Zen and Nihilism
Zen Buddhism is very similar to Nihilism. I thought I would share this with you.
The character above is "Mu", which directly translates to the word "nothing". Zen students are taught to contemplate this symbol during meditation, saying the word in their head as they exhale.
There is a fundamental difference in the meaning though. It is taught not as a single word, but two- No Thing. It is a denial of emptiness and nothing itself.
One of my favorite guys was Alan Watts, who explained it this way- paraphrasing
Nothingness isnt grisly or dark. Its more like the nothingness of space, which contains the whole universe.
This is how I look at the concept of nihilism. From a purely scientific view, empty space in between atoms is far greater in sheer volume than the objects themselves- and we continue to find smaller particles with interesting spaces in between them the closer we look. But the important part about the concept of nothing is that this nothingness is where all of this comes from.
"Mu" is really about how the nothingness is what connects everything together. Its like being in the same ocean together with everything else.
Feel free to tell me im wrong, love you all