The Distinction Between Svabhava-Shunyata and Shunyata

What is emptiness? Emptiness is nothingness, primarily signifying the absence of things, dharmas, characteristics, mind, actions, and so forth; secondly, it signifies non-abiding, non-attainment, and so on.

The meaning of "emptiness in nature" is that the nature of a certain dharma is empty — devoid of things, dharmas, characteristics, mind, actions, and also non-abiding and non-attaining. What dharma possesses such an empty nature? One must search among the eight consciousnesses. Although the deluded consciousness of the seventh vijñāna is without things, dharmas, or characteristics, it possesses mind, actions, abiding, and attainment; therefore, it is not "empty in nature." It is the nature of the Tathāgatagarbha that is without things, dharmas, characteristics, mind, or actions, non-abiding and non-attaining. The mind does not cling to a single thing, does not grasp any dharma, contains no dharmas within its essence, possesses no wisdom and no attainment; thus, the Tathāgatagarbha is "empty in nature."

"Emptiness in nature" represents virtue; an empty mind is virtue. What the world often refers to as "great virtue" mostly points to realized individuals who have attained an empty mind devoid of objects. Why is an empty nature and an empty mind virtue? Because emptiness is the most powerful; no thing or principle can surpass emptiness, nothing can defeat emptiness. Since the mind is empty, what surpasses emptiness? Nothing. Emptiness is the highest and greatest, transcending everything. All people, things, and phenomena are incomparable to emptiness; therefore, emptiness is virtue. One with an empty mind seeks nothing, attains nothing, and thus is worthy of offerings from humans and devas, worthy of their admiration and reverence.

"Suchness" (空性, kōngxìng) sometimes refers to the nature of emptiness — the essential nature of all dharmas is empty, meaning a certain dharma possesses the nature of emptiness, its nature is empty, unattached to any dharma, and non-grasping. This primarily refers to the nature of the Tathāgatagarbha mind-essence. The fundamental Tathāgatagarbha is precisely like this: empty in nature and empty in characteristics. Although the Tathāgatagarbha is of the nature of emptiness (空性, Suchness), it possesses substantial reality; it is the unborn, undying true reality. In contrast, the nature of the seventh consciousness, though clinging and thus "not empty," is in essence empty and without substantial reality; it is a born-and-ceasing illusory phenomenon.

"Suchness" (空性) sometimes refers to the mind-essence itself, where the subject (the omitted Tathāgatagarbha) is the object "Suchness," directly representing the Tathāgatagarbha essence. For example, "self-nature" (自性, zìxìng). People in ancient times generally used the term "self-nature" to represent the unborn, undying essential mind-consciousness, the Tathāgatagarbha, which possesses its own unique function and nature, is not influenced by other dharmas. The most obvious example is the Sixth Patriarch, who often spoke of "self-nature." All mundane dharmas and phenomena, and the five aggregates (pañcaskandhas), lack inherent self-nature; they are of the nature of the Tathāgatagarbha, and their nature is also empty. The appearances of the five aggregates are born and manifested by the Tathāgatagarbha; they appear to exist but are actually empty.