What did buddha mean by emptiness? Wouldn't no self lead to depression? Aren't we taught to support self?

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Virginia Lou Profile
Virginia Lou answered

Dear Pea Nuts,

My understanding of what the Buddha meant by emptiness is that you are empty of all the causes of unhappiness - thus free from unhappiness.

Having no self does not lead to depression, it is freedom exhilarating... you no longer have that albatross hanging around your neck of worrying about yourself all the time.

***For a Christian perspective on this universal principle of life, there is a book THE PATH TO NO-SELF by Bernadette Roberts, who was/is a wonderful nun, Catholicism.

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Perry Nuttal
Perry Nuttal commented
If you don't worry about yourself then do you not worry about dying?
Virginia Lou
Virginia Lou commented
Oh...I did not say it was me, I am not free of self although I would like to be...actually though dying is not a worry because I do look forward to it, should be a wonderful adventure...trying to live my life beautifully for that...
Perry Nuttal
Perry Nuttal commented
Thank you Virginia
Darik Majoren Profile
Darik Majoren answered

Emptiness, is the accepting of life as it unfolds with no preconceived notion on HOW life SHOULD progress . . . There is no stress with emptiness, it is merely living in the NOW.

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Darik Majoren
Darik Majoren commented
Pea Nuts you cannot quiet your brain? Not even at night when you are getting ready for sleep? . . .
You focus you thoughts on internal things . . . your breathing . . the feeling of gravity pulling down on you . . you train yourself to focus on one thing rather then multiple things. Takes time.

Self Reflection is when you analyze WHY you might take an action or think a thing. You can step back (internally) to get a broader view of motivations to do or act a certain way.
Perry Nuttal
Perry Nuttal commented
So are you separate from your brain, are you separate from your thoughts, and in that case who is you and who is doing the thinking?
Darik Majoren
Darik Majoren commented
Stepping back isn't necessarily separating from you thoughts . . . it's just being able to look at the full range of decisions made to get you to a certain point, and analyzing those decisions for motivation, or a pattern of behavior.
Helps to have a pretty good memory and being able to calm yourself and you thoughts.
Tom Jackson Profile
Tom Jackson answered

"Conventional phenomena are understood to have a conventional essential existence, but without an ultimately existing essence."

Now, is there anything about this I need to explain?

(And if I do need to explain, you'll have to wait until I can understand it first.  And it's from Wikipedia.)

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