ABSTRACT
If there is one teaching that is peculiar to Buddhism alone among all the world's religions, I would say it is the principle of Śūnyatā (Voidness or Emptiness). If I were to choose the one doctrine among others that best represents the core of Buddhism, I would also choose the principle of Śūnyatā. If someone were further to ask me what is the Buddhist doctrine that is most difficult to explain and comprehend, most misunderstood and misrepresented, I would again say it is the principle of Śūnyatā. The importance of Śūnyatā in every field of Mahayana Buddhism cannot be overstressed, and in the Doctrine of Totality of the Hwa Yen School, it is especially significant.
