Nagarjuna, the 2nd-century Buddhist philosopher, argued that things have no fixed, independent essence — a concept he called śūnyatā, or 'emptiness.' This isn't nihilism; it's actually liberating. When you hit a wall at work or in a relationship on a Friday afternoon, your frustration often comes from treating the situation as a solid, permanent thing — 'this is just how it is.' Nagarjuna's insight is that every situation is a temporary convergence of causes and conditions, which means it's also open to change. The wall isn't a wall; it's a current arrangement waiting to be rearranged.

Is there a problem in your life you've been treating as a permanent feature of reality that might actually be a temporary arrangement of changeable causes?

Drawing from Madhyamaka Buddhism — Nagarjuna