What does it mean in Buddhism that things are empty?
When Buddhism says that things are “empty,” it does not mean that nothing exists, or that distinctions are illusions in the sense of being fake. It means something much more modest and precise, namely, things do not exist in the way we instinctively think they do.
To say something is not metaphysically final means that it is not the deepest, self-standing explanation of itself. It does not exist by itself, from itself, or on its own terms. It exists only through conditions, relations, and dependencies.
Take a simple example. A chair exists. You can sit on it. Denying that would be silly. But is the chair a final thing in reality? No. It depends on wood, tools, labor, gravity, cultural use, and perception. Remove enough of those conditions and “chair” disappears, even though matter remains. The chair is real, but it is not ultimate.
Buddhism applies this logic everywhere. The self exists in a practical sense. You have a name, memories, a body, responsibilities. But there is no single, independent core that exists by itself and owns everything else. The self is a process held together by causes such as biology, learning, habit, language, social roles. Real, effective, but not final.
“Metaphysically final” would mean that an entity that exists independently, does not depend on anything else, and explains itself. Buddhism claims that nothing in experience meets that standard. Everything is conditional. Everything is borrowed.
This is why Buddhism keeps the two levels separate. On the conventional level, distinctions are necessary and functional. You still say “I,” “you,” “chair,” “pain,” “responsibility.” On the ultimate level, none of these count as ultimate building blocks of reality. They are ways reality shows up under certain conditions.
The danger is misunderstanding this as a claim that distinctions should disappear. They cannot. The claim is weaker and more disciplined. Distinctions are tools, not fundations. So when Buddhism says emptiness, it is not saying “nothing matters” or “everything is one.” It is saying: do not treat practical categories as if they were the deepest truth about how things exist.
What is not metaphysically final can still be real, effective, and unavoidable just not absolute.