When I was a teenager and into my early twenties, I felt trapped as the person I was, as my self. I thought I knew precisely who and what I was, and that that person was set in stone and could never change. Then I started to get into meditation, and one meditation technique that really struck me was the Mahayana Buddhist and Taoist technique Emptiness Meditation. Well, let me tell you, this one meditation technique completely changed how I see myself. And in this guide, I’m going to tell you all about it.
What is Emptiness Meditation
Emptiness Meditation is a Mahayana Buddhist and Taoist meditation technique. It’s an insight method in which we use analytical questions to investigate the nature of phenomena. And perhaps unsurprisingly one of the most popular things to meditate on in this way is the self.
Through Emptiness Meditation we learn to move from the delusional perspective of interdependence to that of dependent origination.
What is dependent origination?
Dependent origination is the Buddhist principle that all phenomena arise in dependence upon conditions; nothing exists independently or permanently, emphasizing interconnection and impermanence in reality.
To give you an example, let me ask you a question. What are you doing at the moment? Breathing? Hopefully? Okay so what is the breath? Is it the feeling of air moving through your nose and lips? Okay. Is it also the sound of breathing? What about the movement of your lungs? Is it specific cells of your body working together? Cells that came from your parents? So now it’s the cells your parents gave you moving in a certain way, right?
If we keep going down this path we soon realise that all things are dependent on each other. Hence, dependent origination.
But we tend to simplify things and just see them as one limited definition. And that can cause suffering, especially when the thing we are applying a finite, separate, and absolute definition to is the self. More on that later.
“A flower cannot exist without the sun, the soil, the rain, the gardener. When we look deeply into the flower, we see the whole universe inside it.”
How to Practice Emptiness Meditation
Step 1: Settle the Mind
Find a quiet place. Sit upright. Close your eyes. Let your breath flow naturally.
Notice the rise and fall of breath. Let thoughts come and go. No judgment. Just presence. Relax into awareness.
Step 2: Watch Experience Arise
Notice any sound, sensation, emotion, or thought that arises.
Ask gently:
- What is this?
- Where does it come from?
- Is it solid?
- Does it stay?
Don’t analyze. Just look. Observe phenomena in the same way you would in Vipassana.
Watch how everything appears, shifts, and vanishes—without anything behind it.
Step 3: Look for the Self
Now bring attention to the one who is meditating in a way that is similar to self inquiry.
Ask:
- Who is experiencing this?
- Where is the “me”?
- Can I find a center, a controller, an observer?
Search, and notice: The “self” doesn’t show up. There are thoughts, feelings, breath—but no fixed identity behind them. Just open awareness.
Step 4: Notice the Emptiness of Thoughts
Let a thought appear. Don’t push it away.
Ask:
- What is this thought made of?
- Does it have weight, shape, substance?
You’ll see: Thoughts are like clouds. They form and fade. No core. No boundary. This is emptiness—not nothingness, but freedom from solidity.
Step 5: Let Go into Space
Drop the inquiry. Let everything be as it is. No grasping. No resisting. No center. Just sit in open awareness. Let thoughts and sensations pass through like wind through sky.
Nothing to fix. Nowhere to be. This is the view of emptiness.
Step 6: Close Gently
Return your attention to your breath. Open your eyes.
Let the insight stay with you—not as a concept, but as a way of being.
Bring this view into your day: See that all things are changing, connected, and ultimately empty of a fixed essence.
Guided Emptiness Meditation
Benefits of Emptiness Meditation
Emptiness meditation is powerful because it targets the root of suffering: our mistaken belief in fixed, independent selves and realities. Normally, we relate to the world as if people, problems, and emotions are solid and unchanging. This creates grasping, aversion, and anxiety. Emptiness meditation cuts through that illusion.
By observing directly that thoughts, feelings, and even “I” lack inherent existence, we release our grip on them. We gain clarity, resilience, and calm, not by avoiding life, but by seeing it as fluid and interconnected.
Modern neuroscience supports this. Emptiness practices reduce activity in the brain’s default mode network, which is linked to self-referential thinking and rumination. This leads to less overthinking and more presence.
Psychologically, emptiness dissolves rigid identity structures. Without the need to defend a fixed self-image, we become more open, compassionate, and adaptable. Emotions are felt more fully but clung to less.
In short, the benefits of emptiness meditation arise because we stop misperceiving reality. And when we stop insisting that things must be a certain way, we stop suffering when they aren’t. What remains is spaciousness, insight, and freedom.
Shortlist of benefits
- Reduces suffering at the root
- Lowers stress and anxiety
- Increases emotional freedom
- Breaks habitual thought loops
- Deconstructs limiting identities
- Enhances presence and clarity
- Fosters compassion and connection
- Supports insight and awakening
Summary
With Emptiness Meditation I learned that my self is not one thing but rather ever changing and intimately connected to the world around me. It completely changed how I relate to myself. Because once you realise you are one with all… well… it’s a game changer, wouldn’t you say?
And so that is emptiness meditation, an analytical meditation through which we discover dependent origination and the intimate connectivity of all things.
Try the guided meditation above. Leave a comment to let me know how it goes. And to get the most out of meditation, book a private session with me today.
Paul Harrison is a meditation teacher with 20+ years of experience and a deep passion for helping others. Known for his empathy and authentic approach, he’s dedicated to guiding individuals and teams toward mindfulness, clarity, and well-being.