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Emptiness Talks

Śūnyatā ( shoon-yə-TAH; Sanskrit: शून्यता; Pali: suññatā lit. "emptiness", "voidness", "vacuity") is an Indian philosophical concept in Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, and other Indian philosophical traditions. The concept has multiple meanings depending on its doctrinal context: an ontological feature of reality, a meditative state, or a phenomenological analysis of experience.

In Theravāda Buddhism, Pali: suññatā often refers to the non-self (Pāli: anattā, Sanskrit: anātman) nature of the five aggregates of experience and the six sense spheres. Pali: Suññatā is also often used to refer to a meditative state or experience.

In Mahāyāna Buddhism, śūnyatā refers to the tenet that "all things are empty of intrinsic existence and nature (svabhava)", but may also refer to the Buddha-nature teachings and primordial or empty awareness, as in Dzogchen, Shentong, or Chan.

From Śūnyatā on Wikipedia

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Title Speaker

Miraculous Stories of the Buddha’s Birth

Wisdom, Great compassion, Emptiness
Apr 11 2026
Berkeley Zen Center

Reflections on the Sandokai

War, Emptiness, Sandokai
Nov 08 2025
Berkeley Zen Center

Aspects Class 3 of 4 on The Sandokai

Suzuki Roshi, Precepts, Emptiness
Oct 30 2025
Class 3 of 4
Berkeley Zen Center

Not Knowing

Koan, Emptiness, Consciousness
Aug 23 2025
Berkeley Zen Center

Taking Refuge

Emptiness, Sangha, Five Ranks
Aug 08 2025
Berkeley Zen Center

Call Me By My True Names Class 2 of 3

Emptiness, Heart Sutra, Compassion
Jan 27 2025
Class 2 of 3
Berkeley Zen Center

Call Me By My True Names Class 1 of 3

Suffering, Class, Emptiness
Jan 13 2025
Class 1 of 3
Berkeley Zen Center

Dipping a Toe into Nagarjuna’s “Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way”

Emptiness, Study, Liberation
Jan 11 2025
Berkeley Zen Center

CLASS ON THE HEART SUTRA 3 OF 4

Emptiness, Heart Sutra, Suffering
Mar 29 2024
Berkeley Zen Center

CLASS ON THE HEART SUTRA 2 OF 4

Heart Sutra, Zazen, Emptiness
Mar 22 2024
Berkeley Zen Center

Silent Illumination

Study, Cooking, Emptiness
Dec 07 2023
Berkeley Zen Center

Immersing Body & Mind Deeply in the Way.mp3

Dogen, Emptiness, Heart Sutra
Oct 14 2023
Berkeley Zen Center

Gate Kitchen Light

Emptiness, Precepts, Tassajara
Aug 15 2023
Berkeley Zen Center

Sojun On, Suzuki Roshi’s Key Subjects

Suzuki Roshi, Zazen, Emptiness
Jun 17 2023
Berkeley Zen Center

Zen Mind, Beginners Mind (Believing in Nothing)

Suzuki Roshi, Emptiness, Composure
Jun 15 2023
Berkeley Zen Center

Heart Sutra East to West

Heart Sutra, Wisdom, Emptiness
Apr 15 2023
Berkeley Zen Center

Buddha’s Birthday

Emptiness, Buddha's Birthday, Suffering
Apr 08 2023
Berkeley Zen Center

Emptiness

Emptiness, Suzuki Roshi, Koan
Feb 25 2023
Berkeley Zen Center

“What is the Self?”

Koan, Suzuki Roshi, Emptiness
May 28 2022
Berkeley Zen Center

Three Doors of Liberation, Class Three

Emptiness, Zazen, Liberation
Jan 27 2022
Berkeley Zen Center

Three Doors of Liberation, Class Two

Emptiness, Liberation, Enlightenment
Jan 20 2022
Berkeley Zen Center

Choice

Rinzai, Emptiness, Skillful Means
Aug 14 2021

Practicing With Emptiness

Heart Sutra, Emptiness, Zazen
Feb 27 2021

Birth and Death, Part 2

Zazen, Shosan, Emptiness
Dec 20 2020

Public Dokusan 11

Emptiness, Zazen, Suzuki Roshi
Oct 30 2020

The Whole Earth Is Medicine

Emptiness, Manjushri, Effort
Oct 17 2020

Dongshan Class 2

Emptiness, Study, Enlightenment
Sep 01 2020

Three Doors Of Liberation

Emptiness, Liberation, Buddha Nature
Aug 15 2020

Harmony Of Diversity

Big Mind, War, Emptiness
Jun 20 2020

Monastic Practice

Serial: BZ-02216

The Law of Circularity, Saturday Lecture

Wearing down Self-centeredness, Jizo's Compassion, Tiger's Cave

 

