Nagarjuna, the 2nd-century Buddhist philosopher, argued that things have no fixed, independent essence — a concept he called śūnyatā, or 'emptiness.' For product managers, this is quietly radical: your product's identity isn't inherent in its features, but arises entirely from its relationships — with users, competitors, market timing, and distribution. The PM who treats their roadmap as a fixed object to be defended will lose to the one who sees it as a living web of interdependencies, always ready to shift when the relational field changes. The feature that 'makes' your product today may be the dead weight that obscures it tomorrow.

Which aspect of your product do you treat as essential and non-negotiable — and what assumptions about your users or market is that belief actually depending on?

Drawing from Madhyamaka Buddhism — Nagarjuna (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, ~2nd century CE)