On wilderness and emptiness

Emptiness (Sanskrit: śūnyatā, Pali: suññata, Chinese & Japanese: 空) is important to all Buddhist traditions, and has been argued by many scholars and monastics as being a core feature of many Asian philosophical systems. The Buddha's view on emptiness (according to the Theravada tradition) went like this:

"I remain fully in a dwelling of emptiness. Just as this palace of Migara's mother [where the Buddha was staying at the time] is empty of elephants, cattle, & mares, empty of gold & silver, empty of assemblies of women & men ... even so, Ananda, a monk — not attending to the perception of village, not attending to the perception of human being — attends to the singleness based on the perception of wilderness. His mind takes pleasure, finds satisfaction, settles, & indulges in its perception of wilderness.

"He discerns that 'Whatever disturbances that would exist based on the perception of village are not present. Whatever disturbances that would exist based on the perception of human being are not present. There is only this modicum of disturbance: the singleness based on the perception of wilderness'" (Cula-suññata Sutta, MN 121).

He goes on to describe the perceptions of the infinitude of space, of the infinitude of consciousness, of nothingness, of neither perception nor non-perception, and of theme-less concentration as being even less hindered/disturbed than the perception of wilderness, and that focusing on these things leads one towards perception of nibbana/nirvana (i.e., undisturbed release, freedom, etc.).

From an early Buddhist perspective (and Theravada as well as, to a certain extent, a Nāgārjunan Mādhyamaka), emptiness was stated "negatively" (i.e., as a negation) in this way. It was not a thing in and of itself, not nibbana itself, but rather a way of pointing through the stressful fray of the world to that which is unconditioned, stable, not of this world, able to stand on its own, etc. (i.e., nibbana). However, later Mahayana authors began stating emptiness more "positively" (i.e., as an affirmation), equating utter emptiness with monistic Buddha nature (Skt: tathāgatagarbha).

Many westerners I have met feel intimidated or afraid of the vastness and emptiness of nature. I've been told by some friends and family that they are afraid of thunderstorms, feel unprotected (i.e., like they could easily be killed) when on the open plains, deserts, or oceans. They have a hard time understanding why the perception of emptiness is of key emotional/spiritual importance to me, why I spend so much time walking around nature, looking out over lakes, looking at the night sky, etc. My reason is the same as the Buddha's: in the perception of those things, I feel like my worldly struggles, indeed my own feelings of self, are of no great importance. I feel free, unhindered. The feeling is very comforting, like, whatever happens, there exists a way of universal/oneness-of being that will never change and has no conflicts with anything. I need this feeling, in order to remain sane.