Abstract
The Buddhist concept śūnyatā, often translated as “void” or “emptiness” ― and understood as the supreme state of spiritual liberation ― is possibly the concept of the doctrine most discussed by both specialized commentators and scholars in the West. That said, the idea is quite often misinterpreted to imply “nothingness” and/or “nihilism”. The present essay seeks to shed some light on this matter, by discussing and contrasting the Buddhist term with one central notion in Christianity, namely, agápē. The overarching claim is that the confusion regarding the meaning of śūnyatā only obscures some of the most basic and important points of contact between the teachings of the Buddha and those of Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospels. The methodology adopted is the textual interpretation of authors from different areas, such as philosophy, theology, among others, as well as the interpretation of religious texts. As a result, it might be suggested that agápē originates where śūnyatā originates.
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