Timeline for Why is 空【くう】, and not 無【む】, used to define "void", "emptiness" in a buddhist context? What are their nuances?

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Feb 20, 2018 at 15:43	comment	added	Escoce		Well, being that it's buddhist and not scientific in nature. 空 refers more to heaven or heavenly the state of the mind. Keep in mind that Kanji can't always be directly translated into english and thier use is strongly influenced or even dictated by context. In this case, this is the correct kanji for emptiness. It means emptiness of mental constructs (or your concept of the existence or lack of matter and structure.) It's hard to get your head wrapped around concepts like emptiness in the buddhist sense, which is why the buddha siddhartha gautama said trust nothing and test for yourself.
Oct 19, 2016 at 18:58	comment	added	A.Ellett		In 地, 水、火、風、and 空, 空 should probably be translated as "space" and represents a translation of "akasha" (space) from Sanskrit and not "shunyata" (emptiness). In other contexts, like the Heart Sutra, 空 represents a translation of "shunyata".
Jul 16, 2011 at 3:59	history	edited	Questioner	CC BY-SA 3.0	Corrected Japanese reading for 空.
Jul 3, 2011 at 14:39	history	edited	Questioner	CC BY-SA 3.0	Corrected spelling, made note of different readings in Buddhist context as mentioned in comments.
Jul 2, 2011 at 16:07	comment	added	Dave		Thanks for the great answer and fascinating bits on elements kanji.
Jul 2, 2011 at 16:03	vote	accept	Dave
Jun 30, 2011 at 8:30	comment	added	Kafka Fuura		Great answer, here's just a little more. 空 is usually pronounced から when it's referring to void or emptiness in general, and くう when referring to the Buddhist concept. / en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunya (English Wikipedia Page that corresponds to 空[仏教] Japanese Wikipedia Page)
Jun 30, 2011 at 5:50	history	answered	Questioner	CC BY-SA 3.0