Emptiness and the Eight Consciousnesses: Toward a Deeper Understanding of Intuitive Judgment

Abstract

This paper empirically investigates whether emptiness (according to the Madhyamaka school) has a positive association with the intuitive judgment that results from the eight consciousnesses (according to the Vijnanavada school). A questionnaire-based quantitative approach was used to collect data from 157 professional spirit mediums. The results show that emptiness is significantly correlated with pure brightness and that pure brightness is, in turn, is significantly associated with intuitive judgment. Therefore, this paper argues that emptiness can improve or enhance the eight consciousnesses in making moral decisions. Finally, for the gap between moral judgment and action, this research provides new insight by asserting that this gap must have existed a priori.