Emptiness, Jizo, Compassion, Monastic Practice, Daily Life, Demons, Emotions, Heart...
Nov 26 2011
Berkeley Zen Center

Three Doors of Liberation

Serial: BZ-01228

Emptiness, Signlessness, Aimlessness, One-Day Sitting

Liberation, Emptiness, Non-discrimination, Big Mind, Birth-and-Death, Separation,...
Apr 09 2006
Berkeley Zen Center

Cultivating the Ground

Serial: BZ-00141B

Comentary on Suzuki Roshi Lecture, Sesshin Day 2

Emptiness, Buddha Nature, Causation, Big Mind, Ego, Karma, Mahayana, Hui-neng,...
Mar 16 2002
Berkeley Zen Center

Emptiness

Serial: BZ-00102A

Saturday Lecture

Emptiness, Chanting, Composure, Daily Life, Duality, Ego, Heart Sutra,...
May 26 2001
Berkeley Zen Center

Heart Sutra: Setting the Scene

Serial: BZ-00952B

Skandas and Emptiness, Rohatsu Day 4

Heart Sutra, Skandhas, Emptiness, Heart Sutra, Four Noble Truths, Non-duality,...
Dec 07 1994
Berkeley Zen Center

Madyamika/Yogachara Schools of Emptiness/Synthesis

Serial: BZ-00964A

Three Bodies of Buddha pt. II, Sesshin Day 2

Madyamaka, Trikaya, Emptiness, Yogachara, Emotions, Karma, Hui-neng, Platform Sutra,...
Mar 13 1994
Berkeley Zen Center

The Spiritual Life is Not Separate from the Mundane

Serial: BZ-00668B

Saturday Lecture

Emptiness, Happiness, Teacher-and-Student, Conversation, Posture, Doubt
Jul 18 1993
Berkeley Zen Center

Communal Path to Enlightenment Jewel

Emptiness, Buddha Nature, Zazen
Mar 10 1993

Awakening Through Zen's Hidden Powers

Buddha Nature, Emptiness
Mar 03 1993

Big Emptiness and Small Emptiness

Serial: BZ-00516B

Saturday Lecture

Emptiness, Dharma Transmission, Lay Practice, Hui-neng, Teacher-and-Student,...
Aug 25 1990
Berkeley Zen Center

Book of Serenity: Case #2: The Highest Truth is Emptiness

Serial: BZ-00418A

Rohatsu Day 6

Emptiness, SER-2, Enlightenment, Bodhidharma, Two Truths, Four Noble Truths, Practice...
Dec 1983
Part 1 of 2
Berkeley Zen Center

Prajna Paramita: Four Samadhis

Serial: BZ-00002B

Sesshin Day 4

Samadhi, Emptiness, Samadhi, Zazen
May 14 1983
Berkeley Zen Center

Importance of Attention to Form in Zen Practice

Serial: BZ-00049A

Sesshin Day 1

Zazen, Emptiness
Feb 19 1983
Berkeley Zen Center

Unknown Title, Serial 01503, Side B

Serial: BZ-01503B

Speaker most likely the same as Serial No. 00306B - identified with the assistance of Shosan Victoria Austin. 

Emptiness, Bodhidharma, Poetry
Tassajara

The Heart Sutra

Serial: BZ-01537A

First part of class 1 of 4

Emptiness, Heart Sutra
1
Berkeley Zen Center

Heart Sutra

Serial: BZ-01538

Class 2 of 4

Emptiness, Heart Sutra, Abhidharma
2
Berkeley Zen Center

Heart Sutra

Serial: BZ-01539

Clas 3 of 4

Emptiness, Heart Sutra
3
Berkeley Zen Center

Heart Sutra

Serial: BZ-01540

Class 4 of 4

Emptiness, Ego, Chanting
4
Berkeley Zen Center

Being-Time: Uniting Self and Moment

Doubt, Emptiness, Koan