The basic meaning of this term is voidness. It denotes that things do not have a constant or unchanging essence. It also means that things are illusory, not real. The essence of something independently existing is called “own-being,” or “svabhāva.” Buddhism denies the existence of this kind of essence. Instead, it believes that all worldly phenomena are assembled or dispersed by causes and conditions. “Own-being” is just the solidification of conceptual thinking vis-à-vis the phenomenal world. “Absence of own-being,” or “nihsvabhāva,” namely the viewpoint of “emptiness,” is particularly prominent within the Great Vehicle (Mahāyāna) sect of Buddhism. It completely denies any permanent real nature summarized in any term or phrase, going as far as to include the doctrine of Buddhism itself.

The birth of things depends on various conditions. Because things depend on their causes and conditions, they are without own-being. Because they are without own-being, they are void. Further, voidness itself is not real. Instead, one gives an explanation with a designation so as to give guidance to the beings.

(Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way)