Buddhadasa's poetry and the contemplation on emptiness

Abstract

‘Emptiness’ as a Buddhist term is derived from the teaching of the Buddha which appears in the Tipiṭaka. In Theravāda, the word ‘suññatā’ is used in the meaning of emptiness and is explained by the Buddhism concept of paṭiccasamuppāda. In Mahāyāna, the word ‘śūññatā’ is used in the meaning of emptiness and its meaning is extended, to the greatest extent, to cover the Bodhi – the enlightenment of the Buddha. Buddhadāsa proposed the concept of emptiness as something beyond the division of schools, that is, he explained that emptiness is the essence of the religion which appears in the teaching of the Buddha, or what he called Buddhayāna. Emptiness in Buddhadāsa’s teaching can be divided into four categories; the empty mind, the original condition of the mind, Nibbāna here and now for everyone, and the integration of empty mind with daily life. These four aspects of emptiness cover all areas of Buddhadāsa’s teaching, that is, everything that Buddhadāsa taught is all related or connected to the concept of emptiness. Emptiness is also the main focus in Buddhadāsa’s poetry. His poetry portrayed the concept of emptiness in various aspects, that is, the poetry defines emptiness as the dependent origination of things with no core to cling to. Everything exists under the law of cause and effect. In his poetry, Buddhadāsa suggests that the ultimate condition of emptiness is elaborated in 4 dimensions namely, the notion of empty mind, the original condition of the mind, and the path to attain such ultimate state –covering the concept of nibbāna here and now for everyone, and the integration of empty mind with daily life. Moreover, Buddhadāsa’s poetry also illustrates that the emptiness is the concept used to explain the tri-sikkha (threefold training) that is sīla, samādhi, and paññā – which are the foundation of attaining nibbāna. Reading of poetry can also be considered the path to nibbāna because the poetry itself is an upāya which teach dhamma in a deep and refined way. Artistic techniques used in Buddhadāsa’s poetry, such as, imagery, poetry with picture, provocation, metaphor, conversation technique, and parable; all contribute in creating ‘skillful means’ in which the reader can ‘contemplate’ until they finally attain ‘emptiness’ or nibbāna. Buddhadāsa’s poetry is, thus, a crucial object of contemplation on emptiness.