Before the growth of the Mahayana and the Perfection of Wisdom, before Avalokitesvara taught Sariputra the meaning of emptiness, the Buddha gave his own teachings, to his attendant Ananda, on the importance of emptiness (Pali sunnata, Sanskrit sunyata) in everyday practice. In this volume, renowned scholar-monk Bhikkhu Analayo explores these teachings and shows us how to integrate them into our lives.

In this practical companion to his scholarly work The Signless and the Deathless: On the Realization of Nirvana, Bhikkhu Analayo draws from instructions found in the Greater and the Smaller Discourses on Emptiness (the Mahasunnatasutta and the Culasunnatasutta). In each chapter, he provides a translation of a pertinent excerpt from the discourses, follows this with clear and precise explanations of the text, and concludes by offering instructions for practice.

Step by step, beginning with daily life and concluding with Nirvana, Bhikkhu Analayo unpacks the Buddha's teachings on this foundational concept.