Shentong

Shentong (Tibetan: གཞན་སྟོང་, Wylie: gzhan stong, Lhasa dialect IPA: [ɕɛ̃̀tṍŋ] , also transliterated zhäntong or zhentong), literally "other-emptiness" is an essentialist sub-school found in Tibetan Buddhism, which was systematized and articulated under that name by Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen.

It interprets śūnyatā (emptiness) in a specific way, stating that there is a substratum or essence underlying phenomenal reality, which does inherently exist, and is "empty" (Wylie: stong ) of "other" (Wylie: gzhan ), i.e., empty of all qualities other than its own inherent existent.

Shentong is closely related to the Yogacara school and the concept of Buddha-nature. It was suppressed by the dominant Gelug school for several hundred years, equally for political reasons as doctrinal reasons.

Etymology

Shentong literally means "other-emptiness", "empty" (Wylie: stong ) of "other" (Wylie: gzhan ), i.e., empty of all qualities other than its own inherent existent. Another translation is "extrinsic emptiness".