empty and clear and must discover and BECOME emptiness, particularly through attainment of samadhi before you can truly succeed on the vipassana path.
Of course, others have differing perspectives saying that "dry insight" is enough to get to Nirvana but I don't think it's that easy or even reliable as a path.

Calm your mind (emptiness, samatha practice, focus your mind on clarity), and see (Nirvana, vipassana, let go of everything and just witness).

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Good answer, @Ahmed. (Also love your Cundi profile picture. )  
> **username_3**: @username_4 thank you! hail mommy buddha accepting of all as-is, can be chanted anywhere :)  

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### Answer by username_5 on 2015-01-13. Score: 1

I think not: because "empty" is a characteristic of 'conditioned' phenomena, but nirvana is unconditioned.


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### Answer by username_6 on 2021-06-20. Score: 1

Yes. Nirvana is empty in two ways.

Firstly, Nirvana is empty of a self. This is covered by "all phenomena are not self" (*sabbe dhamma anatta* from [Dhp 279](https://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=277)) and the [Suñña Sutta](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.085.than.html).

Secondly, Nirvana is empty of the essence given to it by mental conceptualization / objectification-classification/ reification/ *papanca*. Please see [this question](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/28981/471) for details.

[MN 1](https://suttacentral.net/mn1/en/bodhi) covers both, making the former a specialized case of the latter.


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