By Lou Sharma
Emptiness, a fundamental teaching in Mahayana Buddhism, might feel like a tough idea to chew on. It’s an insight that can feel more sobering than soothing at times, and it’s no stranger to misinterpretation.
In the foundational Buddhist text, the Heart Sutra, one of the Buddha’s disciples expounds on emptiness, recounting how all phenomena—from bodily senses to thoughts to the dharma itself—are empty of self-nature. Or in other words, the phenomena we experience in daily life are not actually as fixed, solid, and independent as we conventionally perceive them to be. This might feel like bad news when it comes to experiences we grasp after (such as the joy of a new romantic relationship), yet good news when it comes to difficulties we want to push away (such as a frustrating boss).
Misunderstandings of emptiness are often at play in “spiritual bypassing”—a term coined by Buddhist psychologist John Welwood in the mid 1980s to describe how practitioners use spiritual concepts to bypass or sidestep difficult emotions or tensions.
Spiritual bypassing can be a seductive defense mechanism against discomfort. It might invoke more overtly spiritual concepts (e.g., “It’s just your karma”) or even show up in more secular expressions (e.g., “Good vibes only”). This type of bypassing becomes especially problematic when it goes as far as dismissing the feelings of others, excusing harmful behavior, evading responsibilities, and downplaying real psychological issues.
When facing the realities of emptiness, spiritual bypassing might feel like relief at first, but ultimately takes us down a dismal road: Why bother feeling the heartbreaks of life if it’s all just fleeting phenomena? Why not just numb out and avoid feeling anything at all? In fact, why should we even bother to go on the date, adopt the pet, or start a new project if it all just disintegrates in the end anyway?
In this way, emptiness can be weaponized as a means to disconnect from reality. But the wisdom of emptiness serves us not by desensitizing us—instead, it helps us build our capacity to fully meet the ups and downs of life. Rather than an excuse to disconnect from our experience, emptiness invites us to plug into the power of the present moment. When truly understood, this insight pokes playfully at our fixed ideas, provoking curiosity about what is actually happening now, and deep care for what happens next.
Appreciating emptiness helps me to relax and lean in toward my experience, rather than lean out: Accepting that grief enters all relationships, I slow down to appreciate small moments of connection with my loved ones. Remembering that even the most challenging project will eventually end, I take a deep breath, regroup, and begin again. And recognizing that everything and everyone changes, I try to keep an open mind about what is possible.
One of my favorite moments reflecting on emptiness took place during the 2025 Becoming Bodhisattvas retreat at the Garrison Institute. After meditating during an afternoon rainstorm, our retreat community was delighted to spot a double rainbow in the sky. We all rushed outside to see it. (In our excitement, we may have broken ‘functional’ silence to spread the news!)
Yes, the double rainbow was a mere optical illusion; just another fleeting, empty phenomena. But that moment didn’t feel “empty” at all. As we gathered at the front steps of Garrison, gazing in awe together, my heart felt joyful, tender, and dare I say…full.
Lou Sharma will serve as an assistant teacher at the Becoming Bodhisattvas: Learning to Let Go with The Heart Sutra retreat from Sept. 30 to Oct. 5 at Garrison Institute. She has practiced meditation for over a decade and has studied Dharma within Tibetan Buddhist traditions since 2016. In 2021, she completed Dharma Moon’s Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training. Lou is interested in the ways mindfulness can empower more compassionate cultures of work, inspired by 10+ years of experience as a corporate researcher and brand strategist.
