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Nāgārjuna is considered by many to be the "First Patriarch" of Buddhism - - one of the most important contributors to the Buddhist tradition as the founder of the Madhyamaka (Middle Path) school of Mahāyāna Buddhism.
Of particular importance is his work on śūnyatā, or "emptiness."
"Emptiness" refers to the concept that everything is “empty” of independent substance - - in other words, things (including events and people) are interdependent.
This approach invites us to go beyond the illusions of our perceptions. We now see the world as a web of relationships, instead of objects and beings that exist independently of anything else. We see processes, instead of things that don’t change.
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